Brian Boobbyer
Encyclopedia
Brian Boobbyer played in nine Test matches
for England
at rugby union
between 1950 and 1952. He also played cricket
at first-class level
, and was awarded Blues for both sports by Oxford University for appearing against Cambridge. But in 1952, at the age of twenty-four, he gave up playing both games, in order to devote his life to working for the Moral Re-Armament
(MRA) movement.
preparatory school
before transferring to Uppingham
, a leading "public school". Whilst there he became Head Boy. After school, he did his National Service
, during which time he first played rugby at senior club level, for Rosslyn Park
. In 1948 he went up to Oxford University to read History at Brasenose College, already with a reputation as a good cricketer and rugby player.
in the County Championship
. He also appeared for the Barbarians
. He first played for Oxford
in his second year, going on to appear in three matches against Cambridge
, thus achieving the distinction of becoming a "double Blue". All three matches were won.
A centre, he made his international debut for England, against Wales
, on 21 January 1950. He won nine caps during this and the following two seasons, all in the Five Nations Championship, scoring two tries. He performed particularly well on an England tour of South Africa in 1951. In 1952 he was the only scorer in a 3-0 victory against Ireland
.
, acoring 61. The same year, he played for the Public Schools against Combined Services
, also at Lord's, scoring 102 in the first innings.
In 1947, while doing his National Service, he played for the Army
against the Royal Navy and against the Royal Air Force, both matches being played at Lord's. The following year, he again appeared for the Army against the Royal Navy, again at Lord's.
All his first-class cricket was played for Oxford University
, for whom he played 40 first-class matches between 1949 and 1952. He scored 1970 runs in all at an average of 26.98, including two centuries and with a highest score of 126. Both centuries were scored against Sussex
. His best season was his last, when he scored 802 runs in 13 first-class matches at an average of 34.86. He made his first appearance in the annual University Match
against Cambridge in his first season of 1949, and thus was awarded his Blue. He scored what proved to be a match-winning 80 in the 1951 match. The Daily Telegraph, in its obituary, described him as "a doughty rather than a spectacular cricketer" (though adding that this could not be said of his rugby). Middlesex
were interested in signing him as an opening batsman had he not given up the game.
, but at the end of the tour he stayed on to work with an international MRA group which had the aim of promoting reconciliation following World War II
. He devoted the rest of his life to his MRA work, and never subsequently played sport at a serious level. He later travelled for the movement to the Philippines
, the USA and India
, amongst many other places. He was a fine public speaker, able to put across spiritual themes in an understandable and sympathetic way.
for many years. In 2004 his family published a paperback entitled Like a Cork out of a Bottle, containing a selection of his talks and writings. Boobbyer died at Hereford County Hospital on January 17 of 2011. His relatives included his uncle, Edward Shaw
, who played first-class cricket and was killed in World War I
.
Test match (rugby union)
Test match in rugby union is a match recognised as being a full international match by at least one of the participating teams' governing bodies. It is an unofficial but widely used term in the sport....
for England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
at rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
between 1950 and 1952. He also played cricket
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...
at first-class level
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...
, and was awarded Blues for both sports by Oxford University for appearing against Cambridge. But in 1952, at the age of twenty-four, he gave up playing both games, in order to devote his life to working for the Moral Re-Armament
Moral Re-Armament
Moral Re-Armament was an international Christian moral and spiritual movement that, in 1938, developed from the American minister Frank Buchman's Oxford Group. Buchman, a Lutheran, headed MRA for 23 years, from 1938 until his death in 1961...
(MRA) movement.
Early life
The son of a doctor, Boobbyer attended Durston HouseDurston House
Durston House is a private preparatory school based in the London Borough of Ealing, United Kingdom. It is located on castlebar road and longfield road . It is a noted feeder school of St. Pauls Westminster and Latymer Upper schools. Its current Headmaster is Ian Kendrick, who succeeded the late...
preparatory school
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
before transferring to Uppingham
Uppingham School
Uppingham School is a co-educational independent school of the English public school tradition, situated in the small town of Uppingham in Rutland, England...
, a leading "public school". Whilst there he became Head Boy. After school, he did his National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
, during which time he first played rugby at senior club level, for Rosslyn Park
Rosslyn Park F.C.
Rosslyn Park Football Club is a rugby union team. Founded in 1879, the club became the first club based in England to play rugby internationally when it faced Stade Francais in Paris on 18 April 1892. In 1912, the club played in Prague, Budapest and Vienna in the first rugby matches ever played in...
