Maurice Turnbull represented Wales at three different sports and also played Test cricket for England. On top of that, he also became the champions of South Wales in a fourth sport. He is arguably the greatest all-round sportsman ever produced by Wales. He was killed by a German sniper advancing with the Welsh Guards through Normandy shortly after the D-Day Landings in 1944.
Although born in Cardiff, he learned his cricket and rugby at Downside School before heading to Cambridge University. He spent five summers in the 1st XI at Downside, scoring 1,323 runs with an average of 94.50 in his final year as captain, and he first appeared for Glamorgan as a schoolboy against Lancashire in Swansea in 1924. He was an instant success, scoring 40 and 16 in a surprising victory by 38 runs.
He captained Cambridge in 1929 and Glamorgan from 1930 until 1939. He passed 1000 runs in a season 10 times and scored three double-centuries, the highest being 233 against Worcestershire at Swansea in 1937. He was secretary at Glamorgan for a decade.
He played in nine Tests for England, facing the West Indies and India at home, and he toured Australia in 1929-30 and South Africa in 1930-31, writing a light-hearted account of each tour with Maurice Allom. He went on to become and English selector in 1938 and 1939. He scored 17,544 first-class runs in 388 matches, including 29 centuries and 82 50s.
His elder brother, Bernard, played rugby for both Cambridge University and Wales. Six Turnbull brothers played for Cardiff, with Maurice making 62 appearances in Blue & Black and featuring twice for Wales in the 1933 Five Nations Championships. His debut came in Wales’ first win over England at Twickenham when he played at scrum half. He retained his place for the defeat to Ireland in the next game, but wasn’t picked again.
His father, Philip, captained Wales at hockey and won an Olympic bronze medal for Wales in London in 1908. Another Turnbull, his uncle Bertrand, was also in that team. Maurice won a blue at Cambridge in hockey and also played for Wales. He was also the South Wales squash champion, having overseen the funding and construction of Cardiff Squash Club.
Maurice Joseph Turnbull (Cricketer, Rugby and Hockey Player) Born in Cardiff on 16 March, 1906; Died in Montchamp, France, on 5 August, 1944
