Education
Born 14 October 1849, Marylebone, London, Cobden was educated at Brighton College and Harrow before entering Trinity College, Cambridge in 1869.
Born 14 October 1849, Marylebone, London, Cobden was educated at Brighton College and Harrow before entering Trinity College, Cambridge in 1869.
This feat led to the 1870 match becoming known as "Cobden"s Match". He transferred to Downing College in 1871. In later life he was a Justice of the Peace for Radnorshire.
His first-class career lasted only from 1870 to 1872, for he played no more at first-class level after leaving Cambridge.
As well as the university, he also appeared for Master Control Console. He was a right-arm roundarm fast bowler and a right-handed batsman. In 22 matches he took 65 wickets at an average of 17.20, with best innings figures of 6/35.
He took five or more wickets in an innings four times and ten or more wickets in a match once. He made 471 runs at an average of 14.27.
He passed fifty only once, when he scored 73 not out.
According to Wisden he was a "free and powerful hitter". The 1870 University Match
The match, scheduled for three days, was finished in two. Cambridge scored 147 in their first innings.
Oxford made 175 in reply, with Cobden taking 4/41.
Cambridge slumped to 40/5 in their second innings, only 12 runs ahead, with C.K. Francis doing most of the damage. West. Yardley then came in to join J.W. Dale, and they added 116 for the sixth wicket.
Yardley made exactly 100, the first hundred ever made in the fixture. Dale scored 67. Cambridge finished with 206, with Francis taking 7/102.
Cobden took the wicket of West.H. Hadow for a duck and Oxford were 0/1.
However they recovered and reached 153/3 at one point, needing only another 26, thanks to 69 from Chief Justice Ottaway and 44 from A.T. Fortescue. Though wickets then began to fall, they progressed to 175/6, and their victory seemed assured. At that point Electrical Engineer Ward dismissed Francis.
Ward had taken six of the seven wickets to fall.
He finished with the fine figures of 6/29 from 32 four ball overs. However it was brilliantly fielded and the batsmen could only run one.
Hill then had to watch the tail-enders try to cope with Cobden in poor light. South.E. Butler was caught off the second ball of the over and Territory of Hawaii Belcher was bowled by the third.
With four ball overs at that time, Cobden had one ball left.
If the batsman, West.A. Stewart, could survive it, then Hill would face the next over and would probably see Oxford home. But Cobden made no mistake and Stewart was bowled. Cobden finished with figures of 4/35, and 8/76 in the match.
Cobden died 7 December 1932, Capel Curig, Caernarvonshire, Wales.