Albert Hartkopf
Encyclopedia
Albert Ernst Victor Hartkopf (28 December 1889 - 20 May 1968) was an Australia
n sportsman who played Test cricket
for Australia and Australian rules football
for Melbourne University Football Club
.
Born in North Fitzroy, Victoria to German migrants, Hartkopf attended Scotch College, Melbourne
, attracting attention as a star schoolboy athlete. After graduating from Scotch, Hartkopf studied medicine at the University of Melbourne
, where he represented University in the Victorian Football League, playing 48 games and kicking 87 goals.
In 1911, Hartkopf cemented his position as one of Australia's best all-round sportsmen by becoming the Victorian state 440 yards champion and making his first-class cricket
debut for Victoria
on 23 December 1911 against New South Wales at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
, scoring an unbeaten 42 and a duck and taking 2/20 with his leg break bowling. He was a regular member of Victoria's cricket side and University's football side until injury and then World War I
restricted Hartkopf's sporting career. During World War I, Hartkopf worked first at the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne
and then at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Perth, Western Australia
. There is no evidence to suggest his German background caused him problems during the war.
In 1919 Hartkopf returned to Melbourne, opening a medical practice in Northcote
and returned to cricket, playing his first game for Victoria for six years, scoring 53 and 49 against New South Wales. In November 1924, an unbeaten half century for Victoria against the touring English
side led to his selection, at age 35, in the Australian team for the second Test of the 1924/25 series against England at the MCG. Batting at number 8, Hartkopf scored 80 in Australia’s first innings but could only produce match figures of 1/134 and was dropped from the team.
Hartkopf continued to play for Victoria until the end of the 1927/28 season but never returned to the national side. He then concentrated on his medical practice.
Albert Hartkopf died in Kew, Victoria
after a long battle with rheumatoid arthritis. His obituary was unusually not recorded in Wisden
until 1994.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n sportsman who played Test cricket
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
for Australia and Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
for Melbourne University Football Club
Melbourne University Football Club
Melbourne University Football Club, often known simply as University is an Australian rules football club.The club achieved prominence by being a member of the game's most elite competition in the early 20th century, the Victorian Football League between 1908 and 1914.Although there are no records...
.
Born in North Fitzroy, Victoria to German migrants, Hartkopf attended Scotch College, Melbourne
Scotch College, Melbourne
Scotch College, Melbourne is an independent, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for boys, located in Hawthorn, an inner-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
, attracting attention as a star schoolboy athlete. After graduating from Scotch, Hartkopf studied medicine at the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
, where he represented University in the Victorian Football League, playing 48 games and kicking 87 goals.
In 1911, Hartkopf cemented his position as one of Australia's best all-round sportsmen by becoming the Victorian state 440 yards champion and making his first-class cricket
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
debut for Victoria
Victorian Bushrangers
The Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
on 23 December 1911 against New South Wales at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
, scoring an unbeaten 42 and a duck and taking 2/20 with his leg break bowling. He was a regular member of Victoria's cricket side and University's football side until injury and then World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
restricted Hartkopf's sporting career. During World War I, Hartkopf worked first at the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and then at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
. There is no evidence to suggest his German background caused him problems during the war.
In 1919 Hartkopf returned to Melbourne, opening a medical practice in Northcote
Northcote, Victoria
Northcote is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Darebin...
and returned to cricket, playing his first game for Victoria for six years, scoring 53 and 49 against New South Wales. In November 1924, an unbeaten half century for Victoria against the touring English
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
side led to his selection, at age 35, in the Australian team for the second Test of the 1924/25 series against England at the MCG. Batting at number 8, Hartkopf scored 80 in Australia’s first innings but could only produce match figures of 1/134 and was dropped from the team.
Hartkopf continued to play for Victoria until the end of the 1927/28 season but never returned to the national side. He then concentrated on his medical practice.
Albert Hartkopf died in Kew, Victoria
Kew, Victoria
Kew is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Boroondara. At the 2006 Census, Kew had a population of 22,516....
after a long battle with rheumatoid arthritis. His obituary was unusually not recorded in Wisden
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
until 1994.