{{Short description|Anglo-Irish cricketer and British Army officer (1866–1938)}} {{Featured article}} {{Use British English|date=August 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2024}} {{Infobox military person | name = Robert Poore | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GB|CIE|DSO|DL|JP|size=100%}} | image = Major Robert Poore.png | alt = A black and white picture of a male face | caption = Poore in 1899 | birth_date = {{birth date text|20 March 1866}} | death_date = {{death date and age|14 July 1938|20 March 1866}} | birth_place = Dublin, Ireland | death_place = Boscombe, Hampshire, England | burial_place = Ashington, Dorset | burial_coordinates = {{coord|50.7769|-1.9883|display=inline}} | allegiance = United Kingdom | branch = British Army<br>British Indian Army | service_years = 1883–1921 | rank = Brigadier-general | commands = Provost marshal (South Africa)<br>7th Hussars<br>Jhansi Brigade | battles = {{Tree list}} * Second Matabele War * Second Boer War * First World War {{tree list/end}} | awards = Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire<br/>Distinguished Service Order<br/>Mentioned in Despatches | module = {{Infobox cricketer | embed = yes | country = South Africa | heightft = 6 | heightinch = 4 | batting = Right-handed | bowling = Unknown | international = true | internationalspan = 1895/96 | testdebutdate = 13 February | testdebutyear = 1896 | testdebutagainst = England | testcap = 28 | lasttestdate = 21 March | lasttestyear = 1896 | lasttestagainst = England | club1 = Europeans | year1 = {{nowrap|1892/93–1913/14}} | club2 = Bombay | year2 = 1892/93 | club3 = Hampshire | year3 = {{nowrap|1898–1906}} | club4 = Marylebone Cricket Club | year4 = 1898 | columns = 2 | column1 = Test | matches1 = 3 | runs1 = 76 | bat avg1 = 12.66 | 100s/50s1 = –/– | top score1 = 20 | deliveries1 = 9 | wickets1 = 1 | bowl avg1 = 4.00 | fivefor1 = – | tenfor1 = – | best bowling1 = 1/4 | catches/stumpings1 = 3/– | column2 = First-class | matches2 = 55 | runs2 = 3,441 | bat avg2 = 38.66 | 100s/50s2 = 11/12 | top score2 = 304 | deliveries2 = 470 | wickets2 = 13 | bowl avg2 = 19.38 | fivefor2 = – | tenfor2 = – | best bowling2 = 2/10 | catches/stumpings2 = 38/– | date = 13 November | year = 2022 | source = http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/46776.html Cricinfo }} }} Brigadier-General '''Robert Montagu Poore''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100|sep=,|CIE|DSO|DL|JP}} (20 March 1866 – 14 July 1938) was an Anglo-Irish cricketer and British Army officer who, while serving in the British Transvaal Colony in 1896, played in three Test matches for the South African cricket team. He featured most prominently in first-class cricket playing county cricket in England for Hampshire between 1898 and 1906, where he gained a reputation as a batsman, having notable success in 1899 when he was the highest first-class run-scorer in England. Alongside playing for Hampshire, Poore also played first-class cricket in India for the Europeans in the Bombay Presidency Matches. An all-round sportsman, he was also a capable swordsman, and polo, tennis, racquets, and squash player, in addition to being a skilled marksman. Poore had success in the Royal Naval and Military Tournaments, being adjudged the best man-at-arms on four occasions.
Poore began his military service in the Militia with the 3rd (Royal Wiltshire Militia) Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment in 1883, before gaining a regular commission in the British Army in 1886. From there, he transferred to the 7th Hussars in the same year and shortly after served in British India, where he was aide-de-camp to the Governor of Bombay. Poore served in the Second Matabele War in Southern Africa and later in the Second Boer War from 1899 to 1902, during which he was seconded to the Mounted Military Police and served as provost marshal at Army Headquarters Pretoria. In this role, he played an important part in investigating and recording the war–crimes trial and execution of Breaker Morant and Peter Handcock. Decorated with the Distinguished Service Order during the war, Poore later returned to the Hussars and served in the First World War between 1914 and 1918, commanding the Jhansi Brigade of the British Indian Army from 1915, for which he was made a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire in 1918. He retired from active military service in 1921. In later life, he was a deputy lieutenant for Dorset.
