South African cricket team in England in 1955
Encyclopedia
The South African cricket team toured England in the 1955 season
to play a five-match Test
series against England.
England won the series 3-2 with no matches drawn.
, with Jackie McGlew
as vice-captain. Ken Viljoen
, the former Test cricketer, was the manager. The combination of Cheetham and Viljoen had led South Africa to its most successful tour of Australia ever, the 1952-53 tour
, when the team drew the series with Australia. Arguably the side's performance in England was even better, since the hosts were recognised at the time as the strongest team in Test cricket, having beaten Australia both home and away and drawn with West Indies away during the previous two years. Jack Cheetham's team were one of the outstanding fielding sides in the history of cricket and remained the benchmark for fieldsmen for decades. In the first One Day International in 1970-71 Richard Whitington
wrote "out-fieldsmen were hurling themselves about along the fence in a manner I had not seen for years in desperate endeavour to save fours and reduce runs. They were beginning to resemble Jack Cheetham's unforgettable 1952-53 Springboks". Frank Tyson
added in the 1974-75 Ashes series
"Never have I seeen a better fielding display in a Test match since Jack Cheetham
's 1955 Springboks. Almost everything that left the ground was caught..."
The full team was:
Cheetham, McGlew, Endean, Mansell, McLean, Tayfield and Waite had toured England with the 1951 team
. Smith had toured England with the 1947 team
, but had not been selected in 1951; he was the only remaining player who had been to England on that tour. McGlew, Adcock, Duckworth, Goddard, McLean, Tayfield and Waite would return to England with the 1960 team
. Before this tour in 1955, only Duckworth, Goddard and Heine had not played Test cricket, and Goddard and Heine made their Test debuts during the 1955 series. Duckworth, who subsequently played two Tests in 1957, and Murray, who had played 10 Tests before this tour, were the only players not selected for a Test on this tour.
First Test at Trent Bridge
England (334) beat South Africa (181 and 148) by an innings and five runs. With Leonard Hutton unable to play because of lumbago, Peter May
captained England
for the first time. A new opening pair of Don Kenyon
and Tom Graveney
started with 91 and Kenyon went on to make 87. May made 83, but Ken Barrington
on his Test debut, lasted only three balls. England's innings took nine hours, but South Africa's batting was even slower. After five wickets had fallen for 55 runs, McGlew, whose 68 took 305 minutes, and Cheetham (54) put on 94 in three hours. But Johnny Wardle
finished the innings with four wickets for 24 runs in 32 overs. May enforced the follow-on, but McGlew (51) and Goddard (32) survived to the end of the third day and beyond a delayed start on the Monday. Then with fast bowlers unable to bowl from one end because of dampness, Frank Tyson
and Trevor Bailey
took eight out the 10 wickets from the other, Tyson finishing with figures of six for 28.
, but after tea on the first day the pitch lost its spitefulness. Endean started the recovery with 48, and then McLean hit 142 out of 196 in just over three-and-a-half hours. Keith, batting more sedately, added 109 for the sixth wicket with McLean and went on to 57 himself. Facing a deficit of 171, England lost Kenyon quickly, Graveney (60) added 132 with May, who then added a further 96 with Denis Compton
(69). May made 112 before he trod on his wicket. Tayfield was South Africa's most successful bowler with five for 80. Brian Statham
removed both openers before the end of the third day, and a ball bowled by Fred Trueman
hit Cheetham on the elbow and chipped a bone, so he retired hurt. On the Monday, aided by a two-hour break for bad light, Statham bowled throughout the innings, taking the first seven wickets to fall and finishing with seven for 39.
broke a finger and Graveney kept wicket in South Africa's second innings. England's first innings owed almost everything to Compton, who made 158 and shared a fifth wicket stand of 144 with Trevor Bailey
, who made 44. McGlew and Goddard (62) shared an opening partnership of 147, but after Goddard was out, McGlew became another finger injury casualty and four further wickets fell cheaply. Waite and Winslow then came together and shared a sixth wicket partnership of 171. Both made centuries: Waite 113 and Winslow 108. When McGlew resumed his innings at the fall of the seventh wicket, he became the third century-maker with an unbeaten 104. England lost openers Kenyon and Graveney for just a run apiece. Then May, with 117, shared century stands with Compton (71) and Colin Cowdrey
(50). The injured Evans made 36 of a last-wicket partnership of 48 with Bailey, but South Africa needed 145 to win in 135 minutes. McGlew and McLean hit 72 in 50 minutes, and though wickets fell regularly after that, the target was achieved in what would have been the penultimate over.
