Sir John Berry Hobbs

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Sir John Berry Hobbs

British cricketer

Also known as: Jack Hobbs

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Quick Facts

Byname:: Jack Hobbs

Born:: December 16, 1882, Cambridge, England

Died:: December 21, 1963, Hove, Sussex (aged 81)

Also Known As:: Jack Hobbs

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Sir John Berry Hobbs (born December 16, 1882, Cambridge, England—died December 21, 1963, Hove, Sussex) was an English athlete who was the world’s greatest cricket batsman of his time.

Hobbs began his first-class career for Surrey in 1905, and in his second game he scored the first of his 197 centuries (100 runs in a single innings). During 30 years as a professional he played for the all-England team in 61 international (Test) matches and scored a record 61,237 runs. Perhaps his greatest innings at the Oval (London cricket ground) was against Australia in 1926, when he made 100 to help recover the international trophy known as the Ashes. Hobbs retired in 1934 and was knighted in 1953.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.