{{short description|English cricketer (1906–1968)}} {{Use British English|date=January 2015}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}} {{Infobox cricketer | name = Walter Robins | image = Walter Robins c1940.jpg | caption = Pilot Officer Walter Robins in around 1940 | fullname = Robert Walter Vivian Robins | birth_date = {{Birth date|1906|6|3|df=y}} | birth_place = Stafford, England | death_date = {{Death date and age|1968|12|12|1906|6|3|df=y}} | death_place = Marylebone, London, England | batting = Right-handed | bowling = Leg break | international = true | country = England | testdebutagainst = South Africa | testdebutdate = 29 June | testdebutyear = 1929 | lasttestdate = 17 August | lasttestyear = 1937 | lasttestagainst = New Zealand | columns = 2 | column1 = Test | matches1 = 19 | runs1 = 612 | bat avg1 = 26.60 | 100s/50s1 = 1/4 | top score1 = 108 | deliveries1 = 3,318 | wickets1 = 64 | bowl avg1 = 27.46 | fivefor1 = 1 | tenfor1 = 0 | best bowling1 = 6/32 | catches/stumpings1= 12/– | column2 = First-class | matches2 = 379 | runs2 = 13,884 | bat avg2 = 26.39 | 100s/50s2 = 11/73 | top score2 = 140 | deliveries2 = 43,215 | wickets2 = 969 | bowl avg2 = 23.30 | fivefor2 = 54 | tenfor2 = 4 | best bowling2 = 8/69 | catches/stumpings2= 217/– | source = http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/19450.html CricInfo | date = 16 April | year = 2021 }} '''Robert Walter Vivian Robins''' (3 June 1906 – 12 December 1968) was an English cricketer and cricket administrator, who played for Cambridge University, Middlesex, and England. A right-handed batsman and right-arm leg-break and googly bowler, he was known for his attacking style of play. He captained both his county and his country; after the Second World War, he served several terms as a Test selector.
Born into a cricketing family, Robins attended Highgate School, where he earned a reputation as one of the outstanding schoolboy cricketers of his generation. He made his debut in first-class cricket, for Middlesex, in 1925. At Cambridge he won cricket "blues" in each of his three years, 1926 to 1928. He played his first Test match, against South Africa, in 1929, and thereafter played intermittently for England in each of the seasons up to 1937 – he played all his cricket as an amateur, which constrained his availability for both county and country. He toured Australia as vice-captain to G.O. Allen in 1936–37, and assumed the captaincy of the international side for three matches in 1937. He captained Middlesex from 1935 to 1938, again after the war in 1946 and 1947, and for a final season in 1950. In 1947 he led Middlesex to the County Championship.
Robins was a member of the Test selectors' panel in 1946–48, in 1954, and finally in 1962–64 when he acted as chairman. He was controversially involved in an unsuccessful attempt, in 1954, to replace the current England captain, Len Hutton, with the young and inexperienced David Sheppard. He was a strong advocate of "brighter cricket", to an extent that sometimes failed to recognise the realities of international cricket in the postwar era, and put him at odds with the players of a later generation. This problem was evident when Robins served as manager of the touring team to the West Indies in 1959–60, when his forthright, autocratic approach adversely affected his relationship with the team's captain and vice-captain, Peter May and Colin Cowdrey.
Whatever his difficulties in coming to terms with the cricket of a later era, Robins was widely recognised as one of the most dynamic cricketers of his time, a fact that was acknowledged in the tributes paid after his death, in 1968, by his former playing colleagues. His son, Charles Robins, played for Middlesex from 1953 to 1960, as a leg-spin and googly bowler in the manner of his father.
