William Moberly

William Octavius Moberly (14 November 1850 – 2 February 1914) was an English sportsman who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire and represented the England national rugby union team.

Early life and education Moberly was born on 14 November 1850 to Rev. Charles Edward Moberly and his wife, and Catherine (née Temple). His father was an assistant master at Rugby School and composer of the school's anthem.

Moberly had two younger sisters: Mary, 2 years his junior, who went on to become a headmistress of girls' schools in Gateshead and Newcastle, and the youngest, Frances, 4 years his junior. He won a blue for rugby in 1872 and until 1874 played for the university. This included the first ever Varsity Match against Cambridge in 1872, with Moberly captaining Oxford to victory. He also played two first-class cricket matches for Oxford, against the Gentlemen of England in 1870 and 1872. He was captain of Oxford University Rugby Football Club from 1870 to 1872. Although at club level he always played three-quarter, he was picked as a fullback for England. He was described by Frank Marshall as a clever runner, who could "drop with either foot, and was a good shot at goal." At club level, Moberly turned out for the Ravenscourt Park Football Club. It remained a Gloucestershire fifth-wicket partnership record, the longest surviving English county record, until May 2024 when a stand of 277 by James Bracey and Graeme van Buuren against Derbyshire beat it. Moberly finished the 1876 season with 245 runs at 40.83, his best year in terms of average but he had his most prolific summer in 1883 when he amassed 351 runs at 29.25. The latter tally included his highest first-class score of 121, which he scored in a win over Somerset at Taunton.

Life off the pitch Moberly was an assistant master at Clifton College from 1874 to 1913. He married his wife Emma Florence Taylor in 1884; she was a sister of his Clifton Rugby and Gloucestershire Cricket teammate Edmund Junkin Taylor. In 1993, a new boarding house at Clifton College was named after him.