# Basil Travers > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Basil_Travers > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Basil_Travers.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_Travers > Source revision: 1355847377 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|England international rugby union player, cricketer & educator (1919-1998)}} {{Use Australian English|date=September 2012}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}} {{Infobox rugby biography |name = Basil 'Jika' Travers | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100%|sep=,|AM|OBE}} |image = File:Jika Travers 1948.jpg |caption = |birth_name = Basil Holmes Travers |birth_date = {{birth date|1919|7|7|df=yes}} |birth_place = [Mosman, Sydney, New South Wales](/source/Mosman%2C_New_South_Wales), [Australia](/source/Australia) |death_date = {{death date and age|1998|12|18|1919|7|7|df=yes}} |death_place = [Sydney](/source/Sydney), Australia |height = |weight = |ru_position = [Flanker](/source/Flanker_(rugby_union)) |repteam1 = [England](/source/England_national_rugby_union_team) |repyears1 = 1947–1949 |repcaps1 = 6 |reppoints1 = 4 |ru_ntupdate = |ru_provinceyears1 = |ru_province1 = |ru_provinceapps1 = |ru_provincepoints1 = |ru_provinceupdate = |years1 = |clubs1 = |apps1 = |points1 = |ru_clubupdate = | module = {{Infobox cricketer | embed = yes | image = | country = | fullname = | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | batting = Right-handed | bowling = Right-arm medium-pace | role = | international = | club1 = [Oxford University](/source/Oxford_University_Cricket_Club) | year1 = 1946–1948 | clubnumber1 = | columns = 1 | column1 = [First-class](/source/First-class_cricket) | matches1 = 24 | runs1 = 718 | bat avg1 = 25.64 | 100s/50s1 = –/4 | top score1 = 65 not out | deliveries1 = 3221 | wickets1 = 48 | bowl avg1 = 30.20 | fivefor1 = – | tenfor1 = – | best bowling1 = 4/65 | catches/stumpings1 = 27/– | date = 28 May | year = 2014 | source = http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/21918.html Cricinfo }} }} '''Basil Holmes 'Jika' Travers''', {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100%|sep=,|AM|OBE}}, (7 July 1919 – 18 December 1998) was an Australian sportsman and educator who played in the [England national rugby union team](/source/England_national_rugby_union_team) and played [first-class cricket](/source/first-class_cricket) with [Oxford University](/source/Oxford_University_Cricket_Club). He was Headmaster of the [Sydney Church of England Grammar School](/source/Sydney_Church_of_England_Grammar_School) (Shore) from 1959 to 1984. In 1983 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Basil Holmes Travers, OBE|url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/881528|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-11-25|website=It's An Honour}} ==Military career== Travers served with Australian forces in [New Guinea](/source/New_Guinea) in [World War II](/source/World_War_II) as a [brigade major](/source/brigade_major).''[Wisden](/source/Wisden_Cricketers'_Almanack)'' 2000, p. 1561. He was awarded the OBE for his service.[http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/Veteran.aspx?ServiceId=A&VeteranId=119939 World War Two Nominal Roll]{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} ==Rugby career== Travers, a [Shore old boy](/source/List_of_Shore_old_boys), went to [New College, Oxford](/source/New_College%2C_Oxford), after the war to study on a Rhodes Scholarship. He was capped six times in total for England, the first in the [1947 Five Nations Championship](/source/1947_Five_Nations_Championship), which England were joint winners of, where he played in their games against both Ireland and Wales. He also played in a friendly against his home country in 1948, as well as making appearances in the 1948 and 1949 Five Nations. The only points of his international career came courtesy of two conversions in a Test against Scotland.{{cite web|url=http://www.espnscrum.com/england/rugby/player/4915.html|title=Jika Travers| publisher=Scrum.com}} He continued to play rugby after returning to Australia and captained [New South Wales](/source/New_South_Wales_Waratahs) to victory over the [British and Irish Lions](/source/British_and_Irish_Lions) in 1950.{{cite book |editor1-last=Cleary |editor1-first=Mick |title=Rothman's Rugby Union Yearbook 1999-2000 |date=1999 |publisher=Headline |location=London |isbn=0747275319 |page=434}} ==Cricket career== An [all-rounder](/source/all-rounder) at cricket, he was a right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace bowler. Travers scored 718 runs at 25.64 and took 48 wickets at 30.20 from his 24 first-class matches. All but one of those matches were for Oxford University, with the other coming in a match for the [Free Foresters Cricket Club](/source/Free_Foresters_Cricket_Club) when he swapped sides and played against the University.{{cite web |url-access=subscription |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/33/33397/First-Class_Matches.html|title=First-Class Matches played by Basil Travers| publisher=CricketArchive}} Although he never scored a century or managed a five wicket haul, Travers made four half centuries and had best figures of 4/65. One of Travers' biggest tests came on his first-class debut, against [India](/source/India_cricket_team) in 1946. Oxford batted first and Travers was dismissed for just 13 by [Vinoo Mankad](/source/Vinoo_Mankad), in what would be his only innings of the match. He had success with the ball though, taking the wickets of middle order players [Raosaheb Nimbalkar](/source/Raosaheb_Nimbalkar) and [Nawab of Pataudi](/source/Nawab_of_Pataudi) to finish with 2/48.{{cite web |url-access=subscription |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/17/17598.html|title= Oxford University v Indians 1946| publisher=CricketArchive}} He finished the season with an impressive 27 wickets at 24.25.{{cite web |url-access=subscription |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/33/33397/f_Bowling_by_Season.html|title= First-class Bowling in Each Season by Basil Travers| publisher=CricketArchive}} ==Education career== Returning to Australia, Travers was the Headmaster of the [Launceston Church Grammar School](/source/Launceston_Church_Grammar_School) from 1953 to 1958, and later the Headmaster of the [Sydney Church of England Grammar School](/source/Sydney_Church_of_England_Grammar_School) from 1959 to 1984.{{cite web |title=Basil Holmes (Jika) Travers (1919–1998) |url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/travers-basil-holmes-jika-32431 |website=Australian Dictionary of Biography |author=G. E. Sherington |access-date=2025-02-11}} An Australian Schoolboys rugby trophy has been named in his honour, called the BH Travers Shield. == Community == Travers was appointed (1970–1982) as the NSW Chair of The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award - Australia and in that capacity also served on the national Board. As Headmaster of the Sydney Church of England Grammar School he introduced the Award to the school in 1959, making it the first body to deliver The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award in Australia. ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/21918.html Cricinfo: Jika Travers] {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Travers, Basil}} Category:1919 births Category:1998 deaths Category:Alumni of New College, Oxford Category:Australian Army officers Category:Australian cricketers Category:Australian headmasters Category:Australian Rhodes Scholars Category:Schoolteachers from New South Wales Category:Chairmen of the Headmasters' Conference of the Independent Schools of Australia Category:Cricketers from Sydney Category:England international rugby union players Category:English rugby union players Category:Free Foresters cricketers Category:Members of the Order of Australia Category:New South Wales rugby union team players Category:Oxford University cricketers Category:Oxfordshire cricketers Category:People educated at Sydney Church of England Grammar School Category:Rugby union flankers Category:Rugby union players from Sydney Category:Australian Army personnel of World War II Category:Oxford University RFC players Category:20th-century Australian sportsmen Category:Officers_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire Category:Heads of schools in New South Wales Category:People from the North Shore (Sydney) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Basil Travers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_Travers) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_Travers?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.