==Early life== Robins was born in Stafford on 3 June 1906. His father was Vivian Harry Robins (1880–1963), who played Minor Counties cricket for Staffordshire before the First World War as a leg-break bowler and right-handed batsman – characteristics which his son would also develop.{{sfn|Walter Robins 1930}}{{sfn|Vivian Robins}} In 1917 the family moved to London, where Walter Robins attended Highgate School.{{sfn|Walter Robins 1930}} He was coached at cricket first by his father, to whom he would later attribute much of his eventual success, and, at Highgate, by the former England player Albert Knight. He also played club cricket for East Molesey.{{sfn|Wisden obituary 1969}}
Attending Highgate from April 1921 until July 1925, Robins was four years in the football XI (captain for the last two), three years in the Eton Fives VI (captain for the last two) and was in the cricket first XI from 1922 to 1925, again being captain in his last two years;<ref name="HS1938">{{cite book |last1=Boreham |first1=J.Y. |title=Highgate School Register 1838-1938 |page=322 |edition=4th}}</ref> in 1925 he scored 816 runs for a batting average of 62.76, and took 60 wickets at a bowling average of 15.18. These figures included a score of 206 against Aldenham School;{{sfn|Wisden obituary 1969}} his all-round performances made him, according to ''Wisden'', "one of the great schoolboy players of the year".{{sfn|Walter Robins 1930}} In the summer of 1925, before entering Cambridge University, Robins made his debut in first-class cricket, when he appeared for Middlesex in the County Championship.{{sfn|Wisden obituary 1969}} The match was on 19 August, against Worcestershire. He was out for 0 in his only innings, and did not bowl.{{sfn|Worcestershire v. Middlesex 19–20 August 1925}}
==Playing career== ===Cambridge University=== thumb|left|Queens' College, Cambridge Robins was awarded a scholarship to Queens' College, Cambridge,<ref name="HS1938"/> joining in October 1925;{{sfn|Queens' College, Cambridge}} in the following summer he gained his cricket "blue" as a freshman. At this stage he was seen purely as a batsman; in the 1926 University match against Oxford he made scores of 37 and 21 not out and did not bowl. In the following year against Oxford his scores were 55 and 41, but this effort was passed in 1928, when he scored 53 and 101 not out, and also made an impact as a bowler, with 8 wickets in the match.{{sfn|Walter Robins 1930}} His development as a bowler may have been assisted by a spell he underwent, in 1926, at the Aubrey Faulkner cricket school.{{sfn|Wilde|2019|p=103}} His performance in the 1928 University match earned him a place in the Gentlemen's team, in the historic Gentlemen v. Players fixture at Lord's in June 1928, but here he was largely unsuccessful, taking no wickets and making little impact as a batsman.{{sfn|Walter Robins 1930}}{{sfn|Gentlemen v. Players, Lord's, 1929}}
In addition to his cricket prowess, Robins was a competent Association footballer, who played for Cambridge in each of his years at the university, being captain of the side in 1927. A right-winger, he also played football for the Corinthians and Nottinghamshire,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Strode |first1=Ronald |title=Newservice Amateur Football Yearbook 1948–49 |date=1948 |publisher=Newservice |location=Fetter Lane, London |page=62}}</ref> prominent amateur teams, and later represented the professional side, Nottingham Forest, in two Football League matches, each on Christmas Day, 1929 and 1930.{{sfn|Wisden obituary 1969}}{{sfn|Steven Lynch, 2012}}
===Middlesex=== thumb|The pavilion at Lord's home of Middlesex County Cricket Club (2005 photograph) Robins's career with Middlesex extended from 1925 to 1951. After leaving Cambridge, he played his first full season for the county in 1929, scoring 1,134 runs and taking 162 wickets, thus performing the "cricketer's double" – the only time in his career that he achieved this feat although, as ''Wisden'' records, he came near to repeating it on several occasions. Robins's positive batting, with the emphasis on attack, combined with his inventive bowling, made him a popular favourite with crowds.{{sfn|Wisden obituary 1969}} His highest score for the county was 140,{{sfn|Cricinfo: Walter Robins}} against Cambridge University in 1930,{{sfn|Midddlesex v. Cambridge University, 17–20 May 1930}} and his best bowling return was 8 wickets for 69,{{sfn|Cricinfo: Walter Robins}} against Gloucestershire in 1929.{{sfn|Middlesex v. Gloucestershire, 15–17 May 1929}} He twice performed hat-tricks: first against Leicestershire in 1929, and again against Somerset in 1937. He was also recognised as a brilliant fieldsman, often in the covers but equally, in the deep field.{{sfn|Wisden obituary 1969}}
