The son of a railway official, Bert Tobin lived in North Adelaide. He was educated at Rostrevor College in Adelaide from 1925 to 1928, boarding in his final two years. He was a prominent member of the school's cricket and football teams.[1] He won the South Australian Junior Golf Championship in 1928.[2]
A hard-hitting batsman in the middle or lower order and a fast-medium opening bowler, Tobin stood six feet two inches tall.[3] He made his first-class debut for South Australia in the 1930–31 season just before his 20th birthday. He took his best first-class figures of 4 for 31 against Victoria in the Sheffield Shield in November 1932, when he and Tim Wall dismissed Victoria for 92 and South Australia won by three wickets.[4] He made his highest first-class score of 61 in the next match, against New South Wales.[5]
Despite his good form it was a surprise when he was selected in the Australian team for the Fourth Test against England later that season, as his overall achievements had been moderate: "a useful rather than a match-winning figure in South Australian cricket".[6] He probably owed his selection to his ability to bowl bouncers.[2] In the event he was made twelfth man and was not selected for Australia again.[7][8]
During his South Australian career Tobin worked in the Adelaide sports store part-owned by the cricketer Philip Lee.[3] He left Australia in 1935 to play as a professional for Rishton in the Lancashire League.[1] He remained in the UK, marrying a rich woman and playing club cricket in Scotland.[7][9] After two decades abroad he returned to Australia, coaching cricket in the Melbourne suburb of Essendon and in Alice Springs.[2]
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