Empire Cricket Booklet

THE ROLE OF THE PRESS

The incident, which was loudly applauded by a section of the crowd that included the English cricketers, evoked swift and heated reactions; the Cape Argus commented: 'Gossip has, at length, got what he richly deserves.' 42 Most newspapers, however, spoke out strongly in favour of Finlason, condemning the tactics used against him as being wholly unethical. It was recognised that Finlason had been largely misunderstood, that the English had only themselves to blame for their poor performances and that the administration of cricket in Kimberley had been soured. The Times of Natal condemned 'a party of English gentlemen and cricketers' that should 'cheer and applaud their own men on to the assault, and then drown the defence of the man attacked'. 43 The Port Elizabeth Advertiser reminded readers that when Finlason 'attempted to point out that the cricketers in Major Warton's team were but men, he was pooh poohed and contemptuously held up to ridicule. Yet he, and those who sided with him, were proved to be correct ... in the writer's humble estimation, he has done more to infuse courage into colonial cricketers than all the writers in the colony put together.' 44 Finlason claimed the incident had arisen because of the'deplored home-born and colonial-born feeling'. He explained: Nothing that the colony has can equal anything that the old country has; nothing that a colonial born man can do can equal what a home-born man can do. Such are the unfortunate opinions which are held by many men who owe every farthing they have in the world to the colony they milk systematically in and out of season. The feeling has been intensified by men who have for the moment rendered bitter and unreasonable their oft publicly repeated prognostications as to the mincemeat the formidable English cricketers would make of the colonial cricketers and been proved woefully wrong by them. I was the only journalist in South Africa who had the courage to be on the other side, and the penalty I pay for my audacity is to be blackened in the Daily Flunkey [the Diamond Fields Advertiser], and mocked at a banquet by Mr Haarhoff and

and played on the premise that contrary to their self image, the English did not like losing. He became impatient with the excuses made by the tourists and turned on them: 'Hospitality too profuse, travelling too hard, light too puzzling, odds so great ... the latest excuse has been made by Mr Bowden in the Potchefstroom Budget where he attributes the defeats of his team partly "to the inferior grounds". What will they come up with next?' 37 Never one to side-step the unpalatable aspects of an issue, Finlason went on to strike at the very heart of the public school ideal by accusing Smith and his English team of infringing the spirit of 'fair play' through controversial on-field antics'that no colonial man would care to try'. Their behaviour included an appeal that was'made with an almost irresistible air of confidence, and the trick of throwing up the ball as if there could be no manner of doubt ... an umpire indeed has to have a firm will, great presence of mind and fine judgement when he is umpiring with the Englishmen in the field.' 38 Other writers generally baulked at the idea of questioning the English tactics, although comment was made on Briggs's habit of running alongside a ball in the hope of inducing a run or pretending he had missed the ball.'Antics, of course,' reported the Port Elizabeth Advertiser, 'that would not be tolerated in a cricketer of mediocre ability.' 39 Natal's John Henderson reserved his criticism until some months after the tour, stating: 'Their stentorian shout in chorus of "How's that?" is enough to carry away with them many an umpire of purely local experience, unless he is the coolest and most crusted type. It is not "cricket" - cricket at its best.' 40 Warton later admitted that Finlason's comments had affected his team. The accusation that the English were not playing within the laws of the game was considered by many to be in poor taste at a time when proper colonial reverence was expected. Matters came to a head in Kimberley where Darny Haarhoff - a local businessman - publicly criticised Finlason at an after-match banquet. He stated that 'the finger of scorn has been placed at Kimberley men because of remarks which appeared in the Daily Ind ep endent'. 41