Robins was one of ''Wisden''{{'}}s five "Cricketers of the Year" in 1930.{{sfn|Wilde|2013|pp=121–122}} In its citation, ''Wisden'' described him as "a remarkable young cricketer of whom the best has quite possibly not yet been seen".{{sfn|Walter Robins 1930}} In 1935 he assumed the captaincy of the county and, according to his ''Wisden'' obituarist, "transformed a hitherto drab Middlesex side".{{sfn|Wisden obituary 1969}} The cricket historian Alan Gibson describes how he "galvanised" the team.{{sfn|Gibson|1989|p=138}} For the first time since the early 1920s, Middlesex became serious contenders for the County Championship, finishing third in 1935,{{sfn|1935 County Championship}} and as runners-up in each of the next three seasons,{{sfn|1936 County Championship}}{{sfn|1937 County Championship}}{{sfn|1938 County Championship}} with a particularly close finish behind Yorkshire in 1937.{{sfn|Gibson|1989|pp=139–40}} Robins relinquished the captaincy at the end of the 1938 season, but resumed it in 1946 and 1947, after the Second World War,{{sfn|Cricinfo: Walter Robins}} and in 1947 finally led Middlesex to the championship title.{{sfn|Gibson|1989|p=141}} He took charge of the county again in 1950,{{sfn|Cricinfo: Walter Robins}} after which, following a single appearance in 1951,{{sfn|Championship matches, Walter Robins}} he left the first-class county game. This was not quite the end of his Middlesex cricket; in 1952 and 1953 he played fairly regularly for the Second XI in Minor Counties matches.{{sfn|Minor Counties matches, Walter Robins}}
===England=== After playing in the Test Trial match in June 1929,{{sfn|England v. Rest of England 8–11 June 1929}} Robins was selected for the second Test against the visiting South Africans, beginning at Lord's on 29 June. He did nothing of note in the match, and was not chosen again during the series.{{sfn|Walter Robins 1930}} In the following season, he was included in the side to face the Australians in the first Test of the 1930 series, at Nottingham on 13 June. During the Australians' second innings, as they chased 429 runs to win the match, Robins took the key wicket of Don Bradman, helping to ensure an England victory.{{sfn|Gibson|1989|p=139}} In the second Test, at Lord's, Australia scored 729 for 6 declared (Bradman 254), the record score for a Test at Lords;{{sfn|Lillywhite 2009}} Robins's bowling figures were 1 for 172 runs off 42 overs. Robins batted as England struggled to save the match – they eventually lost it by 7 wickets – and was criticised for his impetuous running between the wickets, after he almost ran out Percy Chapman, his captain. He was dropped for the remainder of the five-match series, although some critics thought it was a mistake to drop one whom they considered "the best of our young all-rounders".{{sfn|Gibson |1989|p=139}} thumb|upright|left|G. O. Allen, Robins's captain in Australia, 1936–37 However, Robins remained in the selectors' minds, and was chosen for at least one Test in each of the subsequent summers except 1934, until 1937.{{sfn|Gibson|1989|p=138}} His best Test bowling performance was 6 for 32 against the West Indies in 1933; two years later he scored his only Test century, 108 against South Africa.{{sfn|Wisden obituary 1969}} He was selected for the 1932–33 Australian tour, under Douglas Jardine, but had to decline because of his business commitments.{{sfn|Bodyline timeline}} In 1936–37, however, he was able to go to Australia, as vice-captain to G.O. Allen. It was not a happy tour for Robins. Early on he broke a finger, which affected both his ability to spin the ball and his batting grip; as a result, he had little success with bat or ball, although ''Wisden'' records that he "fielded magnificently".{{sfn|Wisden 1938}} England won the first two matches of the five-match Test series; in the third Test, at a crucial point in the Australians' second innings, Robins dropped Bradman. He apologised to his captain; Allen is said to have replied: "Don't give it a thought, Walter. You've probably cost us the Ashes". Bradman went on to score 270, Australia won the match and the next two, to take the series.{{sfn|The Observer 2 September 2007}}{{refn |Allen's words are sometimes recorded slightly differently; for example, Swann (2018) has him saying "Oh, don't give it another thought, old boy. You've just cost us the Ashes, that's all.{{sfn|Swann|2018|p=95}} Swann tells the same story, with almost the same wording, against Graham Thorpe when Thorpe dropped Matthew Elliott in the fourth Test against Australia in 1997.{{sfn|Swann|2018|p=192}} |group= n}} In 1937, Allen was unable to play much, so the captaincy for the three-match series against New Zealand devolved on Robins.{{sfn|Gibson|1989|pp=136, 164}} England won the series 1–0, with two Tests drawn.{{sfn|Frindall|2010|pp=262–264}} Robins considered his appointment as a stop-gap, until Allen's return;{{sfn|Wilde|2019|p=122}} in the event, the captaincy passed to Walter Hammond, who in November 1937 changed his status from professional to amateur, in order to fulfil what was then an inviolable condition for appointment to the England captaincy.{{sfn|Gibson|1989|pp=164–165}} The 1937 season thus ended both Robins's captaincy and, as it turned out, his Test career, although during the following ten years his name was from time to time mentioned in connection with the captaincy.{{sfn|Gibson|1989|p=136}} In 1948, when the Australians were again in England, Robins was included in the Test Trial which preceded the series. He was unsuccessful in his only innings, and did not bowl;{{sfn|Rest of England v. England 2–4 June 1948}} the captaincy remained with Norman Yardley. Towards the end of the series, when England were 3–0 down, there was talk of replacing Yardley with Robins in the final Test, but the idea came to nothing.{{sfn|Gibson|1989|pp=139, 175}}