Fourth Test at Headingley
South Africa (171 and 500) beat England (191 and 256) by 224 runs. South Africa lost half their first innings wickets for 38 and were then 98 for seven. Innings of 41 apiece by McLean and Endean gave the total some respectability; Peter Loader
took four wickets for 52 runs. England's new opening pair of Trevor Bailey and Frank Lowson
failed, and only May with 47 and Compton (61) made runs against an attack depleted by injury to Adcock. Just 20 behind on the first innings, South Africa's openers, McGlew and Goddard, opened with a careful stand of 176, the highest first-wicket partnership against England to this point. Goddard went for 74, but McGlew completed a century, falling eventually for 133. Keith made 73, and after a mid-innings collapse Endean, with 116, shepherded the lower order batsmen to a total of 500. Graveney opened with Lowson as England sought 481 in eight hours and 20 minutes, but Lowson was out without scoring. Graveney made 36 and then May (97) and Doug Insole
(47) put on 101 for the third wicket. The rest of the batting was worn down by Goddard and Tayfield, both of whom finished with five wickets in the innings. Goddard bowled 62 overs in all, bowling continuously on the last day from 11.30 in the morning until victory at 4.12 in the afternoon.
Fifth Test at The Oval
England (151 and 204) beat South Africa (112 and 151) by 92 runs. Humid conditions on the first day, a Saturday, helped the South African seam bowlers Heine and Fuller. But rain set in from early afternoon and the pitch when play resumed on the Monday was soft. Goddard's left-arm bowling brought him five wickets for 31, but when South Africa batted, it was the spin bowlers Tony Lock
and Jim Laker
who caused most damage, and only McGlew (30) and Waite (28) resisted for long. England's second innings was built around a defiant unbeaten 89 by May who shared useful partnerships with Compton and Graveney. Tayfield bowled 52 consecutive overs and took five for 60. South Africa needed 244 to win, and the match was effectively lost in the course of three overs from Lock and Laker in which the opening partnership between McGlew and Goddard was broken, and then the next three batsmen, Keith, Endean and McLean, failed to score. Waite made 60 as the other batsmen disappointed. Lock finished with four for 62, with Laker taking five for 56, and the match was over on the fourth day.
1955 English cricket season
The 1955 English cricket season saw a continuation of Surrey's complete dominance as they won a fourth successive title and a second consecutive Minor Counties.-Honours:*County Championship - Surrey CCC*Minor Counties Championship - Surrey II...
to play a five-match Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
series against England.
England won the series 3-2 with no matches drawn.
South African team
The South African team was captained by Jack CheethamJack Cheetham
John Erskine Cheetham was a South African cricketer who played in 24 Tests from 1949 to 1955...
, with Jackie McGlew
Jackie McGlew
Derrick John "Jackie" McGlew, born on 11 March 1929, Pietermaritzburg and died at Pretoria on 8 June 1998 was a cricketer who played for Natal and South Africa...
as vice-captain. Ken Viljoen
Ken Viljoen
Kenneth George Viljoen was a South African cricketer who played in 27 Tests from 1930 to 1949, but he is more greatly renowned in cricketing circles as a manager of post-World War II Springbok teams....
, the former Test cricketer, was the manager. The combination of Cheetham and Viljoen had led South Africa to its most successful tour of Australia ever, the 1952-53 tour
South African cricket team in Australia in 1952-53
The South Africa national cricket team toured Australia in the 1952-53 season and played 5 Test matches against Australia. The series was drawn 2-2, the first time a rubber between the two sides had not been won by Australia....
