Empire Cricket Booklet

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BOER PRISONERS OF WAR IN CEYLON

In view of the probability of Saturday's play being brief, it was decided to resume play late. The players were taken from Mt Lavinia to the Galle Face Hotel for lunch and thereafter driven to the Cinnamon Grounds at 14:00. They took photographs of the teams with Mr A. W. Andree and his assistant, as well as action shots before play resumed. 85 Although the crowd was smaller, the atmosphere remained festive. Many spectators climbed onto trees for a better view and branches were heard crashing down under the weight of spectators. The Colts resumed their innings with McHeyzer on 30 and De Fransz to face his first ball. The latter immediately started punishing the bowling of Otto and De Villiers and quickly moved his score to 19 before being taken by Kotze, his fourth catch of the innings, off De Villiers (95 for 7). McHeyzer was next out when he was caught near the wicket by Smuts off the Boer captain's bowling for 36, which was the top score in the Colts' innings (98 for 8). Kelaart joined Joseph but the latter was soon bowled by Otto for 7. Kelaart was last man out for 11 as the Colts were all out for 114, leaving the Boers to chase a formidable 208 to win. Chief wicket takers for the Boers were De Villiers (16.4-4-64-6), Otto (13-3-25-3) and Scheepers (3-1-18-1). Kotze and Van Zijl opened the Boers' second innings at 15:15, seeking to play out a draw. The governor of Ceylon, Sir West Ridgeway, accompanied by his cricket-loving private secretary and a host of dignitaries, arrived shortly after the Boers commenced their innings. Also present were Boer General J. H. Olivier and Field-Cornet Solomon Gillingham. To add to the festive atmosphere, the band of the Ceylon Light Infantry 'played a capital selection of music, embracing some of the most popular operas'. 86 In the circumstances it is difficult to know who must have felt culturally least at home, the Boers or the Colombo Colts. Van Zijl, suffering a rush of blood, skied the first ball to De Fransz off the bowling of Joseph. The first Boer wicket was down without any runs on board. Bilder joined Kotze and they took the score to 11 before Hilder's defence was breached by Joseph. Although the Colts' captain held back his two best bowlers, Kelaart and Ludovici, the Boer batsmen failed to

capitalise on this bit of good sportsmanship. Apart from Kotze's top score of 23, the rest of the Boer score sheet made for sorry reading. 87 When the governor left the ground 'Commandant van Zijl took off his hat and called for three cheers, which Sir West Ridgeway acknowledged by lifting his panama'. 88 The crowd surged onto the field when the last wicket fell and 'only some fierce caning' by the police ensured that a semi-circle was kept in front of the players' tent. Commandant van Zijl gathered his men and called for three cheers to the Colts. The compliment was returned by the Colts and, not to be outdone, the crowd cheered both teams. Several Boers commented to the press that they had enjoyed the trip to Colombo, the game, and the reception accorded them. Tennant recorded how the Boers spent Saturday evening and Sunday in Mt Lavinia before returning by train to Diyatalawa on the Monday: On Saturday afternoon, like the previous day, we had to struggle through the crowd to get to the station for the train to take us to Mt Lavinia. On Sunday several of the Colts visited us in the afternoon and they were so anxious to talk 'War talk' that we honoured them with various anecdotes which pleased them immensely. Mr. de Villiers won all their hearts I think, they are very warm in that organ. I made friends with a surveyor and we discussed the subject till it was time for them to leave to catch their train. They were all so good and friendly that in spite of our licking, we began to look upon them almost as of ourselves. On Monday morning we left again for camp [at Diyatalawa] and arrived at sunset amidst great enthusiasm at the gate. 89 The Ceylon Ind ep endent was honest in its appraisal of the Boers' effort: 'The Boers can bowl, and the Boers can field, and they are by no means indifferent performers with the knife and fork but at batting, well one must defer final judgment upon this delicate point until the return match.' 90 This return match, which was to be held in Diyatalawa camp, did not materialise. 91