Altogether, Robins played in 19 Tests, scoring 612 runs (1 century, 4 fifties) for a batting average of 26.60, and taking 64 wickets for a bowling average of 27.46. He held 12 catches.{{sfn|Cricinfo: Walter Robins}}
===Other teams=== In March 1930 Robins toured Argentina with Sir Julien Cahn's XI, playing in three representative matches.{{sfn|Cahn's XI v. Argentina, 18–19 March 1930}}{{sfn|Cahn's XI v. Argentina, 22–24 March 1930}}{{sfn|Cahn's XI v. Argentina, 29–31 March 1930}} He toured again with Cahn's team, to Canada, Bermuda and the United States in 1933.{{sfn|Dhole 2017}} After the Second World War, in 1951, he led an MCC team which toured Canada.{{sfn|Wisden obituary 1969}}{{sfn|Cooper|1999|pp=58, 60}} Following his retirement from county cricket he played occasional first-class matches during the 1950s, for the Free Foresters, the MCC, and other teams.{{sfn|Middlesex CCC: Walter Robins}} His final first-class game was for the MCC against Ireland, in Dublin in 1958, when he was 52 years old.{{sfn|First class oldest players, 2019}}
In all first-class cricket Robins scored 13,844 runs for a batting average of 26.39, including 11 centuries with a highest score of 140. As a bowler he took 969 wickets, average 23.30, taking 10 wickets in a match on four occasions. He also held 217 catches.{{sfn|Cricinfo: Walter Robins}}
==Test selector== After the Second World War, Robins served on three separate occasions as a member of the England Test selectors' panel: 1946–48, under the chairmanship first of Sir Stanley Jackson and then A.J. Holmes; 1954, when Harry Altham was chairman; and 1962–64, when Robins himself chaired the panel.{{sfn|England's Test selection panels}} thumb|upright|Len Hutton, dropped from the Test side in 1948 As a selector in 1948, Robins was involved in two controversial decisions: the dropping of Hutton for the third Test of the 1948 series against Australia, and the omission of Doug Wright from the fourth Test of the same series.{{sfn|Wilde|2019|p=278}} Hutton was dropped on the grounds that he had displayed deficiencies against the pace of the Australian bowlers Ray Lindwall and Keith Miller. His replacement was the Gloucestershire batsman George Emmett, who scored 10 and 0 in the match; Hutton was speedily reinstated.{{sfn|Gibson|1989|p=189}} Wright's omission from the Leeds Test, which deprived England of the services of their leading spinner probably, in the view of the cricket historian Simon Wilde, cost them victory in the match.{{sfn|Wilde|2019|p=278}}
In 1954, Robins promoted the idea that for the forthcoming 1954–55 tour of Australia, Hutton, who had been appointed two years earlier as England's first professional captain in the 20th century, should be replaced by David Sheppard, his deputy in two Tests against the 1954 Pakistan side when Hutton was unwell. The ostensible reason given was to enable Hutton to concentrate on his batting, though some saw the move as reflecting the continuing antagonism of the old cricketing "establishment" to the advent of a professional captain. The matter was resolved in Hutton's favour, and he duly led the side to victory in Australia.{{sfn|Gibson|1989|pp=186–187}}
As chairman from 1962, Robins let it be known that he favoured positive play: "Play aggressively at all times; otherwise you will not be chosen for England".{{sfn|Gibson|1989|p=141}} ''Wisden'' records that, in terms of England's results during this period, this ultimatum had limited effect, though "at least it relieved Test cricket of some of the stagnation which threatened its popularity at the time".{{sfn|Wisden obituary 1969}} In 1962, Robins again raised the prospect of Sheppard's captaincy, in relation to the 1962–63 Australian tour. At this stage Sheppard, by now an ordained clergyman in charge of the Mayflower Centre in London's Docklands, had not played Test cricket for five years. He was, however, willing to go if chosen and, in a demonstration of his current form, scored a century in the Gentlemen v. Players fixture. Despite this, and Robins's advocacy, the captaincy went to Ted Dexter.{{sfn|Gibson|1989|p=202}}{{refn |Wilde argues that one factor in Sheppard's non-appointment was his declared opposition to the racial apartheid policies in South Africa which, some felt, might lead to embarrassment in Australia if, for example, he was questioned about the then-current "White Australia" policy.{{sfn|Wilde|2019|pp=240–241}}|group= n}}
Robins's selectorial approach did not impress all of his fellow-selectors. Alec Bedser, in an interview with Frank Keating many years later, remembered: "We would meet at his flat on a Sunday morning. He never really watched any cricket. Just went by what he read in the papers or heard from his cronies. He would turn up to the first day of a Test, but on the second day, after lunch, he'd sometimes clear off and go to the pictures".{{sfn|Engel|2014|p=30}}
