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Test Cricket Tours - England to South Africa 1909-10

 

Tour of South Africa 1909-10             Captain : Henry Leveson-Gower          

 

 

 

(M.C.C.)              

 

 

 

 

20th English Test tour.

(November 1909 - April 1910)

 

 

Sixth Test playing tour of South Africa by England

   (previous tour 1905-06)

 

       

 

 

 

The South Africans asked M.C.C. to send an amateur side, apparently for economy reasons.  Leveson-Gower said every effort was made to raise such a team, but it would have been too weak and an insult to their hosts. So a number of professionals were invited after all. George Gunn, however, was not included in the team. He did not open his letter of invitation on receipt, forgot all about it, and was unaware of his selection.

The tour brought England's second consecutive defeat in South Africa, the batsmen being unable to cope with South Africa's four googly bowlers on matting wickets.  After the first three Test matches (which made up his entire Test  playing career), Leveson-Gower stood down as captain in favour of F.L.Fane.

At the end of the tour further matches had been arranged, supposedly because some of the amateurs wanted to travel north and see the Victoria Falls.  However, the professionals stuck to their original undertaking and would not go without extra payment. In the end only Messrs Bird, Fane, Leveson-Gower and Simpson-Hayward went to Rhodesia. There they played in three matches, supported by seven South African players.

 

 

All England tours

 

 

Previous Test tour

to Australia 1907-08

 

Next Test tour

to Australia 1911-12

 

 

Next tour of South Africa

1913-14

 

 

 

Members of the Test tour party (14)

 

 

Opening batsmen:  Jack Hobbs, Francis Fane.

Middle-order batsmen David Denton, Morice Bird, Teddy Wynyard, Henry Leveson-Gower

All-rounders:  Frank Woolley, Wilfred Rhodes

Wicket-keeper: Herbert Strudwick, Neville Tufnell

Slow bowlers: Colin Blythe, George Simpson-Hayward

Fast bowlers: Claude Buckenham, George Thompson

 

 

 

 

 

Mr  M C Bird

Sy

21

RHB           RM

 

Blythe,  C

Kt

30

SLA

 

Buckenham,  C P

Ex

33

RF

 

Denton,  D

Yo

35

RHB

 

Mr  F L Fane

Ex

34

RHB opener        vice-captain

 

Hobbs,  J B

Sy

27

RHB opener       (RM)

 

Mr H D G Leveson-Gower

Sy

36

RHB              captain

 

Rhodes,  W

Yo

32

RHB opener        SLA

 

Mr G H Simpson-Hayward

Wo

34

SRA underarm lobs

 

Strudwick,  H

Sy

29

WK

 

Thompson,  G J

Nth

32

RHB    RFM

 

Mr  N C Tufnell

Cm U

22

WK

 

Woolley,  F E

Kt

22

LHB             LM

 

Capt  E G Wynyard

Ha

48

RHB              deputy-captain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

County representation:

 

Ex  -  Essex (2)

Ha - Hampshire (1)

Kt  -  Kent (2)

Nt - Northamptonshire (1)

Sy - Surrey (4)

Wo  -  Worcestershire (1)

Y - Yorkshire (2)

Cm U - Cambridge University (1)

 

 

  

Average age of  team at time of first Test match

(1 January 1910)

  31 years 7 months.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Test Appearances made before the tour

 

Rhodes 26, Blythe 17, Fane 9, Hobbs 7, Denton 6, Thompson 1, Woolley 1, Bird 0, Buckenham 0, Leveson-Gower 0, Simpson-Gower 0, Strudwick 0, Tufnell 0, Wynyard 0

 

 

 

 

 

Tour Officials

 

 Manager Ivor Difford??

 

 

 

 

Selectors

 

Lord Hawke (chairman),   H D G Leveson-Gower,   C B Fry.

