Bert Tobin

Bertrandt Joseph Tobin (11 November 1910 – 19 October 1969) was a cricketer who played first-class cricket for South Australia from 1930 to 1935.

Bert Tobin
Personal information
Full nameBertrandt Joseph Tobin
Born(1910-11-11)11 November 1910
North Adelaide, South Australia
Died19 October 1969(1969-10-19) (aged 58)
Adelaide, South Australia
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm fast-medium
RoleAll-rounder
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1930-31 to 1930-34South Australia
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 26
Runs scored 722
Batting average 16.04
100s/50s 0/4
Top score 61
Balls bowled 3667
Wickets 51
Bowling average 39.03
5 wickets in innings 0
10 wickets in match 0
Best bowling 4/31
Catches/stumpings 17/0
Source: Cricinfo, 27 November 2019

Life and career

The son of a railway official, Bert Tobin lived in North Adelaide. He was educated at Rostrevor College in Adelaide from 1925 to 1928, boarding in his final two years. He was a prominent member of the school's cricket and football teams.[1] He won the South Australian Junior Golf Championship in 1928.[2]

A hard-hitting batsman in the middle or lower order and a fast-medium opening bowler, Tobin stood six feet two inches tall.[3] He made his first-class debut for South Australia in the 1930–31 season just before his 20th birthday. He took his best first-class figures of 4 for 31 against Victoria in the Sheffield Shield in November 1932, when he and Tim Wall dismissed Victoria for 92 and South Australia won by three wickets.[4] He made his highest first-class score of 61 in the next match, against New South Wales.[5]

Despite his good form it was a surprise when he was selected in the Australian team for the Fourth Test against England later that season, as his overall achievements had been moderate: "a useful rather than a match-winning figure in South Australian cricket".[6] He probably owed his selection to his ability to bowl bouncers.[2] In the event he was made twelfth man and was not selected for Australia again.[7][8]

During his South Australian career Tobin worked in the Adelaide sports store part-owned by the cricketer Philip Lee.[3] He left Australia in 1935 to play as a professional for Rishton in the Lancashire League.[1] He remained in the UK, marrying a rich woman and playing club cricket in Scotland.[7][9] After two decades abroad he returned to Australia, coaching cricket in the Melbourne suburb of Essendon and in Alice Springs.[2]

References
  1. "Bert Tobin '28". Rostrevor College. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  2. The Oxford Companion to Australian Cricket, Oxford, Melbourne, 1996, p. 534.
  3. "Bert Tobin: Australia's New Test Player". Sporting Globe. 8 February 1933. p. 10.
  4. "South Australia v Victoria 1932-33". Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  5. "South Australia v New South Wales 1932-33". Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  6. "Team for Fourth Test". Chronicle. 2 February 1933. p. 40.
  7. David Frith, Bodyline Autopsy, ABC Books, Sydney, 2002, p. 274.
  8. Williamson, Martin. "Bert Tobin". Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  9. "Harry Hopman's Sports Talk". The Herald. 10 November 1949. p. 25.
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