Full Name

Robin Nicholas Stuart Hobbs

Born

May 08, 1942, Chippenham, Wiltshire

Died

March 17, 2024 (aged 81y 314d)

Nicknames

Colt

Batting Style

Right hand Bat

Bowling Style

Legbreak Googly

Height

5ft 10in

Education

Raine's Foundation School, Stepney

A rarity in England, Robin Hobbs was a legspinner who played Test cricket, the last for 20 years until the emergence of Ian Salisbury. After debuting for Essex in 1961, he went on to play for England in 1967, and after 14 years with Essex spent four years with Suffolk before returning to first-class cricket with Glamorgan, captaining them in 1979.

He bowled flighted legbreaks and well disguised googlies from a moderate run. A fine county player, he did well to play for England, although he never established himself as a Test class spinner, able to contain but not sufficiently penetrative. A modest batsman, he astonished everyone, not least himself, by slamming one of the fastest centuries in cricket history (44 minutes) for Essex against the touring Australians in 1975. Hobbs said afterwards that he went out with the objective of having a good slog, and entertaining the crowd.

A likeable and popular man, he was a fine fielder in the covers. He played for England four times in 1967, three of them against India and one against Pakistan, with modest success, and was picked to tour the West Indies the following winter, where he played just once. A year later he toured Pakistan, and was picked for the third Test, but did not bowl or bat as the match was abandoned on the third day. He made one final Test appearance, against Pakistan in 1971, but after failing to take a wicket, went back to county cricket.
Cricinfo staff

Robin Hobbs Career Stats

Batting & Fielding

FormatMatInnsNORunsHSAve100s50s4s6sCtSt
Tests7833415*6.80002180
FC440547139494210012.1122--2950
List A145992788354*12.2601--410

Bowling

FormatMatInnsBallsRunsWktsBBIBBMAveEconSR4w5w10w
Tests7111291481123/255/9840.082.23107.5000
FC440-623952977610998/63-27.092.8656.7-508
List A145-16721182516/226/2223.174.2432.7110
Robin Hobbs portrait

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Test

Debut/Last Matches of Robin Hobbs

FC Matches

Span
1961 - 1981

List A Matches

Span
1963 - 1979

Recent Matches of Robin Hobbs

MatchBatBowlDateGroundFormat
Glamorgan vs Warwickshire--0/58 & 0/4712-Aug-1981BirminghamFC
Glamorgan vs Kent12*--27-Jun-1979SwanseaList A
Glamorgan vs Derbyshire--3/4106-Jun-1979CardiffList A
Glamorgan vs MC South----23-May-1979WatfordList A
Glamorgan vs Gloucs----19-May-1979SwanseaList A

Photos of Robin Hobbs

Robin Hobbs
Glamorgan 1981
The 1969 Essex squad
Robin Hobbs bowls
Bishan Bedi slogs Robin Hobbs
Robin Hobbs