==Tour manager== When England toured the West Indies early in 1960, under the captaincy of Peter May, Robins was appointed as tour manager. In terms of results the tour was successful – England won the five-match Test series 1–0 – but Robins was less felicitous in his managerial role. He failed to form a satisfactory relationship with May, or with the other players. According to Colin Cowdrey, May's vice-captain, almost before the ship carrying the party had left British waters Robins was seeking to impose his ideas of "military discipline" on the side, and telling May how the team should be run.{{sfn|Wilde|2019|p=320}} May fell ill during the tour, and Cowdrey assumed the leadership. In the final Test of the series, which was heading for a draw, Robins tried to persuade Cowdrey to "make a game of it", but Cowdrey chose to protect England's series lead and play cautiously.{{sfn|Gibson|1989|p=141}} Afterwards, to the team's dismay, Robins came to the dressing room and publicly castigated Cowdrey, in front of the players, for his lack of spirit. This was too much for England's leading fast bowler, Fred Trueman who, according to another player's account, ordered Robins out of the room: "You ain't no bloody business in 'ere. Get out!".{{sfn|Wilde|2019|p=320}}
==Personal life== thumb|left|Robins (right) and Carmody at Lord's, England XI v Dominions, 1943 Robins played all his cricket as an amateur and, not being independently wealthy, had to find employment when he left Cambridge in 1928 without taking a degree. As a result, business commitments often restricted Robins's ability to pursue his cricket career, both at county and international level. Initially he worked for Sir Julien Cahn in the latter's furniture business. Cahn, an avid cricket enthusiast, employed numerous cricketers who formed the backbone of his private XI, which played first-class cricket throughout the 1930s. Later, Robins worked in Stafford, Knight & Co. Ltd.,<ref name="HS1938"/> a successful family Lloyd's insurance brokerage in the City, which was probably established with Cahn's help.{{sfn|Chandler 2014}} He went on to become Managing Director and later Chairman.<ref name="HS1950">{{cite book |last1=Tucker |first1=Rodney C. |title=Highgate School Register 1838-1950 |page=226 |edition=5th}}</ref><ref name="HS1964">{{cite book |last1=Hughes |first1=Patrick |last2=Davies |first2=Ian F. |title=Highgate School Register 1833-1964 |page=226 |edition=6th}}</ref>
During the Second World War, Robins served in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, reaching the rank of squadron leader.<ref name= "HS1950"/> He played cricket when he could, and in 1943, in a two-day match at Lord's, captained an England XI against a Dominions XI led by the Australian Keith Carmody. The Dominions team included the future Australian Test all-rounder Keith Miller, and the West Indies Test bowler Learie Constantine. In a close game the England XI were victorious by eight runs.{{sfn|England XI v Dominions, 1943}}
Various members of the Robins family contributed to cricket, for Middlesex and elsewhere. Walter's younger brother, William Vernon Harry, a career Army officer, played several first-class matches for the Army during the 1930s.{{sfn|Cricinfo: William Robins}}
Walter Robins's son, Robert Victor Charles, known as Charles Robins and, like his father, a leg-spin and googly bowler, was captain of the Eton XI in 1953, and played for Middlesex between 1953 and 1960.{{sfn|Cricinfo: Charles Robins}}{{sfn|Middlesex CCC: Charles Robins}} Walter's grandson Charles William Veral (born 1965) played for Middlesex 2nd XI in 1983.{{sfn|Middlesex CCC: Charles William Veral Robins}}
After his playing days ended, Robins continued to serve Middlesex as a member of its general and cricket committees. He died from bronchopneumonia, aged 62, on 12 December 1968.{{sfn|Wisden obituary 1969}}
==Appraisal== In its 1969 obituary tribute, ''Wisden'' acknowledges Robins as "one of the most dynamic cricketers of his time",{{sfn|Wisden obituary 1969}} who maintained an "aggressively enterprising" attitude towards the game: "Impatient of dull cricket, Robins wasted few scoring opportunities as a batsman, employing his nimble footwork and flexible wrists to the full, especially in cutting and driving".{{sfn|Wisden obituary 1969}} There was some early criticism of his effectiveness as a bowler – he sometimes tried to bowl too fast, and was erratic in maintaining length{{sfn|Walter Robins 1930}} – but Wilde's analysis of English Test bowlers of leg-breaks and googlies shows Robins, at international level, to have been one of the most effective of this kind in terms both of wickets taken and of cost per wicket.{{sfn|Wilde|2019|pp=105–106}}
