Herbert Hopkins

Infobox cricketer biography
playername = Herbert Hopkins


country = England
fullname = Herbert Oxley Hopkins
dayofbirth = 6
monthofbirth = 7
yearofbirth = 1895
placeofbirth = Adelaide, South Australia
countryofbirth = Australia
dayofdeath = 23
monthofdeath = 2
yearofdeath = 1972
placeofdeath = Milverton, Somerset
countryofdeath = England
batting = Right-hand
bowling = unknown
club1 = Oxford University
year1 = 1921–1923
club2 = Worcestershire
year2 = 1921–1931
type1 = First-class
debutdate1 = 1 June
debutyear1 = 1921
debutfor1 =
Oxford University
debutagainst1 = Free Foresters
lastdate1 = 25 August
lastyear1 = 1931
lastfor1 =
Worcestershire
lastagainst1 = Sussex
deliveries = balls
columns = 1
column1 = FC
matches1 = 85
runs1 = 3,204
bat avg1 = 22.40
100s/50s1 = 4/10
top score1 = 142*
deliveries1 = 266
wickets1 = 4
bowl avg1 = 50.50
fivefor1 = 0
tenfor1 = 0
best bowling1 = 2-23
catches/stumpings1 = 28/0
date = 16 September
year = 2007
source = http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/30/30363/30363.html cricketarchive.com

Herbert Oxley Hopkins (6 July 1895–23 February 1972) was an Australian-born English [cite web | url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/14938.html | title=Players and Officials - Herbert Hopkins | accessdate=2007-09-16 | publisher=Cricinfo]
cricketer who played 85 first-class matches between the wars. The bulk of these games were for Worcestershire and Oxford University, though he also appeared once for Harlequins. In minor cricket, he played for both Federated Malay States and Straits Settlements, [cite web | url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/30/30363/all_teams.html | title=Teams played for by Herbert Hopkins | accessdate=2007-09-16 | publisher=CricketArchive] where he was working as a doctor.Obituary. "Wisden Cricketers' Almanack" 1973.]

Hopkins was educated at St Peter's College in Adelaide before going to Oxford. He made his first-class debut for the university against Free Foresters at The University Parks in June 1921. He scored 7 and 32 in a game which ended in a Free Foresters win despite an innings of 202 from Oxford captain Romilly Holdsworth. [cite web | url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/10/10099.html | title=Oxford University v Free Foresters in 1921 | accessdate=2007-09-16 | publisher=CricketArchive] After three more university games Hopkins played the rest of the summer for Worcestershire, though his only substantial score was an unbeaten 60 against Lancashire in August.cite web | url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/30/30363/f_Batting_by_Season.html | title=First-class Batting and Fielding in Each Season by Herbert Hopkins | accessdate=2007-09-16 | publisher=CricketArchive] [cite web | url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/10/10099.html | title=Worcestershire v Lancashire in 1921 | accessdate=2007-09-16 | publisher=CricketArchive]

During 1922 and 1923, Hopkins divided his playing time between his university and his county. In June 1922, in a 15-run win for Oxford over the Army at Oxford, he scored what was to remain his career-best innings of 142*, [cite web | url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/10/10433.html | title=Oxford University v Army in 1922 | accessdate=2007-09-16 | publisher=CricketArchive] though he made only one other half-century that season.In early July 1923 he hit 100* for Oxford against MCC at Lord's, [cite web | url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/10/10864.html | title=Marylebone Cricket Club v Oxford University in 1923 | accessdate=2007-09-16 | publisher=CricketArchive] and won his Blue when he appeared in the Varsity Match at the same venue a few days later, making 42 in a crushing innings-and-227-run triumph over Cambridge University. [cite web | url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/10/10879.html | title=Oxford University v Cambridge University in 1923 | accessdate=2007-09-16 | publisher=CricketArchive] He ended 1923 with 729 first-class runs at 27.00, by some way his highest season's aggregate.

That marked the end of Hopkins' university cricket career, but he continued to appear, albeit somewhat irregularly, for Worcestershire over the next four seasons. In late June 1924, he scored 137 in a losing cause against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, and in the same match picked up three of the only four wickets he ever took: those of John Gunn, Len Richmond and Fred Barratt. [cite web | url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/11/11191.html | title=Nottinghamshire v Worcestershire in 1924 | accessdate=2007-09-16 | publisher=CricketArchive] (His other wicket, claimed earlier that same summer, had been that of Glamorgan's Jack Mercer. [cite web | url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/11/11075.html | title=Worcestershire v Glamorgan in 1924 | accessdate=2007-09-16 | publisher=CricketArchive] ) Hopkins scored just one more century — 122 against his old university in 1925 [cite web | url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/11/11471.html | title=Oxford University v Worcestershire in 1925 | accessdate=2007-09-16 | publisher=CricketArchive] — although he got a start in a large number of innings without pushing on to fifties or hundreds. [cite web | url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/cgi-bin/ask_the_player_oracle.cgi?playernumber=30363 | title=Player Oracle on CricketArchive | accessdate=2007-09-16 | publisher=CricketArchive]

After the 1927 season, Hopkins ceased to play English cricket because of his work as a doctor in the Malay States, although he played minor cricket for Straits Settlements as late as 1938, by which time he was well into his forties. [cite web | url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/125/125962.html | title=Federated Malay States v Straits Settlements in 1938 | accessdate=2007-09-16 | publisher=CricketArchive] The exception was 1931, when he turned out nine times for Worcestershire in the County Championship during a period of leave.

Hopkins acted once as wicket-keeper, for Worcestershire against Gloucestershire at Clifton College in 1921. [cite web | url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/10/10256.html | title=Gloucestershire v Worcestershire in 1921 | accessdate=2007-09-16 | publisher=CricketArchive]

His uncle, Bert Hopkins, played 20 Tests for Australia; while another uncle, Cyril Hopkins, had nine games for Otago.

Notes

External links

* [http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/30/30363/30363.html Statistical summary] from CricketArchive
*cricinfo|ref=england/content/player/14938.html