==Military career== The son of Major Robert Poore Senior and his wife, Juliana {{nee}} Lowry-Corry (daughter of Rear-Admiral Armar Lowry-Corry), Poore was born at Dublin in March 1866.{{sfn|Murray|Vahed|2009|p=184}} He was initially home educated, before attending Cheam School in England.{{sfn|Lonsdale|1988|p=23}} His father wished for him to enter the British Army, but he consistently failed the entry exams for Sandhurst.{{sfn|West|Roper|2016|p=124}} Poore joined the Militia as a lieutenant with the 3rd (Royal Wiltshire Militia) Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment in August 1883,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=25259|date=14 August 1883|page=4019}}</ref> before joining the 1st Battalion with a regular commission in the British Army in April 1886,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=25581|date=27 April 1886|page=2030}}</ref> having finally managed to pass the entry exams.{{sfn|West|Roper|2016|p=124}} In the same year, through the influence of his father, he obtained a transfer to the 7th Hussars.{{sfn|Murray|Vahed|2009|p=184}}{{sfn|West|Roper|2016|p=125}} He served in British India until 1895, where he was aide-de-camp to the Governor of Bombay, Lord Harris, from 1892.<ref name="OBIT">{{cite news|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CS303379183/TTDA?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-TTDA&xid=2fba20cb|title=Brig.-General R. M. Poore|work=The Times|location=London|issue=48027|page=18|date=15 July 1938|access-date=22 May 2024|url-access=subscription|via=Gale|archive-date=6 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006130842/https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=TTDA&u=wikipedia&id=GALE%7CCS303379183&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-TTDA&asid=2fba20cb|url-status=live}}</ref> While stationed in India, he saw no active combat.{{sfn|Murray|Vahed|2009|p=184}} From India, he proceeded with the 7th Hussars to South Africa,{{sfn|Murray|Vahed|2009|p=184}} where he served in the Second Matabele War in neighbouring Rhodesia from 1896 to 1897.<ref name="OBIT"/> He was promoted to captain during that conflict,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=26759|date=17 July 1896|page=4090}}</ref> before being promoted to brevet major in May 1898.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=26968|date=20 May 1898|page=3164}}</ref>
After a brief period in the United States procuring remounts for the army,{{sfn|West|Roper|2016|p=125}} Poore served in the Second Boer War in South Africa, being seconded for service with the Mounted Military Police in October 1899.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27126|date=13 October 1899|page=6179}}</ref> He was appointed provost marshal at Army Headquarters Pretoria in November 1899.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27198|date=1 June 1900|page=3500}}</ref>{{sfn|West|Roper|2016|p=125}} In this capacity, Poore commanded the military police and was responsible to the commander-in-chief, Lord Roberts, and his successor in 1902, Earl Kitchener.<ref name="SMH">{{cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/diary-sinks-reputation-of-breaker-morant-20040821-gdjlcc.html|title=Diary Sinks Reputation of Breaker Morant|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=21 August 2004|access-date=28 September 2024|url-access=subscription|archive-date=6 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006130846/https://www.smh.com.au/national/diary-sinks-reputation-of-breaker-morant-20040821-gdjlcc.html|url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|West|Roper|2016|p=125}} He was mentioned in despatches in March 1900, with Roberts praising Poore for his "care of prisoners" and conduct in "maintaining order in camp and on the line of march".<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27282|date=8 February 1901|page=844}}</ref> He saw action in the Orange Free State, where he took part in the battles of Paardeberg, Poplar Grove, Driefontein, Vet River, and Zand River; he subsequently saw action in the Transvaal, where he took part in engagements at Pretoria and Diamond Hill, and later in August 1900 in Western Transvaal at Bergendal.<ref name="HUS">{{cite web|url=https://www.qrhmuseum.com/brig-r-m-poore-cie-dso-7th-hussars|title=Brig R M Poore CIE, DSO – 7th Hussars|website=www.qrhmuseum.com|date=23 May 2024|archive-date=6 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006125109/https://www.qrhmuseum.com/brig-r-m-poore-cie-dso-7th-hussars|url-status=live}}</ref> He received the Distinguished Service Order in April 1901, in recognition of his war service.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27306|date=19 April 1901|page=2700}}</ref>{{sfn|Humphris|Creagh|1924|p=112}} In February 1901, he was tasked by Kitchener with forming a Boer commando, the Bushveldt Mounted Rifles. This was made up of surrendered Boer combatants, whose task it was to loot cattle from enemy forces.{{sfn|West|Roper|2016|p=125}}
