England v South Africa 1907

The first of the three Test Matches had unfortunately to be left drawn at a most interesting point, rain preventing a ball from being bowled on the third day. A slight drizzle set in on the Wednesday morning just when the umpires had made their way to the wickets, and before long it developed into a steady downpour. Soon after two o'clock there was an improvement in the weather but the rain soon came on again, and at twenty minutes past four stumps were pulled up. As soon as the match had been abandoned the afternoon turned quite fine, but so much had the wicket been affected that even under the most favourable circumstances there could scarcely have been more than an hours cricket. As the scores stood at the finish the South Africans, with seven wickets to go down, wanted 103 runs to avoid a single innings defeat, a position which presented many possibilities. When an innings had been completed on each side the Englishmen had practically won the game, leading as they did by the overwhelming majority of 288 runs. In a match limited to three days, however, R.E.Foster, the English captain, had no choice but to put the South Africans in again. As so often happens on modern wickets the advantage gained was largely discounted. Sherwell played the innings of his life, and at the drawing of stumps on Tuesday the South Africans with only three men out had scored 185. Thanks to their fine form during the previous six weeks the match proved an enormous attraction, 17553 people paying for admission on the first day and 19730 on the second. Thirteen players had been retained for England, and when the final choice had to be made the two fast bowlers, Walter Brearley and Wass, were left out. As the ground had been under water on Saturday afternoon this policy seemed justified at the start of the game, but the ground recovered in a marvellous way and when the South Africans followed on a bowler of real pace was certainly wanted.

The Englishmen won the toss and stayed in for the whole of the first day for a total of 428, the innings lasted five hours and forty minutes, and ending just before a quarter past six. It was expected that the South Africans would go in for a few minutes' batting, but though the wicket was swept stumps were pulled up without anything further being done. Though the score was so big the cricket was of a very stern character. Jessop played a dazzling innings - quite comparable to his 104 against the Australians in 1902 - and towards the end of the afternoon Lilley hit hard, but for the most part the batsmen found runs very difficult to get. Braund stayed in for as nearly as possible four hours, playing all the time with the utmost patience and judgement, but on his own admission he never felt really at home with the bowling. Fry and Hayward gave their side a good start, scoring 54 in an hour for the first wicket, and Tyldesley, though not seen at his best, made a number of capital hits, but at ten minutes past three half the wickets were down for 158. At this point Jessop joined Braund and the game underwent a startling change. In an hour and a quarter 145 runs were added, Jessop's share of the number being 93. His great innings comprised fourteen fours, one 3, ten twos and fourteen singles. He drove, pulled and cut with astonishing ease, but though scoring at such pace he was never at all wild or uncontrolled. Perhaps the most remarkable feature of his innings was the way in which he pulled the fastest balls that Kotze bowled to him. He was out at last to a very fine catch in front of the bowling screen. Curiously enough Schwarz was only on against him for two overs. In the strongest contrast to Jessop's hitting was the steady cricket of Braund. Running no risks, that batsman was content to wait for his chances, but he drove with great cleanness on the offside and placed the ball again and again in front of short leg. His innings included a dozen fours. Among the South African bowlers Vogler stood out by himself. Not often was such fine bowling seen in an innings of over 400. He broke both ways, varied his pace with the nicest skill, and while doing a lot with the ball kept a remarkable length. Schwarz puzzled the batsmen a great deal but was expensive, his two wickets costing him 90 runs.

On the second day the cricket provided a series of sensations. On starting their innings the South Africans lost three wickets in half an hour for 18 runs, Shalders being caught at the wicket, Sherwell run out and Hathorn magnificently caught at slip by Foster close to the ground with the left hand. Nourse and Faulkner retrieved these disasters, but both were favoured by fortune, Nourse being missed in the slips by Hirst when 29 and Faulkner let off with his score at 31 by Blythe at mid off. In attempting to make the catch Blythe split his hand and had to retire until after luncheon. At the interval the score was 123 for four wickets, Nourse being not out 57. While the players were away a sharp shower fell, but the rain could hardly have affected the ground sufficiently to account for the startling play that followed. With the total at 134 Blythe, with his hand strapped up, went on at the Nursery end, Arnold crossing over, and as it happened the innings was finished off for 140, only six runs being scored after the change of bowling. The fifth, sixth and seventh wickets all fell at 134. Arnold for the moment was irresistible, bowling White and Sinclair with successive balls which, perfect in length, broke back at great pace. The last six wickets actually fell in four overs. Nourse, who came in second wicket down and was out eighth, played very sound cricket for two hours and three-quarters. Foster in this innings did not manage his side well, two or three men fielding in positions for which they were not at all fitted.

When the South Africans followed on everyone expected that Arnold and Blythe would start the bowling from the ends at which they had been so effective, but Foster preferred to begin with Hirst and Arnold, the latter bowling from the Nursery end. At first this policy answered well, Hirst clean bowling Shalders in the third over of the innings, but for an hour and a half no other successes rewarded the Englishmen. Sherwell played a wonderful game and was so well backed up by Hathorn that the second wicket partnership took the score from one to 140, Hathorn being out at last to a catch at forward short leg. Sherwell left at 153 playing a ball on to his wicket. Without giving the shadow of a chance he scored 115 in an hour and three-quarters, his innings including eighteen fours. He hit all round with the utmost facility, but perhaps the best feature of his play was his beautifully timed cutting. Never again during the tour did he show such form. After Sherwell left, Nourse and Faulkner added 32 runs in fifty minutes. Fading light then caused stumps to be pulled up and, as already explained, rain caused the third day to be blank.