As these notes are written for enthusiasts at the other end of the globe, the actual incidents of that first innings may prove of more interest than a mere criticism of the innings as a whole.
The start of the innings was as inauspicious as could possibly be, for Tancred, playing too soon, was bowled by an off-break from Barnes. Nourse aided Taylor to increase the score to thirty-one before putting his leg in front to a half-volley from Woolley, who had perseded the) ineffective Foster. Taylor, who, as usual, had combined sound defence with judgement in hitting, left at thirty-eight, caught in the slips. After one big hit off Woolley the next comer, Stricker, was bowled by a leg-break from Barnes, and Llewellyn was caught at mid-on from a skier.
Enter Faulkner to play an extra: ordinary innings. He was missed in the slips off Barnes when one, and afterwards cocked a ball up to. Spooner, who keeping wicket in the place of Smith, who had perforce to retire after receiving a ball in the mouth from Barnes. In all, Faulkner was batting for three-quarters of an hour and during that time never gave one the least impression that he would prove at all dangerous. Even the method of his dismissal was characteristic of his perpetual good fate. Spooner should have caught him at the wicket, but the ball glanced off his gloves in the direction of Hayes standing at first slip, and the Surrey professional, in the circumstances, brought off a fine catch. To those who remember Faulkner as he was, even on the occasion of his first visit here, such upheaval of form plicable; and after his tour in Australia his con: of ill-success must be intensely galling, not only to self alone, but to the South African cricketing world. Of course we all recognize that the conditions are distinctly unfavourable to Colonial cricketers, but, even then, one expects a great cricketer to rise superior to the occasion with practice. And practice on bad wickets has not been denied to us this season, With six men out for only fifty-three it seemed quite likely that South Africa would be out for quite a small score; but Snook made some useful scores Test Matches, hit out in plucky fashion; he made three fine drives, one off Barnes and a couple off Woolley, and in three overs eighteen runs were added; but at eighty-six he was out to a good catch in the slips. The end then soon came. It is easy to pass judgement after the event, but it is by no means improbable that the total would have een even smaller if Woolley instead of Foster had commenced the bowling with Barnes.
Excepting when he either overpitched or underpitched the ball, which, as his analysis it show, was seldom, Barnes was almost impossible to make a stroke off. Except for an occasional stroke he had all the batsmen in a most helpless condition. In addition to making the ball break from both s (not at the same time, let me say, in order to avoid misunderstanding), he "got up" all the time at a very nasty height.
England's Success.
England started ber innings none too well, Rhodes playing " ball on to his pads from whence it rebounded to the wicket. But with the association of Hobbs and Spooner runs came so freely as to leave an impression that the wicket had improved. Whether the loan of Barnes at this period would have served to
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.