Robert Spurway
Encyclopedia
Robert Popham Spurway was an English cricket
er who made 20 first-class
appearances for Natal and Somerset County Cricket Club
. He was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm off break
bowler. His best season was in 1894, when he played six times, scoring 223 at an average of 24.77.
and played for the school's cricket team on at least one occasion. He then attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
, and in 1887 was gazetted
first into the Worcestershire Regiment
, which was cancelled later that month, and then into The Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment) as a Second Lieutenant. He was promoted from Lieutenant to Captain in March 1896, and seven months later was seconded for service in the Army Pay Department
.
's XI in 1889, the first cricket tour by an English representative team to South Africa. His debut in first-class cricket came in December 1889 against Port Elizabeth, in which he made a half-century in the first innings, top-scoring for his side with 56. He missed his next of four first-class matches, being absent with illness, and appeared twice more in first-class matches for Natal after that.
He made his debut for Somerset
in 1893, and reached his second half-century during that season, scoring 55 against Lancashire
from number three
. His best year in first-class cricket was 1894, when in six appearances he scored 223 runs at an average of 24.77. During this season, he scored his only first-class century
, remaining 108 not out
in Somerset's first innings against Gloucestershire
, helping his side to a six wicket victory. He appeared irregularly after that season, playing twice in 1895 and once in 1898, his final first-class appearance being marked by him scoring a pair.
The Spurway family had close connections with Somerset County Cricket Club; Robert's father was noted in his Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
obituary as being "a well-known member" of the club, while his brother, Edward Spurway
and two of his brother's sons, Francis Edward
and Michael Vyvyan
played first-class cricket for the county.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who made 20 first-class
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...
appearances for Natal and Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
. He was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm off break
Off break
Off break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners....
bowler. His best season was in 1894, when he played six times, scoring 223 at an average of 24.77.
Early and military life
Robert Popham, the son of the Reverend Edward Bryan Coombe Spurway, was born in Heathfield, Somerset. He attended Haileybury CollegeHaileybury and Imperial Service College
Haileybury and Imperial Service College, , is a prestigious British independent school founded in 1862. The school is located at Hertford Heath, near Hertford, from central London, on of parkland occupied until 1858 by the East India College...
and played for the school's cricket team on at least one occasion. He then attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
, and in 1887 was gazetted
London Gazette
The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
first into the Worcestershire Regiment
Worcestershire Regiment
The Worcestershire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 29th Regiment of Foot and the 36th Regiment of Foot....
, which was cancelled later that month, and then into The Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment) as a Second Lieutenant. He was promoted from Lieutenant to Captain in March 1896, and seven months later was seconded for service in the Army Pay Department
Royal Army Pay Corps
The Royal Army Pay Corps was a former corps of the British Army responsible for administering all financial matters. It was amalgamated into the Adjutant General's Corps in 1992....
.
Cricket careet
Spurway made his first-class debut for Natal in 1889, but had been playing cricket in South Africa for a number of years prior to that. He appeared in a number of matches for Cape Town Wanderers, and faced RG WartonRobert Warton (umpire)
Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Gardner Warton umpired two Test matches in South Africa in 1889.Warton was born in Islington. He served in the British Army in Japan and South Africa. He organised the first cricket tour by an English representative team to South Africa in 1888-89...
's XI in 1889, the first cricket tour by an English representative team to South Africa. His debut in first-class cricket came in December 1889 against Port Elizabeth, in which he made a half-century in the first innings, top-scoring for his side with 56. He missed his next of four first-class matches, being absent with illness, and appeared twice more in first-class matches for Natal after that.
He made his debut for Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
in 1893, and reached his second half-century during that season, scoring 55 against Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
from number three
Batting order (cricket)
In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batsmen play through their team's innings, there always being two batsmen taking part at any one time...
. His best year in first-class cricket was 1894, when in six appearances he scored 223 runs at an average of 24.77. During this season, he scored his only first-class century
Century (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...
, remaining 108 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
in Somerset's first innings against Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
, helping his side to a six wicket victory. He appeared irregularly after that season, playing twice in 1895 and once in 1898, his final first-class appearance being marked by him scoring a pair.
The Spurway family had close connections with Somerset County Cricket Club; Robert's father was noted in his Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
obituary as being "a well-known member" of the club, while his brother, Edward Spurway
Edward Spurway
Edward Popham Spurway was an English cricketer. He was a right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper who made two first-class appearances for Somerset County Cricket Club in the late 19th century, and served as the Rector of Heathfield from 1896 until 1914.-Early and personal life:Edward Popham, the...
and two of his brother's sons, Francis Edward
Francis Spurway
Francis Edward Spurway was an English cricketer who played 23 first-class matches for Somerset County Cricket Club between 1920 and 1929.-Early life and military career:...
and Michael Vyvyan
Michael Spurway
Michael Vyvyan Spurway was a British civil servant in the Colonial Service and later a businessman. He also played county cricket for Somerset, and served as a pilot in the RAF in the Second World War.-Early life:...
played first-class cricket for the county.