South Africa v England

Playing the better cricket, South Africa were denied a win by the Yorkshire grit of Boycott, and perhaps by rain, which took three and a quarter hours out of the first two days.

There were also costly errors by Waite, who on his return to the Test scene missed two catches and a stumping which would have cut short telling innings by Parfitt, Barber and Barrington, the latter before he had scored.

The start provided more than usual interest. After Smith, Dexter, Barrington and the manager, D.B.Carr, had looked hard and long at the pitch, Smith winning the toss decided that, for the first time since A.P.F. Chapman did 34 years earlier, South Africa on their own soil should bat first against England.

Why, spectators could not fathom, and no doubt Smith & Co. had their doubts after Goddard and Barlow had scored 118 by lunch. Rain prevented the batsmen taking full toll later, so that despite a record fifth-wicket stand for South Africa of 157 in three hours, forty minutes between Pithey and Waite, the total was kept within reasonable bounds -- 390 for six at the end of the second day. At this point Goddard declared.

Then, at a time when the pitch took spin, came those misses by Waite. Parfitt, dropped off Goddard when 38, went on to his seventh Test hundred. Yet South Africa, helped by a century from Goddard, his first in 62 Test innings, still had a chance of winning and except for the fortitude of Boycott after England had been set to score 314 at 78 runs an hour, they probably would have succeeded. Barber could not bat because he chipped a bone in his finger while fielding.

On the third day there was another incident involving an umpire. After a ball had rested in the hands of Waite and tossed by him to leg slip, Smith went gardening, whereupon van der Merwe threw down the wicket. Umpire Kidson gave Smith out, but was prevailed upon by Goddard to call him back.