, when the team drew the series with Australia. Arguably the side's performance in England was even better, since the hosts were recognised at the time as the strongest team in Test cricket, having beaten Australia both home and away and drawn with West Indies away during the previous two years. Jack Cheetham's team were one of the outstanding fielding sides in the history of cricket and remained the benchmark for fieldsmen for decades. In the first One Day International in 1970-71 Richard Whitington
Richard Whitington
Richard Smallpeice Whitington was an Australian first-class cricketer who played for South Australia and after serving in World War II, represented the Australian Services cricket team, which played in the Victory Tests....
wrote "out-fieldsmen were hurling themselves about along the fence in a manner I had not seen for years in desperate endeavour to save fours and reduce runs. They were beginning to resemble Jack Cheetham's unforgettable 1952-53 Springboks". Frank Tyson
Frank Tyson
Frank Holmes Tyson is an England cricketer of the 1950s who became a journalist and cricket commentator after he emigrated to Australia in 1960. Nicknamed "Typhoon Tyson" by the press he was regarded by many commentators as one of the fastest bowlers ever seen in cricket and took 76 wickets in...
added in the 1974-75 Ashes series
1974-75 Ashes series
-Preliminaries:For when Mike Denness and his side went to the ground on the Wednesday morning, two days before the First Test, the pitch to their astonishment was a morass of black mud...
"Never have I seeen a better fielding display in a Test match since Jack Cheetham
Jack Cheetham
John Erskine Cheetham was a South African cricketer who played in 24 Tests from 1949 to 1955...
's 1955 Springboks. Almost everything that left the ground was caught..."
The full team was:
- Jack CheethamJack CheethamJohn Erskine Cheetham was a South African cricketer who played in 24 Tests from 1949 to 1955...
, captain - Jackie McGlewJackie McGlewDerrick John "Jackie" McGlew, born on 11 March 1929, Pietermaritzburg and died at Pretoria on 8 June 1998 was a cricketer who played for Natal and South Africa...
, vice-captain - Neil AdcockNeil AdcockNeil Amwin Treharne Adcock is a former South African cricketer who played 26 Tests. A tall aggressive fast bowler, he could lift the ball sharply off a length. He was the first South African player to take 100 Test wickets.Making his Test debut in 1953 at home against New Zealand, he had only 9...
- Chris Duckworth, wicketkeeper
- Russell EndeanRussell EndeanWilliam Russell Endean was a South African cricketer who played in twenty eight Tests from 1951 to 1958....
- Eddie Fuller
- Trevor GoddardTrevor Goddard (cricketer)Trevor Leslie Goddard is a former left-hand cricketer. An all-rounder, he played 41 Test matches for South Africa from 1955 to 1970, captaining them over the 1963-64 season and drawing an encounter with Australia. A left-handed, classically correct opening batsman, he was also a successful swing...
- Peter HeinePeter HeinePeter Samuel Heine was a South African cricketer who played in fourteen Tests from 1955 to 1962...
- Headley KeithHeadley KeithHeadley James Keith was a left-handed South African batsman. He played eight Tests for South Africa in the 1950s.-References:*...
- Percy MansellPercy MansellPercy Neville Frank Mansell was a South African cricketer who played in thirteen Tests from 1951 to 1955....
- Roy McLeanRoy McLeanRoy Alastair McLean was a South African cricketer who played in forty Tests from 1951 to 1964. A stroke-playing middle-order batsman, he scored over 2,000 Test runs, but made 11 ducks in 73 Test innings....
- Anton MurrayAnton MurrayAnton Ronald Andrew Murray was a South African cricketer who played in 10 Tests in a little over a year from December 1952 to February 1954, appearing four times against Australia and then six times against New Zealand...