There were divided opinions on Robins's effectiveness as a selector. Doug Insole, who served with him between 1962 and 1964, considered that his judgement of a player was "excellent".{{sfn|Wisden obituary 1969}} Others were less sure; Wilde records that during Robins's first stint as a selector, 1946–48, the Australians were dismissive of his judgement, an opinion apparently shared by the former England captain Bob Wyatt, who "would have liked more intelligent people on the committee".{{sfn|Wilde|2019|p=278}} Gibson is critical of Robins's efforts to replace Hutton as captain in 1954,{{sfn|Gibson|1989|p=187}} an action which Wilde describes as "disloyal and unhelpful".{{sfn|Wilde|2019|p=320}} It seems that Robins was not particularly popular with the players of a later generation, and that he made little effort to understand them.{{sfn|Gibson|1989|p=141}}{{sfn|Wilde|2019|p=317}} According to Wilde, Robins failed to recognise the extent to which, in the postwar era, international cricket had changed from his own heyday in the 1930s. It had, says Wilde, become much more tough and attritional, hence Robins's repeated calls for more attacking, brighter cricket were often inappropriate and doomed to failure.{{sfn|Wilde|2019|p=320}}
Nevertheless, in the view of Billy Griffith, the cricket administrator and long-serving secretary of the MCC, Robins's "tremendous enthusiasm and deep knowledge of the game and its history made him the complete cricketer".{{sfn|Wisden obituary 1969}} Robins's Middlesex colleague Ian Peebles, who succeeded him as county captain in 1939, described him as "the most enthusiastic and joyous cricketer I played with".{{sfn|Gibson|1989|p=141}}
==Notes and references== ===Notes=== {{Reflist|group=n|}}
===Citations=== {{reflist}}
===Sources=== ====Books and journals==== *{{cite journal|last= Cooper|first= David|title= Canadians Declare "It Isn't Cricket": A Century of Rejection of the Imperial Game, 1860-1960|journal= Journal of Sport History|publisher= University of Illinois Press|volume= 26|issue= 1|pages= 51–81|year= 1999|jstor= 43611718}} *{{cite book|author-link= Matthew Engel|editor-last= Engel|editor-first= Matthew |title= The Highlights: The Best of Frank Keating|year= 2014|publisher= Faber & Faber|location= London|isbn= 978-1-7833-5019-3}} *{{cite book|author-link= Bill Frindall|last= Frindall|first= Bill|title= The Wisden Book of Test Cricket|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=bN3lYkbUZAwC&q=England+v+New+Zealand+1937|publisher= John Wisden & Co|location= London|year= 2010|isbn= 978-1-4081-2756-8}} *{{cite book|author-link= Alan Gibson|last= Gibson|first= Alan|title= The Cricket Captains of England|publisher= The Pavilion Library|year= 1989|location= London|isbn=978-1-851-453955}} *{{cite book|author-link= Graeme Swann|last= Swann|first= Graeme|title= The Ashes (It's All About the Urn)|publisher= Hodder and Stoughton|year= 2018|location= London|isbn= 978-1-4736-70853}} *{{cite book|author-link= Simon Wilde|last= Wilde|first= Simon|title= Wisden Cricketers of the Year: A Celebration of Cricket's Greatest Players|publisher= Bloomsbury Publishing|location= London|year= 2013|isbn= 978-1-4081-40840|url-access= registration|url= https://archive.org/details/wisdencricketers0000wild}} *{{cite book|last= Wilde|first= Simon|title= England: the Biography|publisher= Simon & Schuster|location= London|year= 2019|isbn= 978-1-4711-5485-0}}
====Online==== *{{cite news|title= 1935 County Cricket Championship|url= http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/NATIONAL//ENG/CHAMPIONSHIP/TABLES/CC_TABLE_1935.html|work= Cricinfo|access-date= 17 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|1935 County Championship}} }} *{{cite news|title= 1936 County Cricket Championship|url= http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/NATIONAL/ENG/CHAMPIONSHIP/TABLES/CC_TABLE_1936.html|work= Cricinfo|access-date= 17 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|1936 County Championship}} }} *{{cite news|title= 1937 County Cricket Championship|url= http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/NATIONAL/ENG/CHAMPIONSHIP/TABLES/CC_TABLE_1937.html|work= Cricinfo|access-date= 17 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|1937 County Championship}} }} *{{cite news|title= 1938 County Cricket Championship|url= http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/NATIONAL/ENG/CHAMPIONSHIP/TABLES/CC_TABLE_1938.html|work= Cricinfo|access-date= 17 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|1938 County Championship}} }} *{{cite web|last= Chandler|first= Martin|title= Book review: ''Walter Robins: Achievements, Affections and Affronts''. Brian Rendell, 2013|url= http://www.cricketweb.net/books/walter-robins-achievements-affections-and-affronts/|work= cricketweb.net|date= 8 March 2014|access-date= 13 August 2013|ref= {{sfnRef|Chandler 2014}} }} *{{cite news|title= Charles Robins|url= http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/19758.html|work= Cricinfo|access-date= 13 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|Cricinfo: Charles Robins}} }} *{{cite web|title= Charles Robins|url= https://cricketarchive.com/Middlesex/Players/66/66067/66067.html|publisher= Middlesex CCC archive|access-date= 13 