| Engraved by R. Dunkarton. | After W. Redmore Bigg, R.A. |
THE SOLDIER’S WIDOW OR SCHOOL BOY’S COLLECTION.
We had a long railway journey from King William’s Town to Johannesburg, but after forty-five hours in the train arrived at the “Golden City,” where a warm welcome awaited us, the station platform being crammed with cricket enthusiasts.
We stayed about three weeks in Johannesburg, and in that time played three matches—the first against a Johannesburg XV., which ended in a somewhat uninteresting draw; the second against a Transvaal XI., whom we defeated by an innings and 201 runs; and the third against All South Africa, which we also won, though only after a desperate struggle.
Sinclair batted and bowled well for the Johannesburg XV., and Halliwell kept wicket superbly, while Frank Milligan did a very good bit of bowling, for in the Johannesburgers’ first innings he sent back ten men for but 64 runs, keeping up a good pace all the time, and making the ball do a bit every now and again.
In the match against the Transvaal, Tyldesley played splendidly for 114, Mitchell made an equally fine 162, and Trott knocked up 101 in a short time, our total of 539 for six wickets being, I believe, the highest total ever made in South Africa.
We won the game against South Africa by 33 runs, Lord Hawke’s XI. making 145 and 237, and South Africa 251 and 99. It was a splendid fight, and at one time we looked hopelessly “in the cart”; but Trott, Haigh, and Cuttell bowled magnificently when our opponents went in to get the runs, while the fielding was extremely smart, and in our second innings I was lucky enough to get 132 not out. But fortune was on my side, as I was missed at point when I had made 94, and I rather fancy I was stumped when I had got about 70.
For South Africa, Sinclair played a fine free innings of 86, and was unlucky in being run out, and Llewellyn got 38 in the first innings, and Bisset 35 and 21 not out. Llewellyn, Middleton, and Rowe, all left-handers, took the great majority of our wickets, and we ought really to have lost the match, but one or two of the South Africans played rather recklessly in their second innings, and the dismissal of Sinclair in the second over—caught at mid-off from a tremendous skyer, by Cuttell off Haigh—seemed to destroy the confidence of the side, though Bisset played some bowling of the highest class with great skill.