- Ian SmithIan Smith (South African cricketer)Vivian Ian Smith is a former South African cricketer who played in nine Tests from 1947 to 1957. All nine of his Test appearances were outside South Africa, five in England on two tours, in 1947 and 1955, and four in Australia, where again he toured twice, in 1949-50 and 1957-58.Smith was a...
- Hugh TayfieldHugh TayfieldHugh Joseph Tayfield was a cricketer. He played 37 Test matches for South Africa from 1949 to 1960 and was one of the best off spinners the game has seen. He was the fastest South African to take 100 wickets in Tests until Dale Steyn claimed the record in March 2008...
- John Waite, wicketkeeper
- Paul Winslow
Cheetham, McGlew, Endean, Mansell, McLean, Tayfield and Waite had toured England with the 1951 team
South African cricket team in England in 1951
The South African cricket team toured England in the 1951 season to play a five-match Test series against England.England won the series 3-1 with 1 match drawn.-South African team:...
. Smith had toured England with the 1947 team
South African cricket team in England in 1947
The South African cricket team toured England in the 1947 season to play a five-match Test series against England.England won the series 3-0 with 2 matches drawn.-Test series summary:* at Trent Bridge – match drawn...
, but had not been selected in 1951; he was the only remaining player who had been to England on that tour. McGlew, Adcock, Duckworth, Goddard, McLean, Tayfield and Waite would return to England with the 1960 team
South African cricket team in England in 1960
The South African cricket team toured England in the 1960 season to play a five-match Test series against England. The tour was marked by repeated rulings against South African fast bowler Geoff Griffin for throwing and anti-apartheid demonstrations targeting the visiting nation..England won the...
. Before this tour in 1955, only Duckworth, Goddard and Heine had not played Test cricket, and Goddard and Heine made their Test debuts during the 1955 series. Duckworth, who subsequently played two Tests in 1957, and Murray, who had played 10 Tests before this tour, were the only players not selected for a Test on this tour.
First Test at Trent BridgeTrent BridgeTrent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
, 9–13 June
England (334) beat South Africa (181 and 148) by an innings and five runs. With Leonard Hutton unable to play because of lumbago, Peter MayPeter May
-External links:* * at Cricket Archive*...
captained England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
for the first time. A new opening pair of Don Kenyon
Don Kenyon
Donald Kenyon was an English cricketer, who played in eight Tests for England from 1951 to 1955. He captained Worcestershire between 1959 and 1967....
and Tom Graveney
Tom Graveney
Thomas William Graveney in Riding Mill, Northumberland, is a former English cricketer and was the President of the Marylebone Cricket Club for 2004/5. He went to Bristol Grammar School...
started with 91 and Kenyon went on to make 87. May made 83, but Ken Barrington
Ken Barrington
Kenneth Frank Barrington , better known as Ken Barrington, played for the English cricket team and Surrey County Cricket Club in the 1950s and 1960s. He was a right-handed batsman and occasional leg-spin bowler, well known for his jovial good humour and long, defensive innings "batting with bulldog...
on his Test debut, lasted only three balls. England's innings took nine hours, but South Africa's batting was even slower. After five wickets had fallen for 55 runs, McGlew, whose 68 took 305 minutes, and Cheetham (54) put on 94 in three hours. But Johnny Wardle
Johnny Wardle
Johnny Wardle was an English spin bowler of post-war cricket. His Test bowling average of 20.39, is the lowest in Test cricket by any recognised spin bowler, since World War I....
finished the innings with four wickets for 24 runs in 32 overs. May enforced the follow-on, but McGlew (51) and Goddard (32) survived to the end of the third day and beyond a delayed start on the Monday. Then with fast bowlers unable to bowl from one end because of dampness, Frank Tyson
Frank Tyson
Frank Holmes Tyson is an England cricketer of the 1950s who became a journalist and cricket commentator after he emigrated to Australia in 1960. Nicknamed "Typhoon Tyson" by the press he was regarded by many commentators as one of the fastest bowlers ever seen in cricket and took 76 wickets in...
and Trevor Bailey
Trevor Bailey
Trevor Edward Bailey CBE was an England Test cricketer, cricket writer and broadcaster.An all-rounder, Bailey was known for his skilful but unspectacular batting...
took eight out the 10 wickets from the other, Tyson finishing with figures of six for 28.
