Murray Hofmeyr

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.

Murray Hofmeyr

Personal information
Full name	Murray Bernard Hofmeyr
Born	9 December 1925 Pretoria, Transvaal, South AfricaSouth Africa
Died	17 May 2018 (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
Competition First-class Matches 44 Runs scored 3178 Batting average 44.76 100s/50s 7/19 Top score 161 Balls bowled 23 Wickets 1 Bowling average 11.00 5 wickets in innings 0 10 wickets in match 0 Best bowling 1-0 Catches/stumpings 29/–
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]

References

1. Pretoria Boys High Retrieved 27 May 2014.
2. Cricket and society in South Africa, 1910-1971 : from union to isolation. Murray, Bruce K., Parry, Richard, 1956-, Winch, Jonty. Cham, Switzerland. ISBN 978-3-319-93608-6. OCLC 1050448400.CS1 maint: others (link)
3. "First-class Batting and Fielding in Each Season by Murray Hofmeyr". CricketArchive.
4. "Oxford University v Gloucestershire". CricketArchive.
5. "Murray Hofmeyer". ESPN Scrum.
6. "Murray Hofmeyr - Other Sports". CricketArchive.
7. "First-class Batting and Fielding For Each Team by Murray Hofmeyr". CricketArchive.