Tour of South Africa 1891-92                    Captain : W W Read                

England’s 11th Test tour.

(November 1891-April 1892)

Second Test-playing tour of South Africa by an English side

      (previous tour 1888-89)

The personnel of the 1891-92 team were rather more distinguished than the English touring side in South Africa three winters previously, although many of the leading cricketers - such as Briggs - had already committed themselves to tour Australia. Despite it being far from anything like England's first-choice team, Mr W.W.Read's tour group was far too strong, particularly in bowling, for the opposition it met. It did not lose one game. It seems unrealistic that the only match played on equal terms (eleven-a-side) is now described as a Test match. For one thing, two Australian Test cricketers, Ferris and Murdoch, as county players became members of the touring party, but went on to represent England.

Hearnes

Before the team left South Africa, there was time for an extra match played against a Malay team for the financial benefit of the team's professionals, the only recorded case of a coloured team in South Africa playing against an English team until ....

At the end of the tour the captain and manager were arrested until they provided security to cover a loan of £1000 which had been advanced by a Cape Colony businessman to cover expenses not met by the gates.

Members of the Test tour party (15)

Opening batsmen:   Alec Hearne, William Chatterton

Middle-order batsmen Billy Murdoch, George Hearne, Walter Read, Victor Barton, George Ayres, George Brann.

Wicket-keeper:Harry Wood, Edwin Leaney.

All-rounder: Bill Brockwell

Faster bowlers: J J Ferris, Fred Martin, Jack Hearne, Dick Pougher.

County representation:

Dy – Derbyshire (1)

Gs -  Gloucestershire (1

Ha - Hampshire (1)

Kt  -  Kent (4)

Le  -  Leicestershire (1)

Mx  -  Middlesex (1)

Sy  -  Surrey (4)

Sx - Sussex (2)

Average age of  team at time of first Test match

(19 March 1892) :

  29 yrs 4 months

Test Appearances made before the tour

Murdoch 18 for Australia,  Read 15,  Ferris 8 for Australia,  Wood 3,  Martin 1,  Ayres 0,  Barton 0,  Brann 0, Brockwell 0,  Chatterton 0,  A Hearne 0,  G G Hearne 0,   J T Hearne 0,  Leaney 0,  Pougher 0.

Tour Officials

The manager, Edwin Ash, was a leading figure in Richmond Cricket Club and a member of the Surrey committee. In the summer of 1891 he had organised the English rugby tour of South Africa.

Selectors

The team was organised by Mr A.E.Bridgette, a businessman and club cricketer from South London.

Selection

Unavailable : All those touring Australia with Dr W.G.Grace, or touring America with Lord Hawke. 

Also, Bill Lockwood and C.J.M.Fox (both Surrey) and Billy Newham (Sussex) who were named in the original list of tourists in October.

Tour Party Announced  : ?

Time between selection and departure from England

    ? days

(October ?     - 21 November)

Travel

Southampton   T    Cape Town

                ‘Dunottar Castle’

The team left London’s Waterloo Station on the morning of 21 November 1891 for Southampton, and sailed from the quayside on the 'Dunottar Castle'.

The team played matches on deck against the crew. 

The ship called at Madeira en route, and arrived at Cape Town on 8 December 1891.

Time spent in South Africa

    107 days

(8 December - 24 March)  

Reinforcements

None.  Mr Brann sprained an ankle at Port Elizabeth and was unable to appear in the later matches.

Fixtures/Results

† not first-class

Time spent in South Africa before First Test:

  102 days

(8 December  -  19 March)

Test appearances on tour

(v South Africa 1891-92)

1 -  Barton,  Chatterton, Ferris,  Hearne A,  Hearne G.G.,  Hearne J.T.,  Martin,  Murdoch,  Pougher,  Read,  Wood.

0 -  Ayres,  Brann,  Brockwell,  Leaney.

Match appearances

T  Test match

x other match 

∙  played for opposition

W won  L lost  D drawn  

N no result   A abandoned  

u unknown result

England’s six previous Test tour results:

in Australia 1891-92 (3 Tests)

 - lost 1-2

in South Africa 1888-89 (4 Tests)

 - won 2-0

in Australia 1887-88 (1 Test)

 - won 1-0

in Australia 1886-87 (2 Tests)

 - won 2-0

in Australia 1884-85 (5 Tests)

 - won 3-2

in Australia 1882-83 (4 Tests)

 - drew 2-2

Highlights

•  T

• 

• 

• 

Tour Summary

Return to England

Cape Town    T    Plymouth

            ‘Dunnotar Castle’

The ship was delayed by one day, "waiting for the mails". The captain, Walter Read, and manager, Edwin Ash, had been arrested until they made arrangments to cover the £1000 loan made to cover expenses at the beginning of the tour. There was just time for them to be ferried to the ship before it departed. Then the team was able to set off for home.

The 'Dunottar Castle' left Cape Town on 24 March for Madeira and Plymouth, docking at 10pm on Friday 8 April.

Time away from England

  139 days  

(21 November - 8  April)

Finances

Accounts of the tour

“The Visit of Mr W W Read’s 1891-92 English cricket team to South Africa”   by Brian Bassano  & Rick Smith (published by John McKenzie, Ewell, 2007)

Postscript