English cricket team in South Africa in 1895–96

An English cricket team, organised and led by Lord Hawke, toured South Africa from December 1895 to March 1896. The team played three matches against the South Africa national cricket team which were retrospectively awarded Test status. There is uncertainty about the status of South African cricket as a whole in the late nineteenth century and so only two of Hawke's matches against provincial teams, those involving Transvaal and Western Province, are rated first-class. Hawke's XI is designated England for the Test series which they won 3–0, winning all three matches by substantial margins. Tim O'Brien captained England in the first Test, although Hawke was playing, and Hawke was captain in the second and third Tests. The South African teams were captained by Ernest Halliwell (first two Tests) and Alfred Richards (third Test). Hawke's team was not a full-strength England team, but it did include four of the best players of the time in Tom Hayward, C. B. Fry, George Lohmann and Sammy Woods.[1]

Test series summary

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England won the Test series 3–0.

First Test

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13–14 February 1896
Scorecard
v
185 (70.4 overs)
CB Fry 43
J Middleton 5/64 (25.4 overs)
93 (30.4 overs)
F Hearne 23
GA Lohmann 7/38 (15.4 overs)
226 (80.4 overs)
SMJ Woods 53
J Middleton 4/66 (36 overs)
30 (18.4 overs)
RM Poore 10
GA Lohmann 8/7 (9.4 overs)
England won by 288 runs
St George's Park, Port Elizabeth
Umpires: unknown

Second Test

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2–4 March 1896
Scorecard
v
482 (157.3 overs)
TW Hayward 122
GA Rowe 5/115 (49 overs)
151 (46.2 overs)
JH Sinclair 40
GA Lohmann 9/28 (14.2 overs)
134 (f/o) (43.2 overs)
EA Halliwell 41
C Heseltine 5/38 (16.2 overs)
England won by an innings and 197 runs
Old Wanderers, Johannesburg
Umpires: G Allsop (SA) and AM Miller (ENG). Allsop was sometimes substituted by HR Butt (ENG), WB Woolley (SA) and G Beves (SA).

Third Test

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21–23 March 1896
Scorecard
v
115 (48 overs)
TW Routledge 24
GA Lohmann 7/42 (24 overs)
265 (101.4 overs)
AJL Hill 124
J Middleton 3/50 (23.4 overs)
117 (64 overs)
F Hearne 30
AJL Hill 4/8 (8 overs)
England won by an innings and 33 runs
Newlands, Cape Town
Umpires: G Beves (SA) and AM Miller (ENG)
  • England won the toss and elected to field.
  • 22 March was taken as a rest day
  • AR Richards, AW Seccull, GK Glover (all SA), and EJ Tyler (ENG) made their Test debuts.
  • The match was completed in two days.

References

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  1. ^ "Lord Hawke's XI in South Africa in 1895–96". CricketArchive. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
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