In August 1901, he gained the full rank of major,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27348|date=23 August 1901|page=5588}}</ref> and was granted the local rank of lieutenant colonel in November 1901.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27399|date=21 January 1902|page=455}}</ref> As provost marshal, Poore was the lead investigator into the war–crimes allegations against Breaker Morant and Peter Handcock,{{sfn|West|Roper|2016|page=505}}{{sfn|Murray|Vahed|2009|p=193}} which led to their trial and execution in February 1902. He published a diary, containing contemporary notes on the case.<ref name="SMH"/> In the diary he puts forth his belief that Morant and Handcock not only executed prisoners of war, but also murdered a German missionary who witnessed the killings.<ref name="SMH"/> Poore was critical of Kitchener in the diary, considering him "weak-kneed" and not tough enough in suppressing the rebellious Boers.<ref name="SMH"/> He was subsequently responsible for drilling the firing squad which was to carry out the executions, and ensuring that the execution order was carried out.{{sfn|Murray|Vahed|2009|p=194}} He returned home aboard the {{SS|Canada|1896|6}} in July 1902<ref name="CRIC">{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.acscricket.com/cricket/1902/289/#zoom=z|title=Pavilion Gossip|magazine=Cricket: A Weekly Record of the Game|location=London|date=17 July 1902|pages=280–282|volume=19|access-date=22 May 2024|archive-date=7 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007121918/https://archive.acscricket.com/cricket/1902/289/#zoom=z|url-status=live}}</ref> but would return to South Africa on military service in 1903 until his final departure in 1905.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.acscricket.com/cricket/1903/15/#zoom=z|title=Pavilion Gossip|magazine=Cricket: A Weekly Record of the Game|location=London|date=29 January 1903|pages=8–12|volume=22|access-date=7 October 2024}}</ref>{{sfn|Humphris|Creagh|1924|p=112}}
Having returned to the 7th Hussars, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in June 1911,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28508|date=27 June 1911|page=4772}}</ref> before returning to India as commanding officer of the 7th Hussars.{{sfn|Murray|Vahed|2009|p=194}} During the First World War, he was promoted to colonel in June 1915,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29206|date=25 June 1915|page=6171}}</ref> and in August 1915 he was appointed commander of the Jhansi Brigade in the British Indian Army,{{sfn|Lonsdale|1988|p=27}} an appointment he retained for the remainder of the war.<ref name="OBIT"/><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29373|date=19 November 1915|page=11482}}</ref> He remained in India throughout the war and did not see combat.{{sfn|Murray|Vahed|2009|p=194}} Poore was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire in the 1918 Birthday Honours.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=30723|date=31 May 1918|page=6531|supp=y}}</ref> He relinquished his command of the Jhansi Brigade in October 1919, nearly a year after the end of the war,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31924|date=1 June 1920|page=6090}}</ref> and was subsequently placed on the half-pay list.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31988|date=20 July 1920|page=7739|supp=y}}</ref> Poore retired from active service in March 1921 and was granted the honorary rank of brigadier-general.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=32263|date=18 March 1921|page=2289|supp=y}}</ref>
==Cricket career== ===India and South Africa=== Poore was not initially overly enamoured with cricket. He learnt the game through the perusal of textbooks, reputedly chiefly from the ''Badminton Volume of Cricket'' (1888), as opposed to the classical coaching method;<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.acscricket.com/cricket/1904/71/index.html#zoom=z|title=Some Notes About Robert Abel|magazine=Cricket: A Weekly Record of the Game|location=London|date=21 April 1904|page=343|issue=654|volume=23|access-date=22 May 2024|archive-date=6 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006130843/https://archive.acscricket.com/cricket/1904/71/index.html#zoom=z|url-status=live}}</ref> his arrival in India as a subaltern with the 7th Hussars made him realise his love for the game.<ref name="WIS">{{cite web|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/233702.html|title=Brigadier-General Robert Poore|date=19 January 2006|publisher=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=22 May 2024|archive-date=6 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006130840/https://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/233702.