English cricket team in South Africa in 1909–10

England in South Africa in 1909–10
 
  England South Africa
Dates 1 December 1909 – 14 March 1910
Captains HDG Leveson Gower (1st–3rd Test)
FL Fane (4th–5th Test)
SJ Snooke
Test series
Result South Africa won the 5-match series 3–2
Most runs JB Hobbs (539)[1] GA Faulkner (545) [1]
Most wickets GHT Simpson-Hayward (23)[2] AEE Vogler (36)[2]

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.[3]

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

Test series summary

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South Africa won the Test series 3–2.

Match length: 5 days (excluding Sundays). Balls per over: 6.

First Test

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1–5 January 1910
Scorecard
v
208 (63 overs)
GA Faulkner 78
GHT Simpson-Hayward 6/43 (16 overs)
310 (90.1 overs)
JB Hobbs 89
AEE Vogler 5/87 (30.1 overs)
345 (114 overs)
GA Faulkner 123
CP Buckenham 4/110 (39 overs)
224 (53.2 overs)
GJ Thompson 63
AEE Vogler 7/94 (22 overs)
South Africa won by 19 runs
Old Wanderers, Johannesburg
Umpires: AJ Atfield and FW Grey

Second Test

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21–26 January 1910
Scorecard
v
199 (106.5 overs)
T Campbell 48
GHT Simpson-Hayward 4/42 (23.5 overs)
199 (75.1 overs)
JB Hobbs 53
AEE Vogler 5/83 (30 overs)
347 (130.2 overs)
GC White 118
GHT Simpson-Hayward 3/66 (23 overs)
252 (82.4 overs)
JB Hobbs 70
GA Faulkner 6/87 (33.4 overs)
South Africa won by 95 runs
Lord's, Durban
Umpires: FW Grey and FE Smith
  • South Africa won the toss and elected to bat.
  • 23 January was taken as a rest day
  • the first Test to have equal first innings scores[5]

Third Test

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26 February–3 March 1910
Scorecard
v
305 (84 overs)
GA Faulkner 76
CP Buckenham 5/115 (31 overs)
322 (82.4 overs)
D Denton 104
GA Faulkner 4/89 (30 overs)
237 (90.1 overs)
SJ Snooke 52
GHT Simpson-Hayward 5/69 (22 overs)
221/7 (58.4 overs)
JB Hobbs 93*
AEE Vogler 4/109 (25 overs)
England won by 3 wickets
Old Wanderers, Johannesburg
Umpires: AJ Atfield and FW Grey
  • South Africa won the toss and elected to bat.
  • 27 February was taken as a rest day
  • CE Floquet and SJ Pegler (both SA) made their Test debuts.

Fourth Test

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7–9 March 1910
Scorecard
v
203 (53 overs)
FE Woolley 69
GC White 2/5 (1 over)
207 (67 overs)
JMM Commaille 42
GJ Thompson 4/50 (16 overs)
178 (51.3 overs)
FE Woolley 64
AEE Vogler 5/72 (21.3 overs)
175/6 (59.3 overs)
GA Faulkner 49*
GJ Thompson 3/62 (20.3 overs)
South Africa won by 4 wickets
Newlands, Cape Town
Umpires: AJ Atfield and SL Harris
  • England won the toss and elected to bat.

Fifth Test

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11–14 March 1910
Scorecard
v
417 (108.2 overs)
JB Hobbs 187
NO Norton 4/47 (15 overs)
103 (38.5 overs)
JW Zulch 43*
C Blythe 7/46 (18 overs)
16/1 (4.1 overs)
D Denton 16*
AEE Vogler 1/16 (2.1 overs)
327 (f/o) (99 overs)
GA Faulkner 99
FE Woolley 3/47 (13 overs)
England won by 9 wickets
Newlands, Cape Town
Umpires: AJ Atfield and SL Harris
  • England won the toss and elected to bat.
  • 13 March was taken as a rest day
  • NC Tufnell (ENG), and NO Norton and SV Samuelson (both SA) made their Test debuts.

The Reef v MCC

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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.[6]

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

References

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  1. ^ a b Records / England in South Africa Test series, 1909/10 / Most runs
  2. ^ a b Records / England in South Africa Test series, 1909/10 / Most wickets
  3. ^ Roy Webber, The Playfair Book of Cricket Records, Playfair Books, 1951
  4. ^ Frindall, Bill (2000). The Wisden Book Of Test Cricket: Volume 1 1877-1970. London: Headline Book Publishing. p. 108. ISBN 0747272735.
  5. ^ Frindall, Bill (2000). The Wisden Book Of Test Cricket: Volume 1 1877-1970. London: Headline Book Publishing. p. 109. ISBN 0747272735.
  6. ^ Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 1911
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Annual reviews

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Further reading

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  • Bill Frindall, The Wisden Book of Test Cricket 1877-1978, Wisden, 1979