Frank Hunter (26 July 1858 – 11 October 1930) was a

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

international

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player; and also a

international cricketer.Bath, p104Goodwin, p203Player profile
on scrum.com. Retrieved 26 February 2010

Rugby Union career

Amateur career

Hunter went to Fettes College, and then studied at Edinburgh University. He played rugby union for Edinburgh University. The ''Athletic News'' of 8 February 1882 reported on the university match against Northumberland County: "Frank Hunter, who has been chosen to play against Ireland on Saturday week, was out, and, he was on the winning side, could not fail to do well. Hunter is one fthe most erratic half-backs I ever saw, and, when cornered, occasionally loses his head. It is months, I must admit, since I saw him perform, and perhaps he has improved vastly in the interval, but that he is to International form is what I cannot get myself to believe. His antecedents are as fresh in my mind as those of the most modern crack half-back, and, consequently, I may be permitted to speak of his abilities with some little authority."

International career

One of the earliest Scottish players, he was capped once for in 1882 against . His selection caused a stir:- although he had a good reputation in the past, others were in form; and he was a current member of the

Scottish Rugby Union The Scottish Rugby Union (SRU; gd, Aonadh Rugbaidh na h-Alba) is the governing body of rugby union in Scotland. Styled as Scottish Rugby, it is the second oldest Rugby Union, having been founded in 1873. The SRU oversees the national league s ...

committee. This led to comments from the ''Athletic News'' of 1 February 1882: "But there is different story to be told of Frank Hunter, the other half-back. This University man was voted into the team because he had a past reputation. But have all old players not past reputations, and past reputations, too, of greater account than that Hunter. I have no desire to be unnecessarily heavy upon Hunter, for he is a gentleman for whom I have the profoundest respect, but I think when a team such as the Scotch Fifteen comes to be chosen, personal consideration and what is euphemistically termed past reputation should be cast aside altogether. Besides, Frank Hunter is a member of the Union Committee; and, if I am not mistaken, there is a rule which prohibits committee men playing in these big matches. A very bad precedent has been established, and the Union, it now exists, is entirely at fault."

Cricket career

He played cricket for the Edinburgh University side; and in 1880 he captained the side. He was a notable bowler and after university played for The Grange club in Edinburgh. He also played for the Scotland national cricket team.

Law career

He studied law at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

. He became a lawyer and was a Writer to the Signet. His uncle was a solicitor and after graduating he entered his uncle's firm Hunter, Blair and Cowan solicitors; which later became the firm of E.A. & F. Hunter. He became a Commissioner for the Earl of Ailsa.

Family

His parents were Alexander McLean Hunter (1821-1892) and Eliza Anna Bostock (1830-1902). Alexander was from Edinburgh; Eliza from Vaucluse in Tasmania. They married in Melbourne, Australia on 5 September 1850. They had 6 children, 3 boys and 3 girls. He was sent to Scotland to be schooled; and he then stayed with his uncle Evan Allan Hunter in Newark Castle, Ayr. Frank married Elizabeth Agnes Mein-Austin (1866-1929), a girl from St. Mungo in Dumfries in Scotland, in Williamstown, Victoria in Australia. They settled back in Scotland and had 3 sons: Evan, Ronald and Wilfrid. Evan became the secretary of the British Olympic Association. He died at

Lockerbie Lockerbie (, gd, Locarbaidh) is a small town in Dumfries and Galloway, south-western Scotland. It is about from Glasgow, and from the border with England. The United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 Census recorded its population as 4,009. The town ...

. He had 2 residences: one at Dixons in Lockerbie; the other at 7 York Place, Edinburgh. The value of his estate at death was recorded as £7827, 13 shillings and 7 pence. Hunter had 2 wills; one made in 1894 and another made in 1931 – the eik was granted in 1934 to allow his sons to administer his estate. He is buried at the Dryfesdale Cemetery at Lockerbie.

References

Sources # Bath, Richard (ed.) ''The Scotland Rugby Miscellany'' (Vision Sports Publishing Ltd, 2007 ) # Goodwin, Terry ''The Complete Who's Who of International Rugby'' (Blandford Press, England, 1987, ) # Massie, Allan ''A Portrait of Scottish Rugby'' (Polygon, Edinburgh; ) {{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Frank 1858 births 1930 deaths Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Edinburgh University CC players Edinburgh University RFC players People educated at Fettes College Rugby union players from Geelong Scotland international rugby union players Scottish rugby union players Rugby union centres Emigrants from colonial Australia to the United Kingdom 19th-century Scottish lawyers Scotland cricketers Scottish cricketers People from the Colony of Victoria