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Styling his game on that of W. G. Grace,{{sfn|Warner|1938|p=400}} he subsequently made his debut in first-class cricket for the Europeans cricket team against the Parsees in August 1892 in the 1892–93 Bombay Presidency Match, and he played a second match against the same opponents the following month.<ref name="FCM">{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/0/195/First-Class_Matches.html|title=First-Class Matches Played by Robert Poore|publisher=CricketArchive|access-date=22 May 2024|url-access=subscription|archive-date=22 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240522163050/https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/0/195/First-Class_Matches.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In December of the same year, he played for Bombay against Lord Hawke's touring team.<ref name="FCM"/> He subsequently made four further first-class appearances for the Europeans across the 1894–95 and 1895–96 Bombay Presidency Matches,<ref name="FCM"/> which included a maiden century in the latter.<ref name="FCBAS">{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/0/195/f_Batting_by_Season.html|title=First-Class Batting and Fielding in Each Season by Robert Poore|publisher=CricketArchive|access-date=22 May 2024|url-access=subscription|archive-date=6 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006131001/https://cricketarchive.com/subscribe|url-status=live}}</ref> He was prolific while playing for Government House in minor matches, averaging 80 for the team.<ref name="WIS"/>
Poore continued his prolific form when he went to South Africa, scoring over 1,600 runs over the period of a few months.<ref name="WIS"/> Among these were nine centuries, with Poore being the only batsman in South Africa to score centuries against Lord Hawke's touring team.<ref name="OBIT"/> His form led to him being called up to the South African team, with him featuring in three matches against England in February–March 1896;<ref name="OBIT"/> these were subsequently afforded retrospective Test status.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/0/195/Test_Matches.html|title=Test Matches played by Robert Poore|publisher=CricketArchive|access-date=22 May 2024|url-access=subscription|archive-date=6 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006131003/https://cricketarchive.com/subscribe|url-status=live}}</ref> In his three Test appearances, he scored 76 runs at an average of 12.66,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/0/195/t_Batting_by_Team.html|title=Test Batting and Fielding For Each Team by Robert Poore|publisher=CricketArchive|access-date=22 May 2024|url-access=subscription|archive-date=6 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006130847/https://cricketarchive.com/subscribe|url-status=live}}</ref> and took a single wicket.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/0/195/t_Bowling_by_Team.html|title=Test Bowling For Each Team by Robert Poore|publisher=CricketArchive|access-date=22 May 2024|url-access=subscription}}</ref> ''Wisden'' noted that he did not distinguish himself in what were heavy defeats for South Africa.<ref name="WIS"/> Following the Test, there was talk of Poore playing for Natal in the 1895–96 Currie Cup, but the competition was called off due to unrest.{{sfn|Lonsdale|1988|p=25}} His time spent playing on hard wickets in India and South Africa early in his career is credited with developing and refining his batting style.{{sfn|Murray|Vahed|2009|p=195}}
===Hampshire and later cricket=== Poore returned to England on leave in 1898, playing in a first-class match for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) against Lancashire at Lord's in May,<ref name="FCM"/> in which he scored a half-century which helped the MCC to an innings victory.<ref name="WIS"/> Just over one week later, he made his debut in county cricket for Hampshire against Somerset at Bath in the 1898 County Championship, at the age of 32.{{sfn|Murray|Vahed|2009|p=183}} He made twelve appearances for Hampshire in 1898, alongside an additional two appearances for the MCC.<ref name="FCM"/> In his first full season of first-class cricket in England, he scored 735 runs at an average of 28.26, making two centuries.<ref name="FCBAS"/> thumb|left|alt=Black-and-white photograph showing a cricket team|The Gentlemen team of 1899; Poore is seated on the far-right of the middle row. The following season, Poore was the highest first-class run-scorer in England, scoring 1,399 runs (including seven hundreds) between 12 June and 12 August at an average of 116.58.<ref name="WIS"/> Against Somerset, he made 304,{{sfn|Stern|Williams|2014|p=641}} which was the highest individual first-class score for Hampshire until it was surpassed by Dick Moore's 316 in 1937.