Albert Powell

Who was Albert Powell?

Albert "Bertie" William Powell was a South African sportsman who played both international cricket and rugby union for South Africa.

Powell was born in Kimberley, Cape Province in 1873; he was a good all-rounder for the period with safe hands in the field, he played sporadically for Griqualand West from 1892/93 to 1904/05. When Lord Hawke brought England to South Africa in 1898/99, Powell was selected for the second Test, played at Cape Town. Although England won the match comprehensively by 210 runs, despite a first innings deficit of 85, Powell scored 5 and 11, took 1 wicket for 10 runs and held two catches.

In 1896 Powell played at centre for the South Africa national rugby union team in the third Test of the British Isles tour of South Africa. This would be his one and only international rugby cap.

His death in Rondebosch, Cape Town in 1948 went unrecorded and therefore no obituary appeared within Wisden for him at the time.