Murray Bernard Hofmeyr (9 December 1925 – 17 May 2018) was a South African sportsman who played international rugby union for England and first-class cricket in both England and South Africa.
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Murray Bernard Hofmeyr | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | (1925-12-09)9 December 1925 Pretoria, Transvaal, South AfricaSouth Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | 17 May 2018(2018-05-17) (aged 92) Knysna, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Batting | Right-handed batsman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bowling | Right-arm medium pace | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Role | Opening batsman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1949–51 | Oxford University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1951–53 | North Eastern Transvaal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricketArchive |
After growing up in South Africa and attending Pretoria Boys High School,[1] Hofmeyr moved to England in 1948 as a Rhodes Scholar at Worcester College, Oxford. He represented Oxford University in both cricket and rugby union. From 1949 to 1951, Hofmeyr, an opening batsman, made 35 first-class appearances for the university and scored 2495 runs.
In the 1949 Varsity Match, Hofmeyr ‘played a dogged and courageous innings and carried his bat’—the first player from Oxford University to have done so in an intervarsity for sixty-eight years. He scored an unbeaten 64 (out of 169) and 54 in the unexpected defeat.[2] He had his most prolific year in 1950 when he scored 1063 runs at 55.94 and brought up four centuries.[3] His highest score, 161, came against Gloucestershire, in an innings where the next highest score was his opening partner Brian Boobbyer's 28.[4] Boobbyer would also partner Hofmeyr in the England rugby union team.
Playing as a full-back, Hofmeyr appeared in three of England's four Tests in the 1950 Five Nations Championship, against Wales, France and Scotland.[5] He played his club rugby for Harlequins and also represented the Barbarians.[6]
He captained the Oxford University Cricket Club in the 1951 season and then returned to South Africa. In the 1951/52 and 1952/53 Currie Cup competition, Hofmeyr was captain of North Eastern Transvaal and played a total of nine first-class matches, from which he made 683 runs at 48.78.[7]
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