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Records/England/Firstclass/Hampshire/Batting_Records/Highest_Innings_For.html|title=Most Runs in an Innings for Hampshire|publisher=CricketArchive|access-date=22 May 2024|url-access=subscription|archive-date=6 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006131532/https://cricketarchive.com/subscribe|url-status=live}}</ref> While compiling his score, he shared in a partnership of 411 for the sixth wicket with fellow army officer Captain Wynyard (225) – as of {{year}} this remains a Hampshire record for the sixth wicket.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Records/England/Firstclass/Hampshire/Partnership_Records/Highest_Partnership_Each_Wicket_For.html|title=Highest Partnership for Each Wicket for Hampshire|publisher=CricketArchive|access-date=22 May 2024|url-access=subscription|archive-date=6 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006131357/https://cricketarchive.com/subscribe|url-status=live}}</ref> Poore's innings was described by the ''Southern Daily Echo'' as being "a remarkable feat of physical endurance" on "a sweltering July day".{{sfn|Lonsdale|1984|pp=8–9}} In 21 innings over the course of the entire season, Poore scored 1,551 runs at 91.23,<ref name="FCBAS"/> a record average for an English season not broken until Don Bradman averaged 98.66 in 1930, and not surpassed by an English batsman until Herbert Sutcliffe averaged 96.96 in 1931.<ref name="OBIT"/> His form led to him being selected for the Gentlemen in the two Gentlemen v Players fixtures played that season at Lord's and The Oval,<ref name="FCM"/> but his scores in these disappointed.{{sfn|Thomson|1985|p=103}} Had Poore met with success in these, he would likely have played Test cricket for England in the latter half of their series against Australia, but no Test cap for England was forthcoming.{{sfn|Stern|Williams|2014|p=641}} In recognition of his success in 1899, Poore was selected as a ''Wisden Cricketer of the Year'' for 1900.<ref name="OBIT"/> He was the only Irish-born player afforded this distinction until Eoin Morgan in 2011.{{sfn|West|Roper|2016|p=125}}
Poore returned to South Africa after the 1899 season to fight in the Second Boer War. After he returned to England, a broken arm caused him to miss most of the 1902 season,<ref name="OBIT"/> but on his return match against the touring Australians, he made an unbeaten 62 against the bowling of Hugh Trumble, who was aided by a sticky wicket.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.acscricket.com/cricket/1902/350/index.html#zoom=z|title=The Australians|magazine=Cricket: A Weekly Record of the Game|location=London|date=14 August 1902|page=343|volume=19|access-date=22 May 2024|archive-date=6 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006131352/https://archive.acscricket.com/cricket/1902/350/index.html#zoom=z|url-status=live}}</ref> He played two matches in the 1902 County Championship, in addition to playing for The Rest against a combined Kent and Sussex team at Hastings.<ref name="FCM"/> Early in the 1903 season, he was presented with a silver bowl at the County Ground in recognition of his 1899 season.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.acscricket.com/cricket/1903/59/index.html#zoom=z|title=Memorabilia|magazine=Cricket: A Weekly Record of the Game|location=London|date=9 April 1903|page=53|volume=20|access-date=22 May 2024|archive-date=22 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240522214828/https://archive.acscricket.com/cricket/1903/59/index.html#zoom=z|url-status=live}}</ref> It was hoped he would be available to play again in 1903,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.acscricket.com/cricket/1902/464/index.html#zoom=z|title=Pavilion Gossip|magazine=Cricket: A Weekly Record of the Game|location=London|date=27 November 1902|page=457|volume=19|access-date=22 May 2024|archive-date=6 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006131353/https://archive.acscricket.com/cricket/1902/464/index.html#zoom=z|url-status=live}}</ref> but he returned to South Africa that summer.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.acscricket.com/cricket/1903/15/index.html#zoom=z|title=Pavilion Gossip|magazine=Cricket: A Weekly Record of the Game|location=London|date=29 January 1903|pages=8–9|volume=20|access-date=22 May 2024|archive-date=6 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006131354/https://archive.acscricket.com/cricket/1903/15/index.html#zoom=z|url-status=live}}</ref> When he returned to Hampshire in the middle of 1904 to great expectations, his form was disappointing. In the nine matches he played for Hampshire in the County Championship,<ref name="FCM"/> he scored 272 runs at an average of 18.13.