 

 

 

 

Selection

 

M.C.C. appointed H.D.G.Leveson-Gower to the Test selection committee on 17 March 1909, and asked him to captain their side to South Africa.

He said every effort was made to raise an amateur team, but half of the selections made by himself and the selection committee were professionals.  The names of those invited were published on 9 August.

Unavailable:  A.P.Day,  C.B.Fry,  K.L.Hutchings,  G.L.Jessop,  A.C.MacLaren,  R.H.Spooner,  P.F.Warner and several other amateurs were unable to spare the time to make the tour,

Tour party  announced : on 30 August 1909. 

Tufnell was added to the side in September.

 

 

Time between selection and departure from England

   68 days

 (30 August - 6 November)

 

 

 

 

Travel

Southampton   T   Cape Town

                      ‘Saxon’

 

 

The date of departure was brought forward by one week from 13 November to allow the team some extra time for practice. The team left London’s Waterloo Station by the boat express on 6 November 1909 to board the Union-Castle Line steamship 'Saxon' at Southampton Docks They sailed, via Madeira, to Cape Town, arriving on 23 November.

 

 

Time spent in South Africa

    113 days

(23 November -  16 March)

 

 

 

On-tour selection panel

 

Henry Leveson-Gower (captain),   Francis Fane (vice-captain),  Wilfred Rhodes,  Colin Blythe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reinforcements

 

The Hon Richard Ponsonby played in the match at Pietermaritzburg because Tufnell was indisposed. Ponsonby was private secretary to the Governor of Natal, Sir Matthew Nathan.

The amateurs continued the tour into Rhodesia and were reinforced by A E Cook, F J V Hopley, G W V Hopley, H S Kaye, P T Lewis, R O Schwarz, P W Sherwell, J W Zulch,

 

 

 

 

 

Fixtures/Results

 

a

† Cape Town

Colts practice match (12  v 16)

Drawn

b

Cape Town

Western Province

Won inns 133

c

† Kimberley

Griqualand West ( 12  v 15)

Won 200 r

d

† Bloemfontein

Orange River Colony (15)

Won 200r

e

† Vogelfontein

The Reef (4-days)

Drawn

f

Johannesburg

Transvaal

Lost 308 r

g

JOHANNESBURG

SOUTH AFRICA  First Test

LOST 19 r

h

Durban

Natal

Drawn

i

Pietermaritzburg

Natal

Won 9 w

j

DURBAN

SOUTH AFRICA  Second Test

LOST 95 r

k

East London

Border

Won 4 w

l

† Queenstown

North-East Districts (15)

Won inns 63

m

Port Elizabeth

Eastern Province

Won inns 139

n

Johannesburg

Transvaal

Won 50 r

o

Pretoria

Transvaal

Drawn

p

JOHANNESBURG

SOUTH AFRICA  Third Test

WON 3 w

q

CAPE TOWN

SOUTH AFRICA  Fourth Test

LOST 4 w

r

CAPE TOWN

SOUTH AFRICA   Fifth Test

WON 9 w

 

s

Bulawayo

Rhodesia

Won inns 120 r

t

ϯ Gwelo

Middle Rhodesia  (1-day,  12 v 18)

Won 4 w

u

Salisbury

Rhodesia

Drawn

 

 

 

 

† not first-class

 

 

 

 

Time spent in South Africa before First Test:  

 38 days

(23 November - 1 January)

 

 

 

 

Test appearances on tour

(v South Africa 1909-10)

 

 

5 -   Bird,  Denton,  Fane,  Hobbs,  Rhodes,  Simpson-Hayward,  Strudwick,  Thompson,  Woolley.

4 -   Buckenham.

3 -   Leveson-Gower.

2 -   Blythe.

1 -   Tufnell.

0 -   Wynyard.