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|Middlesex CCC: Charles William Veral Robins}} }} *{{cite web|title= County Championship Matches Played by Walter Robins|url= https://cricketarchive.com/Middlesex/Players/0/512/County_Championship_Matches.html|publisher= Middlesex CCC archive|access-date= 17 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|Championship matches, Walter Robins}} }} *{{cite web|title= Cricketer of the Year 1930: Walter Robins|url= http://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/154695.html|work=Cricinfo |access-date= 13 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|Walter Robins 1930}} }} (republished from ''Wisden Cricketer's Almanack 1930'') *{{cite web|last= Dhole|first= Pradip|title= Paul Gibb: the bespectacled wicket-keeper|url= https://www.cricketcountry.com/articles/paul-gibb-the-bespectacled-wicketkeeper-576260|publisher= Cricket Country|date= 14 February 2017|access-date= 13 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|Dhole 2017}} }} *{{cite web|title= England in Australia, 1936–37|url= http://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/154075.html|work=Cricinfo |access-date= 19 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|Wisden 1938}} }} (republished from ''Wisden Cricketer's Almanack 1938'') *{{cite web|title= First-class Oldest Players|url= http://stats.acscricket.com/Records/First_Class/Overall/Players/Oldest_Players.html|publisher= The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians|year= 2019|access-date= 13 August 2018|ref= {{sfnRef|First class oldest players, 2019}} }} *{{cite web|last= Lillywhite|first= Jamie|title= Ashes memories: Lord's|url= https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/8070171.stm|work= BBC|date= 14 July 2009|access-date= 19 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|Lillywhite 2009}} }} *{{cite web|last= Lynch|first= Steven|title= He was born on Christmas Day|url= http://en.espn.co.uk/espn/sport/story/184527.html|date= 24 December 2012|publisher = ESPN|access-date= 13 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|Steven Lynch, 2012}} }} *{{cite web|title= Minor Counties Championship Matches Played by Walter Robins|url= https://cricketarchive.com/Middlesex/Players/0/512/Minor_Counties_Championship_Matches.html|publisher= Middlesex CCC archive|access-date= 17 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|Minor Counties matches, Walter Robins}} }} *{{cite web|title= Obituary: Walter Robins|url= http://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/155449.html|work=Cricinfo |access-date= 13 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|Wisden obituary 1969}} }} (republished from ''Wisden Cricketer's Almanack 1969'') *{{cite web|title= Past Cricket Internationals and Blues|url= https://www.queens.cam.ac.uk/life-at-queens/sports/queens-college-cricket-club/past-cricket-internationals-blues|publisher= Queens' College, Cambridge|access-date= 13 August 2018|ref= {{sfnRef|Queens' College, Cambridge}} }} *{{cite web|title= Robert Victor Charles Robins|url= https://cricketarchive.com/Middlesex/Players/32/32425/32425.html|publisher= Middlesex CCC archive|access-date= 13 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|Middlesex CCC: Charles Robins}} }} *{{cite web|title= September ten: dropped catches|url= https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2007/sep/02/cricket.features|work= The Observer|date= 2 September 2007|access-date= 19 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|The Observer 2 September 2007}} }} *{{cite web|title= Test Cricket Selectors and Coaches: England|url= http://test-cricket-tours.co.uk/page_3199028.html|publisher= test-cricket-tours|access-date= 20 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|England's Test selection panels}} }} *{{cite news|title= Vivian Robins|url= http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/465597.html|work= Cricinfo|access-date= 19 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|Vivian Robins}} }} *{{cite web|title= Walter Robins|url= https://cricketarchive.com/Middlesex/Players/0/512/512.html|publisher= Middlesex CCC archive|access-date= 13 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|Middlesex CCC: Walter Robins}} }} *{{cite news|title= Walter Robins, England|url= http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/19450.html|work= Cricinfo|access-date= 12 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|Cricinfo: Walter Robins}} }} *{{cite news|title= William Robins|url= http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/19536.html|work= Cricinfo|access-date= 13 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|Cricinfo: William Robins}} }} *{{cite news|last= Williamson|first= Martin|title= Bodyline timeline, July–October 1932|url= http://www.espncricinfo.com/bodyline/content/story/316173.html|work= Cricinfo|access-date= 19 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|Bodyline timeline}} }}
