English cricket team in South Africa in 1909–10

The tour by the English cricket team in South Africa in 1909–10 was organised by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). The team played as MCC in the non-Test fixtures and as England in the five Test matches. They played 14 first-class matches including the Tests, winning 7 times with 3 draws and 4 defeats.[1]

England was captained by H. D. G. Leveson Gower. South Africa's captain in the Test series was Tip Snooke.

Test series

South Africa won the Test series 3-2:

No. Date Home captain Away captain Venue Result
106 1–5 January 1910 Tip Snooke HDG Leveson Gower Old Wanderers South Africa won by 19 runs
107 21–26 January 1910 Tip Snooke HDG Leveson Gower Lord's, Durban South Africa won by 95 runs
108 26 Feb - 3 March 1910 Tip Snooke HDG Leveson Gower Old Wanderers England won by 3 wkts
109 7–9 March 1910 Tip Snooke Frederick Fane Newlands South Africa won by 4 wkts
110 11–14 March 1910 Tip Snooke Frederick Fane Newlands England won by 9 wkts

The scheduled length of each Test was 5 days with no play on Sundays. Six balls were bowled per over.

The Reef v MCC

The tour included The Reef v MCC at Boksburg. It was scheduled as a four-day match but play only took place on two because of bad weather. Although the two teams consisted of recognised players, the South African Board of Control decided as late as 1930 that it had not been a first-class match. Wisden 1931 reproduced a letter from the SABC which outlined its case. Wisden has ignored the ruling and includes the match in the career figures of all the players who took part, including record-breaking players such as Wilfred Rhodes, Jack Hobbs and Frank Woolley.

It is possible that the SABC thought it was a 2-day match, but Wisden 1911 clearly states that "not a ball could be bowled on the first and fourth days" so it was actually planned as a 4-day match.[2]

For more information about this curious affair, see: Variations in First-Class Cricket Statistics.

References

  1. Roy Webber, The Playfair Book of Cricket Records, Playfair Books, 1951
  2. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 1911

External sources

Annual reviews

Further reading


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