Robert Popham, the son of the Reverend Edward Bryan Coombe Spurway, was born in Heathfield, Somerset.
[7] Spurway made his first-class debut for Natal in 1889, but had been playing cricket in South Africa for a number of years prior to that.
[8][2] He appeared in a number of matches for Cape Town Wanderers, and faced RG Warton's XI in 1889, the first cricket tour by an English representative team to South Africa.
His debut in first-class cricket came in December 1889 against Port Elizabeth, in which he made a half-century in the first innings, top-scoring for his side with 56.
[11] During this season, he scored his only first-class century, remaining 108 not out in Somerset's first innings against Gloucestershire, helping his side to a six wicket victory.