====Match cards==== *{{cite news|title= Worcestershire v. Middlesex, 19–20 August 1925|url= http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1920S/1925/ENG_LOCAL/CC/WORCS_MIDDX_CC_19-20AUG1925.html|work= Cricinfo|access-date= 19 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|Worcestershire v. Middlesex 19–20 August 1925}} }} *{{cite news|title= Gentlemen v Players, Lord's, London, 18, 19, 20 July 1928|url= http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1920S/1928/ENG_LOCAL/OTHERS/GENTLEMEN_PLAYERS_18-20JUL1928.html|work= Cricinfo|access-date= 13 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|Gentlemen v. Players, Lord's, 1929}} }} *{{cite news|title= Middlesex v. Gloucestershire, 15–17 May 1929|url= http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1920S/1929/ENG_LOCAL/CC/MIDDX_GLOUCS_CC_15-17MAY1929.html|work= Cricinfo|access-date= 17 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|Middlesex v. Gloucestershire, 15–17 May 1929}} }} *{{cite news|title= England v. Rest of England, 8–11 June 1929|url= http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1920S/1929/ENG_LOCAL/T-TRIAL/ENG_REST-OF-ENG_T-TRIAL_08-11JUN1929.html|work= Cricinfo|access-date= 19 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|England v. Rest of England 8–11 June 1929}} }} *{{cite news|title= Argentina v. Sir Julien Cahn's XI, 18–19 March 1930|url= http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1920S/1929-30/JULIEN_IN_ARG/JULIEN_ARG_18-20MAR1930.html|work= Cricinfo|access-date= 13 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|Cahn's XI v. Argentina, 18–19 March 1930}} }} *{{cite news|title= Argentina v. Sir Julien Cahn's XI, 22–24 March 1930|url=http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1920S/1929-30/JULIEN_IN_ARG/JULIEN_ARG_22-24MAR1930.html |work= Cricinfo|access-date= 13 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|Cahn's XI v. Argentina, 22–24 March 1930}} }} *{{cite news|title= Argentina v. Sir Julien Cahn's XI, 29–31 March 1930|url= http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1920S/1929-30/JULIEN_IN_ARG/JULIEN_ARG_29-31MAR1930.html|work= Cricinfo|access-date= 13 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|Cahn's XI v. Argentina, 29–31 March 1930}} }} *{{cite news|title= Cambridge University v. Middlesex, 17–20 May 1930|url= http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1930S/1930/ENG_LOCAL/UNIV/CAMB-UNIV_MIDDX_UNIV_17-20MAY1930.html|work= Cricinfo|access-date= 17 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|Midddlesex v. Cambridge University, 17–20 May 1930}} }} *{{cite news|title= England XI v. Dominions, 1943|url= http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1940S/1943/ENG_LOCAL/DOMIN_ENG_02-03AUG1943.html|work= Cricinfo|access-date= 13 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef|England XI v Dominions, 1943}} }} *{{cite news|title= Rest of England v. England, 2–4 June 1948|url= https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/17500/scorecard/381260/england-vs-rest-of-england-test-trial-1948|work= Cricinfo|access-date= 19 August 2019|ref= {{sfnRef| Rest of England v. England 2–4 June 1948}} }}
==External links== *{{Commons category-inline|Walter Robins}}
{{s-start}} {{s-sports}} {{succession box | title = English national cricket captain | years = 1937 | before = G.O.B.Allen | after = W.R.Hammond }} {{succession box | title = Middlesex cricket captain | years = 1935–1938 | before = H.J.Enthoven <br>and N.E.Haig | after = I.A.R.Peebles }} {{succession box | title = Middlesex cricket captain | years = 1946–1947 | before = I.A.R.Peebles | after = F.G.Mann }} {{succession box | title = Middlesex cricket captain | years = 1950 | before = F.G.Mann | after = D.C.S.Compton <br>and W.J.Edrich }} {{s-end}} {{England Test cricket captains}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robins, Walter}} Category:1906 births Category:1968 deaths Category:Cambridge University cricketers Category:England cricket team selectors Category:England Test cricketers Category:England Test cricket captains Category:English cricketers Category:English cricketers of 1919 to 1945 Category:20th-century English sportsmen Category:English men's footballers Category:Middlesex cricket captains Category:Nottingham Forest F.C. players Category:People educated at Highgate School Category:Wisden Cricketers of the Year Category:Cricketers from Stafford Category:Gentlemen cricketers Category:Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Category:Gentlemen of England cricketers Category:Sir Julien Cahn's XI cricketers Category:Men's association football players not categorized by position Category:Free Foresters cricketers Category:North v South cricketers Category:Non-international England cricketers Category:H. D. G. Leveson Gower's XI cricketers Category:Middlesex cricketers Category:Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge Category:Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II Category:Royal Air Force squadron leaders Category:Deaths from pneumonia in England Category:Deaths from bronchopneumonia Category:Military personnel from Staffordshire Category:Marylebone Cricket Club Australian Touring Team cricketers