According to Wikipedia, this nickname was coined in 1932 by Douglas Jardine, then England captain, after Hobbs scored a century (for Surrey) in each innings of a game against Essex.
As early as 1912, The Times had described Hobbs as "a great master" for his performances against South Africa that summer; and the following year, Wisden described him as "an absolute master on matting wickets" for his performances in the return series.
Hobbs still holds the record for the most runs (61,237) and most centries (197) in a first–class career. Just over two thirds (3,636) of his 5,410 Test runs came against Australia; the great Don Bradman is still the only man to have scored more in Ashes Tests. Hobbs was the first professional cricketer to be knighted, and he was the only English player to be named as one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the (20th) Century.
© Haydn Thompson 2021