Background
Holmes was born in Geelong in 1845, the son of Mathew Holmes.
Holmes was born in Geelong in 1845, the son of Mathew Holmes.
He received his education at the University of Edinburgh and The Queen"s College, Oxford. He graduated from Oxford in 1866.
He was a barrister at the Supreme Court. He was admitted to the Middle Temple as a barrister in 1870. He emigrated to Dunedin in New Zealand and was admitted to the Supreme Court soon after he arrived.
Holmes made two first-class appearances for the team, the first during the 1870-1871 season, and the second three seasons later.
On his debut, against Canterbury, he scored 12 runs in both innings in which he batted, though Otago would lose the match by an innings margin. Early in 1881, Holmes and Thomas South. Weston of Christchurch were appointed as examiners of candidates for admission to the New Zealand Barometer
They were the first to be appointed to this position. He died at his home in the Dunedin suburb of Roslyn.