Hugh Orr
Australian-born English cricketer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hugh James Orr (21 January 1878 — 19 April 1946) was an Australian-born Scottish first-class cricketer, rugby union player and Royal Navy officer.
21 January 1878
| Born | Hugh James Orr 21 January 1878 Deniliquin, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Died | 16 May 1946 (aged 68) Wandsworth, London, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1902–1907 | Hampshire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricInfo, 5 October 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Orr was born in January 1878 at Deniliquin, New South Wales. He was educated privately at Sydney, before immigrating to the United Kingdom.[1] Once there, he joined the Royal Navy and was commissioned as an acting sub-lieutenant in April 1898, before being confirmed in the rank in June 1899.[2] In November 1899, he was promoted to lieutenant.[3] A talented sportsman, Orr played first-class cricket and rugby union. In rugby union, he played as a centre. He was capped by the Anglo-Scots in 1902 against the South of Scotland District.[4] He played for the Anglo-Scots in the same fixture in the 1903 season, scoring a try.[5] He was also capped by Scotland, making five Test appearances from 1903 to 1904, and was a member of the Scottish team which won the 1903 Home Nations Championship, and played for Scotland in the following season's 1904 Home Nations Championship, which they also won.[6]
As a cricketer, he played first-class cricket for Hampshire, making his debut against Gloucestershire at Portsmouth in the 1902 County Championship. Orr played a further match in 1902, before his next appearance in 1907, with him making four appearances in that seasons County Championship.[7] Playing in the Hampshire team as a bowler, he took 11 wickets at an average of 32.72, with best figures of 3 for 34.[8] He later played in a single first-class match for the Royal Navy against the British Army cricket team at Lord's,[7] taking figures of 7 for 74 in the Army second innings, having taken a single wicket in their first innings.[9] Orr retired from the navy at his own request in May 1912.[10] Orr was friends with Robert Falcon Scott, who attempted to persuade him to accompany him on his Antarctic expeditions; however, Orr was dissuaded from doing so by his wife.[11] He returned to active service during the First World War, during which he held the rank of lieutenant commander. He was appointed a commander in January 1918.[12] Orr died in England at Wandsworth in April 1946.