| Rupert Hickmott | |
| Country: | New Zealand |
| Fullname: | Rupert George Hickmott |
| Birth Date: | 19 March 1894 |
| Birth Place: | Christchurch, New Zealand |
| Death Place: | Somme, France |
| Batting: | Right-handed |
| Bowling: | Right-arm leg-spin |
| Club1: | Canterbury |
| Year1: | 1911-12 to 1914-15 |
| Columns: | 1 |
| Column1: | First-class |
| Matches1: | 17 |
| Runs1: | 778 |
| Bat Avg1: | 25.09 |
| 100S/50S1: | 1/4 |
| Top Score1: | 109 |
| Deliveries1: | 427 |
| Wickets1: | 11 |
| Bowl Avg1: | 27.27 |
| Fivefor1: | 0 |
| Tenfor1: | 0 |
| Best Bowling1: | 4/5 |
| Catches/Stumpings1: | 7/0 |
| Date: | 21 October |
| Year: | 2014 |
| Source: | https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/16/16926/16926.html Cricket Archive |
Rupert George Hickmott (19 March 1894 – 16 September 1916) was a cricketer who played for Canterbury and New Zealand. He died in World War I.[1]
Rupert Hickmott was born in Christchurch and educated at Christchurch Boys' High School, where he excelled at cricket, scoring a century in the Heathcote Williams Challenge Shield against Auckland Grammar School, and captaining the First XI for three years. He also captained the rugby XV.[2]
At the start of the senior club season in Christchurch in 1911–12, in his first three innings he scored 112, 96 and 213 not out.[3] He made his first-class debut for Canterbury in December 1911 at the age of 17, scoring 30 and 39 in a low-scoring match to help Canterbury to victory over Wellington.[4] He made 52 and 33 in another victory over Wellington in his next match, which was his first in the Plunket Shield.[5] In 1912-13 he made 77, the top score of the match, when Canterbury beat Otago by an innings to win the Plunket Shield.[6]
He toured Australia with the New Zealand team in 1913-14, where he succeeded in some of the minor matches, but against the state teams he made only 94 runs at an average of 11.75.[7] He was the outstanding batsman in the 1914-15 Plunket Shield, with 307 runs at 51.16,[8] helping Canterbury to victories in all four matches. He top-scored in each innings against Auckland with 56 and 63; made his only century, 109, the top score of the match, against Hawke's Bay; and wound up both Otago innings with 2 for 7 and 4 for 5.[9]
Hickmott enlisted in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force and served as a second lieutenant. He embarked from Wellington in March 1916 on the troopship Willochra. He was killed in action on the Somme in September 1916.[10]
Hickmott's obituary in Wisden said he "was probably the most promising young cricketer in the Dominion, and his early death will be felt severely when the game is resumed".[11] Dan Reese, his captain with both Canterbury and New Zealand, later wrote:
Hickmott ... was a fine all-rounder and to my mind would have become a Warwick Armstrong in New Zealand cricket, for he was a beautiful batsman and bowled "straight" leg-breaks like the great Victorian. His glorious outfielding against Harry Trott's team was a feature of the Canterbury match. His character and temperament made it certain that he would one day have been New Zealand's captain.[12]