Empire Cricket Booklet

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'OLD CADDY' AND 'KROM' HENDRICKS

competition during October 1894 and bowled so well that permission was sought to include him in a Colonial-born team to play the annual match against the 'Home-born'. The fixture, which demonstrated imperial sporting links, was also an important social occasion. 'For some years,' wrote Christopher Merrett, 'the Home-Born versus Colonial contest was the season's most significant match but it had a more far-reaching significance - it introduced to the game the crucial question of who was a South African, an issue that was to haunt all representative sport until the 1990s.' 48 Castens had told The Cricket Field in the course of the 1894 tour that 'a reason - the most important of all - for leaving [Hendricks] out of our team, is

that he never plays in any local European teams, and hardly ever against them'. 49 To an extent, the problem was rectified by Hendricks's participation in a predominantly white league, but at the key stage which followed, the authorities wavered. The WPCU tried to minimise the fuss over the possible inclusion of Hendricks in the Colonial born side by focusing on a number of Australian cricketers who also hoped to be selected. After some discussion, the constitution was revised to allow the Colonial-born XI to include players born in 'the British colonies or in India'. Four Australians and a committee member, Indian-born Godfrey Cripps, were therefore accommodated, but the case for Hendricks was not settled. 50 Steytler told members

The Home-born versus Colonial-born teams in 1902

Left to right, standing: W. V. Simkins, 0. Lewis, W. P. Schreiner, S. Cowper, G. Cloete, A. C. F. Gore, S. Neave, T. Watson, H. van Renen Seated: J. A. Reid, H. A. Reid, S. van Breda, C. Neumann Thomas, Mrs S. Neave, C. van Renen, Gunner Smith,J. Foch, J. K. Hosking In front: A. C. M. Blackman, H.J. Smith,J. Luyt, C. A. Worrell, W. Searle