<ref name="FCBAS"/> After missing the 1905 season due to his military commitments in South Africa,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.acscricket.com/cricket/1905/91/index.html#zoom=z|title=The Coming Season|magazine=Cricket: A Weekly Record of the Game|location=London|date=27 April 1905|page=85|volume=24|access-date=22 May 2024|archive-date=6 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006131514/https://archive.acscricket.com/cricket/1905/91/index.html#zoom=z|url-status=live}}</ref> Poore played in two matches in the 1906 County Championship,<ref name="FCM"/> scoring a century (129) against Sussex at Chichester.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/7/7005.html|title=Sussex v Hampshire, County Championship 1906|publisher=CricketArchive|access-date=22 May 2024|url-access=subscription|archive-date=6 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006131358/https://cricketarchive.com/subscribe|url-status=live}}</ref> However, an injury to his leg ended his season and, as it turned out, his county career.{{sfn|Thomson|1985|p=104}} For Hampshire, he made 36 first-class appearances, in which he scored 2,819 runs at an average of 47.77, with ten centuries.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/0/195/f_Batting_by_Team.html|title=First-Class Batting and Fielding For Each Team by Robert Poore|publisher=CricketArchive|access-date=22 May 2024|url-access=subscription|archive-date=22 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240522222832/https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/0/195/f_Batting_by_Team.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
Four years after his previous first-class appearance,<ref name="FCM"/> Poore captained a combined Army and Navy team against a combined Oxford and Cambridge Universities team at Aldershot, which the Army and Navy won by 6 wickets.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/8/8194.html|title=Army and Navy v Oxford and Cambridge Universities, Other First-Class matches in England 1910|publisher=CricketArchive|access-date=28 September 2024|archive-date=6 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006131907/https://cricketarchive.com/subscribe|url-status=live}}</ref> Later, while serving in India in 1912 and 1913, he made two final appearances in first-class cricket for the Europeans,<ref name="FCM"/> with Poore scoring a half-century in the 1912 fixture against the Parsees.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/8/8876.html|title=Europeans v Parsees, Bombay Presidency Match 1912/13|publisher=CricketArchive|access-date=22 May 2024|url-access=subscription|archive-date=6 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006131908/https://cricketarchive.com/subscribe|url-status=live}}</ref> Described by ''Wisden'' as possessing one of the most powerful cover drives at the time, it was said that, with his height of {{convert|6|ft|4|in|m}}<ref name="PRO">{{cite web|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/robert-poore-46776|title=Player Profile: Robert Poore|publisher=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=22 May 2024|archive-date=6 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006132004/https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/robert-poore-46776|url-status=live}}</ref> and massive frame, when he struck a cover drive it would race over the turf with such speed that a fieldsman, no matter how placed, could not stop it.<ref name="WIS"/> It was also noted that once he became accustomed to English wickets, he developed a strong defensive game.<ref name="WIS"/> In 55 first-class matches, he scored 3,441 runs at an average of 38.66.<ref name="PRO"/> His great height, while benefitting his batting, was noted to be a hindrance to him when fielding, with Poore sometimes finding it difficult to get down to the ball.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/154799.html|title=Cricketer of the Year – 1900: Major Robert Poore|publisher=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=23 May 2024|archive-date=6 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006132004/https://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/154799.html|url-status=live}}</ref> After the cessation of his first-class career, Poore remained a dangerous batsman in club games right up to his mid-fifties, scoring three consecutive fifties during an MCC tour of the West Country in 1923.<ref name="OBIT"/> Up until his final years, he ran a cricket school in Bournemouth.{{sfn|Warner|1938|p=400}}{{sfn|Lonsdale|1988|p=27}}
