Australia v South Africa

Unfortunately for the South Africans the only Test match in which they did themselves justice had to be left drawn, rain reducing the Trent Bridge ground to such a state that not a ball could be bowled on the third day. However,so far as the game went the South Africans had decidedly the best of it, leading on the first innings by 110 runs. The match did not prove attractive, only 2,365 people paying for admission on the Bank Holiday. There was a general complaint that the charges for the reserved seats were too high. Rain during the previous week had soaked Trent Bridge, and had the opening day been bright and sunny the wicket no doubt, would have been very treacherous. As it was, the day proved rather cloudy, and a couple of showers kept the ground fairly easy. Of this state of things, the South Africans, who won the toes, took excellent advantage. They went in at twelve o'clock, and when half-past six came, they had scored 266 with eight wickets down. The start was discouraging, Taylor being bowled with the score at two, but Tancred and Nourse, playing a sound game, put on 77 runs together in an hour and forty minutes. Nourse played the highest and best innings of the day. He hit well at times, and gave no chance, but it took him two hours and three-quarters to get 64. He was very cautious indeed when one run short of his 50. Stricker, too, was very careful, but towards the end of the afternoon runs came freely enough. Not one of the seven Australian bowlers could make the ball do much on the rather soft turf.

Rain fell for some hours on Tuesday morning, and the ground was quite as dead as on the previous day. So well did Gordon White, Pegler, and Ward hit, that, the South Africans' total was carried to 329. The last two wickets added in all 97 runs in an hour and a quarter. For once, Gordon White played in something like his best form of 1907. The Australians found it hard work to get the ball to the boundary on the heavy ground, but up to a certain point, their batting was excellent. The score reached 165 with only four men out,but at this point Bardsley threw his innings away, and in three-quarters of an hour the last five wickets went down for 48 runs, Faulkner and Pegler bowling uncommonly well. Bardsley played by far the best innings of the day. He was at the wickets for over two hours, and never made a mistake. Macartney hit up 34 out of 42 in thirty-five minutes, his batting being in the strongest contrast to that of Kelleway, who took two hours to get 37 out of 101. The light was very bad towards the close of the Australians' innings, and as the clouds did not lift, stumps were drawn at a quarter past six. On Wednesday, not a ball could be bowled. Rain fell heavily for several hours in the night, making the ground so wet that after luncheon the match was given up as a draw.