. In 1948 he went up to Oxford University to read History at Brasenose College, already with a reputation as a good cricketer and rugby player.
Rugby career
As well as playing club rugby for Rosslyn Park, Boobbyer played for MiddlesexMiddlesex Rugby Football Union
Middlesex Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union in Middlesex, England; Middlesex is a historic county of England that has since been divided up and shared between Greater London, Surrey and Hertfordshire though the appellation is still in use when referring to sport, businesses...
in the County Championship
County Championship (rugby union)
The County Championship is an annual rugby union competition in England between teams representing English counties. After restructuring in 2007 the top tier of the Championship has been known as the Bill Beaumont Cup, after the trophy awarded to the competition winners was named in honour of Bill...
. He also appeared for the Barbarians
Barbarian F.C.
The Barbarian Football Club, usually referred to as the Barbarians and nicknamed the "Baa-Baas", is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain...
. He first played for Oxford
Oxford University RFC
The Oxford University Rugby Football Club is the rugby union club of the University of Oxford. The club contests The Varsity Match every year against Cambridge University at Twickenham.-History:...
in his second year, going on to appear in three matches against Cambridge
The Varsity Match
The Varsity Match is an annual rugby union fixture played between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge in England. By tradition, the match is held on the second Tuesday of December. In 2005, however, this changed, and the match was on Tuesday 6 December. In 2007, it was held on a Thursday for...
, thus achieving the distinction of becoming a "double Blue". All three matches were won.
A centre, he made his international debut for England, against Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
, on 21 January 1950. He won nine caps during this and the following two seasons, all in the Five Nations Championship, scoring two tries. He performed particularly well on an England tour of South Africa in 1951. In 1952 he was the only scorer in a 3-0 victory against Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
.
Cricket career
While at Uppingham, in 1946 Boobbyyer captained a Combined Schools side, The Rest, against the Southern Schools at Lord'sLord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
, acoring 61. The same year, he played for the Public Schools against Combined Services
Combined Services cricket team
The Combined Services cricket team represents the British armed forces. The team played at first-class level in England for more than forty years in the mid-twentieth century. Their first first-class match was against Gentlemen of England at Lord's in 1920, while their last was against Oxford...
, also at Lord's, scoring 102 in the first innings.
In 1947, while doing his National Service, he played for the Army
British Army cricket team
The Army cricket team is a cricket side representing the British Army. The team played a number of first-class matches between 1912 and 1939, although a combined "Army and Navy" side had played two games against a combined Oxford and Cambridge team in 1910 and 1911...
against the Royal Navy and against the Royal Air Force, both matches being played at Lord's. The following year, he again appeared for the Army against the Royal Navy, again at Lord's.
All his first-class cricket was played for Oxford University
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
, for whom he played 40 first-class matches between 1949 and 1952. He scored 1970 runs in all at an average of 26.98, including two centuries and with a highest score of 126. Both centuries were scored against Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
. His best season was his last, when he scored 802 runs in 13 first-class matches at an average of 34.86. He made his first appearance in the annual University Match
The University Match (cricket)
The University Match in a cricketing context is generally understood to refer to the annual fixture between Oxford University Cricket Club and Cambridge University Cricket Club...
against Cambridge in his first season of 1949, and thus was awarded his Blue. He scored what proved to be a match-winning 80 in the 1951 match. The Daily Telegraph, in its obituary, described him as "a doughty rather than a spectacular cricketer" (though adding that this could not be said of his rugby). Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex 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 Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
were interested in signing him as an opening batsman had he not given up the game.
Work for Moral Re-Armament
Boobbyer joined the MRA movement whilst at Oxford. After finishing at university, he went on a rugby tour to JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, but at the end of the tour he stayed on to work with an international MRA group which had the aim of promoting reconciliation following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He devoted the rest of his life to his MRA work, and never subsequently played sport at a serious level. He later travelled for the movement to the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, the USA and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, amongst many other places. He was a fine public speaker, able to put across spiritual themes in an understandable and sympathetic way.
Family
Boobbyer married Juliet Rodd (who survived him) in 1957; they had two sons. The couple lived and worked in OxfordOxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
for many years. In 2004 his family published a paperback entitled Like a Cork out of a Bottle, containing a selection of his talks and writings. Boobbyer died at Hereford County Hospital on January 17 of 2011. His relatives included his uncle, Edward Shaw
Edward Shaw (cricketer, born 1892)
Edward Alfred Shaw was an English cricketer and British Army officer. A bespectacled man, Shaw was a right-handed batsman who fielded as a wicket-keeper...
, who played first-class cricket and was killed in 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...
.