Second Test at Lord's, 23–27 June
England (133 and 353) beat South Africa (304 and 111) by 71 runs. A fast pitch produced a match that was exciting throughout. England won the toss and batted, but Heine, on his Test debut, made the ball lift awkwardly and took five wickets for 60 runs. Goddard supported well with 4/59. McGlew and Goddard both went for ducksDuck (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal for a score of zero.-Origin of the term:The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began...
, but after tea on the first day the pitch lost its spitefulness. Endean started the recovery with 48, and then McLean hit 142 out of 196 in just over three-and-a-half hours. Keith, batting more sedately, added 109 for the sixth wicket with McLean and went on to 57 himself. Facing a deficit of 171, England lost Kenyon quickly, Graveney (60) added 132 with May, who then added a further 96 with Denis Compton
Denis Compton
Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE was an English cricketer who played in 78 Test matches, and a footballer...
(69). May made 112 before he trod on his wicket. Tayfield was South Africa's most successful bowler with five for 80. Brian Statham
Brian Statham
John Brian "George" Statham, CBE was one of the leading English fast bowlers in 20th-century English cricket. Initially a bowler of a brisk fast-medium pace, Statham was able to remodel his action to generate enough speed to become genuinely fast...
removed both openers before the end of the third day, and a ball bowled by Fred Trueman
Fred Trueman
Frederick Sewards Trueman OBE was an English cricketer, generally acknowledged as one of the greatest fast bowlers in history. A bowler of genuinely fast pace who was widely known as Fiery Fred, Trueman played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1949 until he retired in 1968...
hit Cheetham on the elbow and chipped a bone, so he retired hurt. On the Monday, aided by a two-hour break for bad light, Statham bowled throughout the innings, taking the first seven wickets to fall and finishing with seven for 39.
Third Test at Old Trafford, 7–12 July
England (284 and 381) lost to South Africa (521 for eight wickets declared and 145 for seven wickets) by three wickets. England's first defeat at Old Trafford since 1902 was achieved with three minutes to spare. Another lively pitch brought a decent scoring rate and several injuries: Godfrey EvansGodfrey Evans
Thomas Godfrey Evans CBE was an English cricketer who played for Kent and England.Described by Wisden as 'arguably the best wicket-keeper the game has ever seen', Evans collected 219 dismissals in 91 Test match appearances between 1946 and 1959 and a total of 1066 in all first-class matches...
broke a finger and Graveney kept wicket in South Africa's second innings. England's first innings owed almost everything to Compton, who made 158 and shared a fifth wicket stand of 144 with Trevor Bailey
Trevor Bailey
Trevor Edward Bailey CBE was an England Test cricketer, cricket writer and broadcaster.An all-rounder, Bailey was known for his skilful but unspectacular batting...
, who made 44. McGlew and Goddard (62) shared an opening partnership of 147, but after Goddard was out, McGlew became another finger injury casualty and four further wickets fell cheaply. Waite and Winslow then came together and shared a sixth wicket partnership of 171. Both made centuries: Waite 113 and Winslow 108. When McGlew resumed his innings at the fall of the seventh wicket, he became the third century-maker with an unbeaten 104. England lost openers Kenyon and Graveney for just a run apiece. Then May, with 117, shared century stands with Compton (71) and Colin Cowdrey
Colin Cowdrey
Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge, CBE , better known as Colin Cowdrey, was the Captain of Oxford University, Kent County Cricket Club and the England cricket team in a career that lasted from 1950 to 1976...
(50). The injured Evans made 36 of a last-wicket partnership of 48 with Bailey, but South Africa needed 145 to win in 135 minutes. McGlew and McLean hit 72 in 50 minutes, and though wickets fell regularly after that, the target was achieved in what would have been the penultimate over.
