Roland James "Rowley" Pope (18 February 1864 – 27 July 1952) was an Australian

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

er best known for representing the

Australian national cricket team The Australia men's national cricket team represents Australia in men's international cricket. As the joint oldest team in Test cricket history, playing in the first ever Test match in 1877, the team also plays One-Day International (ODI) an ...

in one

Test match Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to: * Test cricket * Test match (indoor cricket) * Test match (rugby union) * Test match (rugby league) * Test match (association football) ...

in 1885, and later also known as an ophthalmologist and philanthropist. From Sydney,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, he was selected for the Test as the result of a player strike during the English tour of Australia during the 1884–85 season, and made three runs across his two innings. Having studied medicine 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 ...

, Pope was head of the ophthalmology section of Sydney Hospital for a period of 17 years, and was later involved in the establishment of the library and art gallery of the

City of Newcastle The City of Newcastle is a local government area in the Hunter region of New South Wales, Australia. The City of Newcastle incorporates much of the area of the Newcastle metropolitan area. The Lord Mayor of City of Newcastle Council is Counci ...

Early life and cricket career

Pope was born in Ashfield, a suburb of Sydney,

, on 18 February 1864, and educated at

The Hutchins School , motto_translation = Character lives after death , city = Hobart , state = Tasmania , country = Australia , coordinates = , type = Independent, day & boarding , de ...

in Hobart,

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

.Roland Pope
– ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 2 July 2012. His first recorded cricket matches were played for Sydney University's cricket team against

Melbourne University The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...

in 1879 and 1881, though it is unknown if he actually attended the university at that time.Other matches played by Roland Pope
– Cricket Archive. Retrieved 2 July 2012. Partly as a result of scoring 170

not out In cricket, a batter is not out if they come out to bat in an innings and have not been dismissed by the end of an innings. The batter is also ''not out'' while their innings is still in progress. Occurrence At least one batter is not out at t ...

for a Melbourne

I Zingari I Zingari (from dialectalized Italian , meaning "the Gypsies"; corresponding to standard Italian ') are English and Australian amateur cricket clubs, founded in 1845 and 1888 respectively. It is the oldest and perhaps the most famous of the ' ...

team against the Richmond Cricket Club, Pope was selected to make his first-class debut for

against

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

in late December 1884 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and made what was to be his highest first-class score, 47 runs, in New South Wales' first innings. The

English cricket team The England cricket team represents England and Wales in international cricket. Since 1997, it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club (the MCC) since 1903. Engl ...

was touring the Australian colonies at the time, and the second

of the series was scheduled to be held in Melbourne beginning on 1 January 1885, two days after the conclusion of the New South Wales–Victoria game. A number of leading New South Wales players, including

Jack Blackham John McCarthy Blackham (11 May 1854 – 28 December 1932) was a Test cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia. A specialist wicket-keeper, Blackham played in the first Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in March 1877 and the fa ...

, Harry Boyle,

George Bonnor George John Bonnor (25 February 1855 – 27 June 1912) was an Australian cricketer, known for his big hitting, who played Test cricket between 1880 and 1888. Career Bonnor was born in Bathurst, New South Wales, and made his international debut ...

, and

Percy McDonnell Percy Stanislaus McDonnell (13 November 1858 – 24 September 1896
— ''

Victorian Cricket Association Cricket Victoria (CV) is the governing body for the sport of cricket in the Australian state of Victoria. It was formed on 29 September 1875 as the Victorian Cricket Association. It is integrated with the Victorian Women's Cricket Association to ...

was forced to choose a team comprising nine debutants (including Pope) for the Test, with

Tom Horan Thomas Patrick Horan (8 March 1854 – 16 April 1916) was an Australian cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia, and later became an esteemed cricket journalist under the pen name "Felix". The first of only two players born in Irelan ...

as captain. In the match, Pope batted at number six in both innings, making a

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form ...

in the first innings and three runs in the second innings of what was to be his only Test. Having moved to

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 ...

to study at the

Medical School A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...

of the

in 1886, Pope played a number of matches for Scottish representative sides against English county sides, as well as playing for the

Marylebone Cricket Club Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London. The club was formerly the governing body of cricket retaining considerable global influence ...

on its tour of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

in 1891. Australian representative sides toured England in 1886 and

1890 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony, in the Horn of Africa. ** In Michigan, the wooden steamer ''Mackinaw'' burns in a fire on the Black River. * January 2 ** The steamship ...

