Tour of South Africa  1913-14              Captain :  Johnny Douglas            

22nd England Test tour.

(October 1913 - March 1914)

Seventh Test playing tour of South Africa by England

 (previous tour 1909-10)

After the financial success of the tour in 1909-10, the South African Cricket Union (S.A.C.U.) was eager to bring across another English team.  M.C.C. agreed to make the tour subject to all their costs being covered, for which the South Africans quickly raised more than the £5000 necessary.  No manager was appointed, these arrangements being left in the hands of the S.A.C.U., who chose Ivor Difford.

The tour was a triumph for Sydney Barnes who was virtually unplayable on matting pitches by all except Herbie Taylor.  Barnes took 49 wickets in the first four Tests, declining to appear in the fifth Test because the South African authorities had provided poor accommodation for him and his wife.

The home selectors introduced sixteen new caps, of whom nine were immediately dropped again, in trying to match the strongest team yet sent here from England. The visitors won the series by four matches to nil. Hobbs was outstanding with a batting average of 63 and Johnny Douglas, the third-choice captain, made a full contribution with bat and ball.

It was the last cricket tour on which Test matches were played anywhere for seven years.

All England tours

Previous Test tour

Australia  1911-12

Next Test tour

Australia 1920-21

Next tour of South Africa

1922-23

Members of the Test tour party (13)

Opening batsmen:  Wilfred Rhodes, Jack Hobbs.

Middle-order batsmen Jack Hearne, Phil Mead, Lionel Tennyson, Morice Bird

Wicket-keeper: Herbert Strudwick, Colonel Robinson (+ 'Tiger' Smith)

All-rounder:  Johnny Douglas, Frank Woolley.

Slow bowlers: Albert Relf (+ Rhodes)

Fast bowlers: Sydney Barnes, Major Booth (+ Douglas)

County representation:

Ex  -  Essex (1)

Gloucestershire (1)

Ha - Hampshire (2)

Kt  -  Kent (1)

Mx - Middlesex (1)

Sy - Surrey (3)

Sx - Sussex (1)

Y - Yorkshire (2)

Sff - Staffordshire (1)

Average age of  team at time of first Test match

(13 December 1913) :

 30 yrs  5 months.

Key to type:

RHB Right-handed bat

RM  Right arm medium-paced bowler

RFM  Right-arm fast medium

OB   Off-break

WK  Wicket-keeper

Test Appearances made before the tour

Rhodes 43,  Barnes 23,  Hobbs 23,  Woolley 18,  Hearne 10,  Smith 10,  Relf 8,  Douglas 6,  Strudwick 6,  Bird 5,  Mead 4,  Booth 0,  Robinson 0,  Tennyson 0.

Tour Officials

Selectors

Lord Harris (chairman),

Selection

Gilbert Jessop was unavailable when offered the captaincy, so F L Fane was invited to lead the side. When Fane in turn decided he was unable to go, Johnny Douglas was appointed as captain. 

Also asked to tour but unavailable:   C B Fry;  F R Foster (business); Frank Tarrant, who would be coaching in India.

Tour Party Announced :  Booth, Hearne, Hobbs, Rhodes, Woolley (on 6 July 1913); Mead and Strudwick (23 July); Bird and Relf (14 August); Robinson (21 August); Barnes (26 August);

Withdrawals   Francis Fane (Essex) was asked to go as captain when Jessop declined but himself withdrew later; Johnny Douglas would take over (as announced 1 September);   P R ‘Randall’ Johnson (Somerset) was given the last place in the team but changed his mind; so Tennyson would take the last place (announced 5 September).

George Gunn offered to join the team but the South African Cricket Union declined, owing to the expense.

Time between selection and departure from England

   53 days

 (26 August  - 18 October)

Travel

Southampton     T    Cape Town

                       ‘’Saxon’’

Departure from England was on18 October 1913.  The team sailed from Southampton on RMS 'Saxon'

The ship berthed at Cape Town on Tuesday 4 November. 

Barnes travelled separately on the 'Braemar Castle' with his wife.

Time spent in South Africa

    days

(4 November  - 

On-tour selection panel

Reinforcements

Colonel Douglas Robinson returned home on 6 December without playing a match. He was unwell with ulceration of the stomach. ‘Tiger’ Smith arrived in his place soon afterwards.  Booth missed games after being involved in a motor accident.

The following each played in one match: the manager, Ivor Difford; baggageman Bill Creese; Albert Relf's brother Robert; and Henry Harrison (Surrey). 

Douglas, Relf, Tennyson and Woolley appeared in every match.

Fixtures/Results

Rhodesia's cricket authorities were unable to give the required financial guarantees and their matches were eliminated from the programme.

† not first-class

Time spent in South Africa before First Test:  

  39 days

(4 November - 13 December)

Test appearances on tour

(v South Africa 1913-14)

5 -  Bird,  Douglas,  Hobbs,  Mead,  Relf,  Rhodes,  Strudwick,  Tennyson,  Woolley.

4 -  Barnes.

3 -  Hearne.

2 -  Booth.

1 -  Smith.

0 -  Robinson.

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

Highlights

•  In the second Test at Johannesburg Sydney Barnes took 17 South African wickets, a record for most wickets taken in a Test match, which stood until 1956. 

•  Barnes took 10 wickets in the first Test, 17 in the second, 8 in the third and 14 in the fourth, giving him 49 wickets in the four Tests he played, which was a record unparalleled in Test cricket.

•  Johnny Douglas (119) scored a century in the opening Test at Durban, as did the South African captain, Taylor.

•  Wilfred Rhodes (152) and Phil Mead (102) scored centuries in England’s innings of 403 at Johannesburg (2nd Test)

•  Jack Hearne took 5 for 49 in the third Test

•  Jack Hobbs (97) and Rhodes (35) recorded England’s third century opening stand of the series in the 4th Test

•  Phil Mead recorded another century (117) in the final Test;  but Hobbs was England’s highest scorer with 433 runs.

Tour Summary

Return to England

Cape Town    T    Southampton

               ‘Kinfauns Castle’

M.C.C. completed their tour by beating a Cape Town team 5-2 at football.

The tour party embarked on the 'Kinfauns Castle' on Saturday 14 March 1914, sailing via Madeira, and arriving at Southampton on 31 March.

Barnes sailed for home on Monday 16 March on the 'Guildford Castle'.

Time away from England

  163 days  

(18 October -31 March)

Finances

M.C.C. agreed to tour subject to all their costs being covered, for which the South Africans quickly raised more than the £5000 guarantee necessary. 

Rhodesia's cricket authorities were unable to give the required financial guarantees and their matches were eliminated from the programme.

Accounts of the tour

Postscript