The unrelated Frank Foster was appointed captain of Warwickshire in January 1911 at the age of 22. A fine left-arm fast medium bowler and a forcing right-hand batsman he emerged in 1908 and impressed in the Gentlemen-Players matches two years later. In 1911 he proved a match winner in Warwickshire’s Championship summer, achieving the double and heading both sets of averages. Yet they looked nothing like title winners early in the season, defeat by Worcestershire at New Road leaving them ninth in the table. Here Pearson’s 155 meant they needed 300 to win on a pitch helpful to bowlers and they went down by 116 runs. By the time of the August return at Edgbaston they were in contention and this was reflected by a Monday gate of nearly 19,000. Fast bowler Frank Field was forced to leave the field on Wednesday because of sunstroke, Arnold once again proving a thorn in Warwickshire’s side with 87 ensuring a draw. Frank Foster dominated the matches in the closing years of the Golden Age. Match figures of 11-131 helped bring victory at Dudley in the 1912 Whitsuntide game, a season when Worcestershire finished bottom of the table. Then at Dudley on Whit Tuesday 1914 he made an unbeaten 305 in some four and a half hours with a five and 44 fours, declaring Warwickshire’s innings at 645 for seven. He came in at 197 for three with his side already nine runs in the lead, scoring his runs out of 448 made while he was at the crease. On the final day Maurice Foster – one of the seven brothers to play for Worcestershire – made 51. Frank Foster, wicketless in the match, turned to Frank Field with the score on 85 for four and he took six for two in 52 deliveries – three bowled, two caught and bowled and one leg before. It brought victory by an innings and 321 runs. A low scoring return at Edgbaston was left drawn, no play being possible until 4pm on the final day. In the face of the developing county tradition, the tourists sometimes had to make do, to the delight of cricket followers away from the main centres. In 1902, for example, the Australians attracted an August holiday crowd of 10,000 when they met a combination of Glamorgan and Wiltshire at Cardiff, with similar attendances three years later for a game against South Wales. In 1907 the South Africans found themselves at Leicester and Dublin and in 1911 India spent their Bank Holidays at Cardiff and Perth. The classic holiday fixtures for the tourists were in 1912 when the Triangular Tournament was held, with Australia and South Africa sending teams to England. Poor weather and a dispute which weakened the Australian side contributed to the tournament’s lack of success but the first match at Old Trafford over Whitsuntide left its mark on Test history. Kelleway and Bardsley made hundreds for Australia and Faulkner an unbeaten 122 for South Africa. With three wickets remaining the Springboks needed only 34 runs to avoid the follow on but the leg spinner Tom Matthews finished off the innings with a hat trick. South Africa had made 70 for three in their second innings when Matthews struck again with a second hat trick. Curiously they were the only wickets he took in the match – two bowled, two leg before and two caught and bowled. When the teams met again during August Bank Holiday the match at Trent Bridge was ruined by the weather. South Africa made 266 for eight on the Monday but only 2,365 paid for admission, most people feeling the charges were too high. The South Africans then had their best day of the tournament, carrying their total to 329 and dismissing Australia for 219 but continuous rain ruled out play on the final day. Best of Enemies 53