, and Pope played in a number of matches for the teams. In 1892 he was awarded a

Doctorate of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

for his thesis, Modern therapeutics of certain ocular affections from the University of Edinburgh, and fellowship of the

Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is a professional organisation of surgeons. The College has seven active faculties, covering a broad spectrum of surgical, dental, and other medical practices. Its main campus is located on ...

, subsequently returning to Australia. For a period of 17 years, from 1894 to 1911, Pope worked at Sydney Hospital, firstly as honorary ophthalmic assistant, and then as honorary ophthalmic surgeon, later being appointed to the honorary consulting staff after his resignation in May 1911.

Later life

Outside of his profession as a medical practitioner, Pope acted as the medical advisor to a number of Australian touring cricket teams up until the beginning of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. A 1934 article in '' The Daily News'' noted he had been "away with 12 Australian Test teams". Pope was in England at the same time the Australian team was touring in 1902, and acted as the team's medical advisor and "unofficial baggage handler". At various stages of the tour, a number of Australians were rendered unable to play due to an outbreak of

influenza Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptoms ...

, and Pope was called upon to play in the match against

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, held at F. P. Fenner's Ground in June 1902. Pope batted at number nine in the batting order in the Australians' only innings, and made two

in his first first-class match since 1891. Pope was also present on the unofficial 1932 tour of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

organised by

Arthur Mailey Alfred Arthur Mailey (3 January 188631 December 1967) was an Australian cricketer who played in 21 Test matches between 1920 and 1926. Mailey used leg-breaks and googly bowling, taking 99 Test wickets, including 36 in the 1920–21 Ashes ser ...

– it was subsequently noted that his "usually voluminous luggage was 'restricted' to 36 bags". Pope was also involved in the establishment of the Manly Golf Club. He and his brother, Norman Pope, acquired land near Farrell's Paddock, Manly, with an eighteen-hole course being established in May 1908. In July 1945, Pope presented a collection of "oils, water colours, prints, and rare books" to the

to serve as the "nucleus of an art gallery and library" for

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

. For his donation, he was awarded the medal of the Society of Artists by the society's president,

Sydney Ure Smith Sydney George Ure Smith OBE (9 January 188711 October 1949) was an Australian arts publisher, artist and promoter who "did more than any other Australian to publicize Australian art at home and overseas". Unlike most of his contemporaries, he ...

. Pope was also a keen amateur

ornithologist Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

, and had acquired a "large collection of specimens from around the world" – his donation to the City of Newcastle had included original editions of works by Mathews and

Gould Gould may refer to: People * Gould (name), a surname Places United States * Gould, Arkansas, a city * Gould, Colorado, an unincorporated community * Gould, Ohio, an unincorporated community * Gould, Oklahoma, a town * Gould, West Virginia, a ...

, two early Australian ornithologists. Pope's collection of 137 paintings was held in storage for twelve years until 1957, when the Newcastle City Art Gallery opened. Pope died at his home in Manly on 27 July 1952, and was

cremated Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre i ...

.TWO DOCTORS DIE
– ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

''. Published Tuesday, 29 July 1952. Retrieved from Trove, 2 July 2012.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pope, Roland 1864 births 1952 deaths Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Australian cricketers Australian ophthalmologists Australian ornithologists Australian philanthropists Australia Test cricketers Cricketers from Sydney Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh Gloucestershire cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers New South Wales cricketers Australian sports physicians Australian art patrons Australian art collectors

Early life and cricket career

Later life

See also

References

External links