AFRICAN CRICKET

Waikato Times, Volume 118, Issue 19759, 14 December 1935, Page 23 (Supplement)

AFRICAN CRICKET

AUSTRALIANS’ TOUR. TRANSVA/- still prominent. 1 ARMSTRONG'S FAMOUS SIDE. Fourteen years have elapsed since Australian cridketers last played in South Africa (writes “Old Sport” in the December “Australian Journal”). That was in 1921, when Armstrong’s famous side, returning victorious fru*v England, undertook a short tour through the Union. Armstrong himself did not play, owing to ill-health, and Collins captained the team. The matches played were against Natal, Transvaal and Western Province. Three test matches, one of which Australia won, the other two being drawn, were also played. The test matches were limited to four days. Splendid bowling by Collins, Macartney and Ryder, and the wonderful all-round cricket of Jack Gregory, then at the height of his powers, were the principal features of the Australians’ play; while a young South African, C. N. Frank, created a sensation in the second test match at Johannesburg by defying the bowling of Gregory, Macdonald, Hendry, Ryder and Collins for over eight and a half hours, scoring 152. Aided by A. D. Nourse senr. (Ill) and H. W. Taylor (80), Frank pulled the game round after the Africans had followed on 207 behind against a score of 450, and the game was drawn. Previous to the tour of Armstrong’s men the only Australian teams to visit Africa were the 1902 side on their way home, and the brilliant A.I.F. team in 1919-20. A special visit had been arranged for 1914-15, and the side selected, but the outbreak of war cancelled all arrangements, so that Richardson’s men will be the first Australian cricketers to undertake a complete tour of the Union. Although the programme, -which consists of fifteen matches, is not nearly so long as that of an English tour, the players will probably find it almost as tiring, for an African summer is very hot and dry and there is an enormous amount of railway travelling to be done, although, of course, no more than an English team faces in a tour of Australia.

■One of the most tiring features of an African programme is the long list of social fixtures. The South African is nothing if not hospitable, and many of the wealthier citizens of the Union take a great interest in cricket, so that our players are in for a good time, win, lose or draw. The programme commences with a match at Durban against Natal, nursery of many a great player of the past, including Dave Nourse, senr., H. G. Deane and H. W. Taylor, the latter being probably the best batsman South Africa has ever produced. Present Day Natal Players. Present-day Natal players include H. F. Wade, who captained the 1935 South African side in England; Ivan Siedle, E. L. Dalton and R. J. Williams, .South Africa’s second-string wicket-keeper. From Natal the tourists will travel to Capetown, where, on 30th November, they will meet Western Province, whose former champions include M. Commaille and S. J. Snooke, who were in the 1910-1911 team to Australia; J. J. Kotze, the fastest bowler of his time; Sir Murray Bisset and S. D. Snooke.

The present Western Province team is very solid, containing A. J. Bell, the bowler who did so well in Australia; X. Balaskas, probably the only living cricketer of Greek parentage, and R. J. Crisp, the fast-medium bowler who has performed excellently ■on tour in England.

Next, in December, they will make their first appearance on the famous Wanderer’s Ground, at Johannesburg, where they will meet the powerful Transvaal team. Transvaal has produced more great cricketers than all the rest of the South African states together; indeed, in 1906, the famous South African side that won the rubber from P. F. Warner’s English XI consisted of eight Transvaal players and one- representative each from Natal and Eastern and Western Provinces. The list of celebrated Transvaal representatives of the past is a very long one, including as it does, P. W. Sherwell, captain of the Africans in Australia, 1910-1911, and one of the four greatest wicketkeepers of all time (the others being Blackham, Oldfield and Pilling); G. A. Faulkner, the finest all-round player in the world immediately before the War; batsmen Gordon White, J. H. Sinclair, J. W. Zulch, L. Strieker and the famous bowlers, S. J. Pegler, A. E. Vogler and R. O. Schwarz. Although B. J. T. Bosanquet is credited with first exploiting the “googly,” it was the Afri-, cans, Schwarz, Vogler and Faulkner, who really developed it into a firstrate form of attack, and they were at their top when they astounded English cricketers nearly thirty years ago. Unfortunately, neither Schwarz nor Vogler reproduced their form in Australia. Another notable Transvaal player was 11. B. Cameron, the wicketkeeper, who captained the side in Australia. His recent untimely death cast a gloom over the cricket world. Holders of Currie Cup. Transvaal is still prominent in African cricket. They hold the Currie Cup—South Africa’s Sheffield Shield —and command the services of Bruce Mitchell, one of the finest batsmen in the country; C. L. Vincent, the lefthanded bowler; batsman E. A. Rowan, and A. B. Chudleig'h, a new mediumpace bowler. After the Transvaal engagement, the first three test matches are played in succession—one at Durban (14th December), the second at Johannesburg (24th December) and the third on New Year’s Day, at Capetown. Following that, the team will journey to Port Elizabeth to meet the Eastern Province on 7th January. This side is not particularly strong, and should scarcely trouble the tour-

ists. Another easy game should be that at East London on 11th January, when the Australians will meet the thodox, a combination of both, and Fairbairn.

Border, which at present boasts no player of any particular prominence. From East London the Australians will journey to Bloemfontein, principal town of the Orange Free State, and scene of many an exciting event during the Boer War. The most noted member of the O.F.S. side is Kenneth Viljoen, whose century against Australia in Melbourne wasthe only threefigure score recorded for South Africa in the test matches of the last tour. On Bth February the visitors meet Griqualand West, at Kimberley, the diamond city which was well in the public eye during the siege thirtyfive years ago. Need for All-Round Play. The Griquas, as they are termed in Union cricket, will have to depend on all-round play if they are to provide the Australians with any opposition, as they possess no representative men, although Nicholson, a colt, came to the fore last season and was considered unlucky not to be selected for the English tour. From Kimberley the Australians travel to Rhodesia, where they will see the famous Victoria Falls on the Zambesi, and on the 11th February meet the local team at Bulawayo. Although not a powerful team, the Rhodesians have a good googly bowler in Tomlinson, who played with the team in England *

The Australians return from Bulawayo to play the fourth test match at Johannesburg (15th February), a return match with Natal (22nd February) and the last test match (28th February). Both the latter games arc scheduled for Durban. The team goes out under an i'll,ooo guarantee, put up by the South African authorities, and each player, as well as the manager, will receive £.”>oo in addition to hotel and travelling expenses.