Robert Poore

Robert Montagu Poore

A black and white picture of a male face
Poore pictured in 1899
Born20 March 1866 (1866-03-20)
Dublin, Ireland
Died14 July 1938 (1938-07-15) (aged 72)
Boscombe, Hampshire, England
Buried 50°46′37″N 1°59′18″W / 50.7769°N 1.9883°W / 50.7769; -1.9883
AllegianceUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Service / branchBritish Army
British Indian Army
Years of service1883–1921
RankBrigadier-General
CommandsProvost marshal (South Africa)
7th Hussars
Jhansi Brigade
Battles / wars
AwardsDistinguished Service Order
Order of the Indian Empire
Personal information
Height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
BattingRight-handed
BowlingUnknown
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 28)13 February 1896 v England
Last Test21 March 1896 v England
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1892/93–1913/14Europeans
1892/93Bombay
1898–1906Hampshire
1898Marylebone Cricket Club
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class
Matches 3 55
Runs scored 76 3,441
Batting average 12.66 38.66
100s/50s –/– 11/12
Top score 20 304
Balls bowled 9 470
Wickets 1 13
Bowling average 4.00 19.38
5 wickets in innings
10 wickets in match
Best bowling 1/4 2/10
Catches/stumpings 3/– 38/–
Source: Cricinfo, 13 November 2022

Brigadier-General Robert Montagu Poore CIE DSO DL JP (20 March 1866 – 14 July 1938) was an Anglo-Irish cricketer and British Army officer who, while serving in South Africa 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 Volunteer Force 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.