==Other sports== Cricket was not the only field in which Poore's sporting talents lay: he was considered a skilled swordsman, and polo, tennis, racquets, and squash player, in addition to being a capable marksman.{{sfn|Thomson|1985|p=5}}<ref name="HUS"/> As a swordsman, Poore was adjudged to have been the best man-at-arms in the 1898, 1899, 1906, and 1907 Royal Naval and Military Tournaments;<ref name="OBIT"/> his success was attributed to the enormous reach of his arms which had suited him so well as a cricketer.{{sfn|Thomson|1985|p=103}} He had success as a polo player for the 7th Hussars, winning the Inter-Regimental Tournament in India in 1891 and 1895,{{sfn|Lonsdale|1988|p=23}} and in England in 1899 at The Hurlingham Club,<ref name="OBIT"/> where he made the winning hit in the final of the Inter-Regimental Tournament.{{sfn|Murray|Vahed|2009|p=184}} As a tennis player, he was runner-up to Captain C. S. Smith in the 1894 West of India Lawn Tennis Championship,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thetennisbase.com/tournaments/|title=Tournaments: Bombay – Western India Championships|website=www.thetennisbase.com|access-date=22 May 2024|url-access=subscription|archive-date=15 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230515071923/https://thetennisbase.com/tournaments/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and won the Matabeleland Tennis Championship at the Queens Sports Club while stationed in Rhodesia in April 1897.{{sfn|Murray|Vahed|2009|p=188}} He also won several racquets and squash tournaments,<ref name="HUS"/> including the Norfolk Squash Racquets Championship in 1906.{{sfn|Lonsdale|1988|p=26}} In later life he took up golf,{{sfn|Murray|Vahed|2009|p=184}} captaining the Broadstone Golf Club{{sfn|West|Roper|2016|p=505}} and playing for the England Senior Golfers Society against Scotland in 1936.{{sfn|Lonsdale|1988|p=27}} His all-round sporting prowess led Murray and Vahed (2009) to suggest that he was one of the greatest all-round sportsmen of the 19th century.{{sfn|Murray|Vahed|2009|p=184}}
==Family and personal life== In 1898, Poore married Lady Flora Mary Ida Douglas-Hamilton, daughter of Captain Charles Douglas-Hamilton, and sister of the 13th Duke of Hamilton. The couple had no children.<ref name="OBIT"/> Three years after their marriage, Poore's sister Nina Mary Benita Poore married the 13th Duke, and became Duchess of Hamilton.<ref name="OBIT"/> In 1925, Poore constructed a house on land purchased from Lord Wimborne's estate, Rose Lawn Coppice, in Ashington, Dorset.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/property/secluded-country-house-adjoining-golf-331676|title=Secluded Country House Adjoining Golf Course Near Wimborne, Dorset|first=Neil|last=Bell|work=SomersetLive|location=Yeovil|date=16 August 2017|access-date=3 August 2024|archive-date=6 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006131906/https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/property/secluded-country-house-adjoining-golf-331676|url-status=live}}</ref> He became a deputy lieutenant for Dorset in June 1932,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33835|date=14 June 1932|page=3875}}</ref> and was also a justice of the peace within the county from 1933.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=opcYAAAAIAAJ|title=Who Was Who|publisher=A & C Black|location=London|page=1091|volume=3|year=1960|language=en|access-date=3 June 2024|archive-date=6 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006131905/https://books.google.com/books?id=opcYAAAAIAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Lonsdale|1988|p=27}} Poore died at a nursing home in Boscombe on 14 July 1938,<ref name="OBIT"/> having been ill since November of the previous year.{{sfn|Lonsdale|1988|p=27}} He was subsequently buried in the garden of his Rose Lawn Coppice residence.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003347/19380722/239/0016|title=Buried in his Garden|work=Somerset Guardian and Radstock Observer|location=Radstock|page=16|date=22 July 1938|access-date=22 May 2024|url-access=subscription|via=British Newspaper Archive|archive-date=6 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006131945/https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/account/register?countrykey=0&showgiftvoucherclaimingoptions=false&gift=false&nextpage=%2faccount%2flogin%3freturnurl%3d%252fviewer%252fbl%252f0003347%252f19380722%252f239%252f0016&rememberme=false&cookietracking=false&partnershipkey=0&newsletter=false&offers=false®isterreason=none&showsubscriptionoptions=false&showcouponmessaging=false&showfreetrialmessaging=false&showregisteroptions=false&showloginoptions=false&showcaptchaerrormessage=false&isonlyupgradeable=false|url-status=live}}</ref>
