Famous Cricketers No 59 - Aubrey Faulkner

George Aubrey Faulkner Unrivalled as a South African all-rounder until the advent of Trevor Goddard in 1955, Aubrey Faulkner was at his best from 1905 to 1912. A right-hand batsman in the classic mould with mastery over all strokes, a leg-spin and googly bowler of the highest class and an outstanding fielder in all positions, he must rank among the greatest cricketers. George Aubrey Faulkner was born in Port Elizabeth on 17th December 1881. His home life was made unhappy by an alcoholic father, a factor which probably led to his being a life-long teetotaller. Faulkner enlisted in the Imperial Light Horse at the age of 19 to fight in the Anglo-Boer War and after hostilities ceased the following year he moved to Cape Town, where he played club cricket. A further move took him to Johannesburg and he made his first-class debut in the 1902/03 Currie Cup Tournament for Transvaal, without achieving any notable performances. He had done nothing to suggest that his talent was out of the ordinary when the MCC arrived three years later. However, in his first meeting with the visitors he scored ten not out and 63 not out, and captured 3/46 and 3/62 to play a major role in Transvaal’s 60-run win, and was selected for the First Test of the series. His debut, which started at the Wanderers on the second day of 1906, was the occasion of South Africa’s first Test victory, and by taking 2/35 and 4/26 Faulkner made a vital contribution to his side’s thrilling one-wicket win. Along with all his team-mates, he retained his place for all five matches in the series, making useful contributions to South Africa’s 4-1 victory with scores of 45 in the Fifth Test, 34 in the Fourth, and returns of 4/49 (Fourth) and 3/38 (Second) his best efforts. Faulkner reached maturity in the 1906/07 Currie Cup Tournament in Johannesburg, making 219 runs at 43.80 and capturing 23 wickets at 14.60, to help Transvaal win all four of their matches and take the trophy. Among his outstanding performances were figures of 6/62 and 3/33 against Natal, and a score of 95 against Western Province. After the tournament, Transvaal undertook a four-match tour of the Border and Western Province, and Faulkner made the trip memorable with his maiden first-class century (119), in King William’s Town, and a return of 6/37 (which included a hat-trick) in Cape Town. An automatic choice for the 1907 South African tour to the United Kingdom, Faulkner was one of the successes of the trip, scoring 1163 runs at 29.82, with centuries against Lancashire (106 not out) and Essex (101 not out), taking 64 wickets at 15.82, and holding 19 catches in first-class games. In each of the three Tests, he made a telling contribution. At Lord’s he scored 44 when only Dave Nourse (62) of his team-mates managed more than six in a total of 140; at Headingley he took 6/17 and 3/58; and at The Oval hit a fast 42 in a vain attempt to give his side victory against the clock. The googly bowling of Reggie Schwarz (143 wickets), Ernie Vogler (133), Gordon White (72) and Faulkner (73), who took 421 wickets between them in all matches, caused a sensation in England, and had a major effect on the proliferation of wrist spin. In Transvaal’s three Currie Cup matches in 1908/09 Faulkner captured 25 wickets with returns of 7/39 against Eastern Province (when he bowled unchanged through the first innings, but was not put on in the second), 4/27 - including a hat-trick - and 4/126 against Border, and 6/72 and 4/94 against Western Province. He all but succeeded in retaining the Cup for Transvaal with a fighting 68 not out against Western Province, but ran out of partners with seven runs required for victory, and the Cape side became champions. The visit of the MCC in 1909/10 gave Faulkner the opportunity to lay claim to the title of the best all-rounder in the world. His performances in the five Tests make remarkable reading: First Test - 78 and 123, and 5/120 and 3/40; Second Test - 47 and 9, and 2/51 and 6/87; Third Test - 76 and 44, and 3