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

S O U T H    A F R I C A

RHODESIA

 

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

i

j

k

l

m

n

o

p

q

r

 

s

t

u

M C Bird

x

x

x

x

x

x

T

x

x

T

x

 

x

x

x

T

T

T

 

x

x

x

C Blythe

x

x

 

x

x

x

 

x

x

 

x

x

x

x

x

 

T

T

 

 

 

 

C Buckenham

 

x

x

x

x

 

T

x

 

T

x

x

 

x

 

T

T

 

 

 

 

 

D Denton

x

x

x

x

x

x

T

x

x

T

x

x

 

x

x

T

T

T

 

 

 

 

F L Fane

x

x

x

x

x

x

T

x

x

T

 

x

x

x

x

T

T

T

 

x

x

x

J B Hobbs

x

x

 

x

x

x

T

x

 

T

x

x

x

x

 

T

T

T

 

 

 

 

H L’son-Gower

x

x

x

x

 

x

T

x

x

T

x

x

x

 

x

T

 

 

 

x

x

x

W Rhodes

x

x

x

x

x

x

T

x

x

T

x

 

x

x

x

T

T

T

 

 

 

 

G H S-Hayward

x

 

x

 

x

x

T

 

x

T

x

x

x

 

x

T

T

T

 

x

x

x

H Strudwick

 

x

x

x

x

x

T

 

x

T

 

x

x

 

x

T

T

T

 

 

 

 

G Thompson

x

x

x

 

 

x

T

x

 

T

x

x

x

x

 

T

T

T

 

 

 

 

N Tufnell

x

 

x

x

x

 

 

x

 

 

x

x

x

x

x

 

 

T

 

 

 

 

F Woolley

x

x

x

x

x

x

T

x

x

T

x

x

 

x

x

T

T

T

 

 

 

 

E Wynyard

x

 

x

 

 

 

 

 

x

 

 

 

x

x

x

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

R Ponsonby

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

x

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 R E S U L T S

D

W

W

W

D

L

L

D

W

L

W

W

W

W

D

W

L

W

 

W

W

D

 

 

 

 

 

England’s six previous Test tour results:

 

 

in Australia 1907-08 (5 Tests)

 - lost 1-4

in South Africa 1905-06 (5 Tests)

 - lost 1-4

in Australia 1903-04 (5 Tests)

 - won 3-2

in Australia 1901-02 (5 Tests)

 - lost 1-4

in South Africa 1898-99 (2 Tests)

 - won 2-0

in Australia 1897-98 (5 Tests)

 - lost 1-4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Highlights

 

   George Thompson took 7-26 in the first match against the Currie Cup holders Western Province and Colin Blythe captured 7 for 20 in the second match against Natal.

  David Denton struck a century in each innings against Transvaal at Johannesburg.

   Simpson-Hayward’s lobs brought him six wickets for 43 in the opening Test match at Johannesburg

   Jack Hobbs (187) and Wilfred Rhodes (77) began the final Test with an opening partnership of 221

   Hobbs scored more than 1000 first-class runs on the tour, topping fifty or hundred in more than half his innings

 

 

 

 

 

Tour Summary

 

 

 P

 W

L

D

Aban

Test Matches

  5

  2

3

0

-

Other first-class matches

  8

  5

1

2

-

Minor matches

  5

  3

0

2

-

All Matches    (excluding Rhodesia)

18

10

4

4

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

All Matches    (including Rhodesia )

21

12

4

5

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return to England

Cape Town   T   Southampton

 

 

Captain Wynyard and the professional members of the team sailed from Cape Town on 16 March 1910 on the 'Armadale Castle'.

The amateurs Messrs Bird, Fane, Leveson-Gower and Simpson-Hayward went to Rhodesia to play in three more matches

The ‘Armadale Castle’ docked at Southampton on 2 April. Strudwick was sick with malaria on arrival.

 

 

Time away from England

  147 days  

(6 November  -2 April )

 

 

 

 

Finances

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts of the tour

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Postscript

 

The team reunited to play against Lord Londesborough's XI in September 1910.

 

 

 




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