Empire Cricket Booklet

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BRUCE MURRAY

the former Boer republics, power in South African cricket, playing and political, moved decidedly northwards, to the Transvaal, the Wanderers Club, and Abe Bailey, ushering in an Edwardian 'golden age' for the country's cricket. Transvaal won the Currie Cup four seasons in a row, 1902/03 to 1906/07, and the province's players predominated in South Africa's representative teams. No fewer than eight of the team that scored South Africa's first Test win over England at the Wanderers in 1906 were drawn from the Transvaal, as were ten of the first Springbok team to tour England in 1907 and eleven of the first Springbok team to tour Australia in 1910/11, six of them also being Wanderers players. 'The Rand', the African World pontificated in January 1911, 'is the

stronghold of South African cricket', adding that this was largely due to the guidance of Sir Abe Bailey. Bailey's first major financial intervention on behalf of South Africa's international cricketing contacts was in 1902, when he provided the backing that enabled the Wanderers Club, of which he was now president, to put up the guarantees for the Australians to visit South Africa on their way back home after their tour to England. In a letter to Ben Wardill, the Australian manager, inviting his team to tour South Africa, Bailey guaranteed a minimum of £2 000, which the Australians accepted with 'alacrity'. 53 In a six-match tour in October and November 1902, the Australians played three Tests, winning the series 2-0.

Abe Bailey's 1904 South African

cricket tourists were royally entertained by members of the British rugby teams that had visited South Africa in 1891, 1896 and 1903