Charles Hooman

Charles Victor Lisle Hooman (3 October 1887 – 20 November 1969), often known as Chubby Holman, was an English amateur sportsman who played cricket for Oxford University and Kent County Cricket Club between 1907 and 1910. He won Blues for golf, rackets and cricket and later represented the Great Britain and Ireland golf team in the Walker Cup in 1922 and 1923. He served in the Royal Naval Reserve during World War I and the RAF Volunteer Reserve during World War II.

Early life and education Hooman was born at Ditton, Kent in 1887, the only son of Thomas and Louisa Hooman. His father had been a shipbroker and manufacturer of Portland cement and had played football for Wanderers, appearing in the 1872 FA Cup Final, and England. The family moved to Torquay and he was educated at Charterhouse School from 1901 where he played in the Cricket XI from 1903 to 1906, captaining the team in his final year, and won the Rackets Pairs competition at the Public Schools Championships in 1906.

He went on to Brasenose College, Oxford in 1906 to study Law. He played rackets, golf and cricket for the University winning Blues in all three. He was Captain of the university golf club in 1909 and President in 1910 and played for England against Scotland in 1910

Sporting career Hooman played cricket for Devon County Cricket Club in the Minor Counties Championship between 1906 and 1909 and made his first-class cricket debut in May 1907 for Oxford University Cricket Club against Worcestershire at the University Parks. He played for the University against the touring South Africans later the same season, but played no cricket in 1908 before appearing regularly in 1909 and 1910, including playing in the University Match in both seasons and topping batting averages for the University. He played for the Gentlemen again the Players in 1910 and, after completing university, for Kent County Cricket Club during remainder of the 1910 season. Kent won the County Championship for the second successive year and Hooman scored 1,070 runs in all first-class matches during the season, including 567 for Kent. and, in his obituary, as a "splendid batsman". He was eventually forced to stop playing golf after suffering from health issues in his legs.