Following his death, the ''Hampshire Advertiser'' described him as "one of Hampshire's most famous amateur cricketers".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003142/19380903/224/0011|title=Will|work=Hampshire Advertiser|location=Southampton|page=11|date=3 September 1938|access-date=22 May 2024|url-access=subscription|via=British Newspaper Archive|archive-date=6 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006132008/https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/account/register?countrykey=0&showgiftvoucherclaimingoptions=false&gift=false&nextpage=%2faccount%2flogin%3freturnurl%3d%252fviewer%252fbl%252f0003142%252f19380903%252f224%252f0011&rememberme=false&cookietracking=false&partnershipkey=0&newsletter=false&offers=false®isterreason=none&showsubscriptionoptions=false&showcouponmessaging=false&showfreetrialmessaging=false&showregisteroptions=false&showloginoptions=false&showcaptchaerrormessage=false&isonlyupgradeable=false|url-status=live}}</ref> A year after his death, a memorial to him was erected at Salisbury Cathedral.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000407/19390707/021/0004|title=Salisbury Cathedral Memorials|work=Western Gazette|location=Yeovil|page=4|date=7 July 1939|access-date=22 May 2024|url-access=subscription|via=British Newspaper Archive}}</ref> Writing in an introduction to A. A. Thomson's ''Odd Men In: A Gallery Of Cricket Eccentrics'' (1985), Leo Cooper, referencing the unusual manner in which Poore took up cricket, wrote of him: "Of all the people in the history of the game [cricket], he seems to stand for the Eccentric Ideal."{{sfn|Thomson|1985|pp=5–6}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==Works cited== * {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=quZ4cyvlAzoC|title=The V. C. and D. S. O.|first1=Edith M.|last1=Humphris|first2=Sir O'Moore|last2=Creagh|author-link2=O'Moore Creagh|publisher=Standard Art Book Company Limited|location=London|year=1924|volume=2|oclc=749126130|language=en}} * {{cite journal|url=https://archive.acscricket.com/journals/64/24/index.html|title=Robert Poore and the English 6th wkt Record|first=Jeremy|last=Lonsdale|journal=The Cricket Statistician|publisher=ACS|location=Nottingham|year=1984|volume=47|language=en|ref={{sfnref|Lonsdale|1984}}}} * {{cite journal|url=https://archive.acscricket.com/journals/64/24/index.html|title=Robert Montagu Poore|first=Jeremy|last=Lonsdale|journal=The Cricket Statistician|publisher=ACS|location=Nottingham|year=1988|volume=64|language=en|ref={{sfnref|Lonsdale|1988}}}} * {{cite book|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270051330|title=Empire & Cricket: The South African Experience 1884–1914|first1=Bruce|last1=Murray|first2=Goolam|last2=Vahed|publisher=UNISA Press|location=Pretoria|year=2009|edition=1|isbn=9781868885404|language=en}} * {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ne8EAQAAQBAJ|title=The Essential Wisden|first1=John|last1=Stern|first2=Marcus|last2=Williams|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|location=London|year=2014|isbn=9781408178966|language=en}} * {{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/oddmeningalleryo0000thom|title=Odd Men In: A Gallery of Cricket Eccentrics|first1=A. A.|last1=Thomson|author-link=A. A. Thomson|contribution=Leo Cooper|contributor-link=Leo Cooper (publisher)|publisher=The Pavilion Library|location=London|year=1985|isbn=9780907516736|language=en|via=Internet Archive}} * {{cite magazine|url=https://magazine.cricketarchive.com/Magazine/1938/vol_xix_no_13/18/index.html|title=Obituary: Brig.-General R. M. Poore|editor1-first=Sir Pelham|editor1-last=Warner|editor1-link=Plum Warner|magazine=The Cricketer|location=London|date=23 July 1938|issue=13|volume=19|language=en|ref={{sfnref|Warner|1938}}}} * {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TZ66DQAAQBAJ|title=Breaker Morant: The Final Roundup|first1=Joe|last1=West|first2=Roger|last2=Roper|publisher=Amberley Publishing|location=Stroud|date=2016|isbn=9781445659664|language=en}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Robert Poore}} * {{cricinfo|id=46776}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poore, Robert}} Category:1866 births Category:1938 deaths Category:Irish officers in the British Army Category:British Army brigadier-generals Category:British Indian Army generals Category:7th Queen's Own Hussars officers Category:Wiltshire Regiment officers Category:Royal Wiltshire Militia officers Category:British military personnel of the Second Matabele War Category:British Army personnel of the Second Boer War Category:British Army cavalry generals of World War I Category:Indian Army personnel of World War I Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Category:Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Category:Military personnel from Dublin (city) Category:Irish cricketers Category:English cricketers Category:Europeans cricketers Category:Mumbai cricketers Category:South Africa Test cricketers Category:Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Category:Army and Navy cricketers Category:Gentlemen cricketers Category:Hampshire cricketers Category:Wisden Cricketers of the Year Category:Cricketers from Dublin (city) Category:English polo players Category:English male tennis players Category:British male tennis players Category:English racquets players Category:English male squash players Category:Deputy lieutenants of Dorset Category:English justices of the peace Category:People educated at Cheam School Category:Burials in Dorset