Fourth Test at HeadingleyHeadingley StadiumHeadingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie ....
, 21–26 July
South Africa (171 and 500) beat England (191 and 256) by 224 runs. South Africa lost half their first innings wickets for 38 and were then 98 for seven. Innings of 41 apiece by McLean and Endean gave the total some respectability; Peter LoaderPeter Loader
Peter James Loader was an English cricketer and umpire, who played thirteen Test matches for England. He played for Surrey and Beddington Cricket Club. A whippet-thin fast bowler with a wide range of pace and a nasty bouncer, he took the first post-war Test hat-trick as part of his 6 for 36...
took four wickets for 52 runs. England's new opening pair of Trevor Bailey and Frank Lowson
Frank Lowson
Frank Anderson Lowson was an English cricketer, who played in seven Tests for England from 1951 to 1955. In first-class cricket, Lowson amassed 15,321 runs at an average of over 37, but had drifted away from the county game by his early thrties.-Life and career:Lowson was born in Bradford,...
failed, and only May with 47 and Compton (61) made runs against an attack depleted by injury to Adcock. Just 20 behind on the first innings, South Africa's openers, McGlew and Goddard, opened with a careful stand of 176, the highest first-wicket partnership against England to this point. Goddard went for 74, but McGlew completed a century, falling eventually for 133. Keith made 73, and after a mid-innings collapse Endean, with 116, shepherded the lower order batsmen to a total of 500. Graveney opened with Lowson as England sought 481 in eight hours and 20 minutes, but Lowson was out without scoring. Graveney made 36 and then May (97) and Doug Insole
Doug Insole
Doug Insole CBE is a former English cricketer, who played for Cambridge University, Essex and in nine Test matches for England, five of them on the 1956-57 tour of South Africa, where he was vice-captain to Peter May...
(47) put on 101 for the third wicket. The rest of the batting was worn down by Goddard and Tayfield, both of whom finished with five wickets in the innings. Goddard bowled 62 overs in all, bowling continuously on the last day from 11.30 in the morning until victory at 4.12 in the afternoon.
Fifth Test at The OvalThe OvalThe Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
, 13–17 August
England (151 and 204) beat South Africa (112 and 151) by 92 runs. Humid conditions on the first day, a Saturday, helped the South African seam bowlers Heine and Fuller. But rain set in from early afternoon and the pitch when play resumed on the Monday was soft. Goddard's left-arm bowling brought him five wickets for 31, but when South Africa batted, it was the spin bowlers Tony LockTony Lock
Graham Anthony Richard Lock was an English cricketer, who played primarily as a left-arm spinner. He played in forty nine Tests for England taking 174 wickets at 25.58 each.-Life and career:...
and Jim Laker
Jim Laker
James "Jim" Charles Laker was a cricketer who played for England in the 1950s, known for "Laker's match" in 1956 at Old Trafford, when he took nineteen wickets in England's victory against Australia...
who caused most damage, and only McGlew (30) and Waite (28) resisted for long. England's second innings was built around a defiant unbeaten 89 by May who shared useful partnerships with Compton and Graveney. Tayfield bowled 52 consecutive overs and took five for 60. South Africa needed 244 to win, and the match was effectively lost in the course of three overs from Lock and Laker in which the opening partnership between McGlew and Goddard was broken, and then the next three batsmen, Keith, Endean and McLean, failed to score. Waite made 60 as the other batsmen disappointed. Lock finished with four for 62, with Laker taking five for 56, and the match was over on the fourth day.
External sources
Further reading
- Bill FrindallBill FrindallWilliam Howard Frindall, MBE was an English cricket scorer and statistician. He was familiar to cricket followers from his appearances on the BBC Radio 4 programme Test Match Special, nicknamed the Bearded Wonder by Brian Johnston for his ability to research the most obscure cricketing facts in...
, The Wisden Book of Test Cricket 1877-1978, Wisden, 1979 - various writers, A Century of South Africa in Test & International Cricket 1889-1989, Ball, 1989