Famous Cricketers No 88 - Herbert Wilfred Taylor

SEASON’S AVERAGES Batting and Fielding M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct Currie Cup 1 1 0 5 5 5.00 - - 1 Other Natal match 1 1 0 49 49 49.00 - - - Season 2 2 0 54 49 27.00 - - 1 Career 79 135 9 5013 250* 39.78 9 25 31 1924 - South Africa in England The South African team arrived on the S.S. Arundel Castle and Taylor, the captain, had the misfortune to lead South Africa in probably their most tragic overseas experience up till that time and probably of all time. The weather through the tour was dreadful, the wet summer being a far cry from the hard matting wickets of South Africa, and even though it could be said that the English bowling was not up to much they were far too good not only in the tests but in the county matches also. It might have been this experience that caused Taylor to make a case for turf wickets in South Africa which actually took another ten years to come to fruition. In a program of twenty nine matches he carried the batting making more than 1800 runs and an average of 42. His worst decision which probably affected the rest of the tour was having won the toss at Edgbaston he put England in to bat. In reflection it was said by some good judges of the game that probably nine captains out of ten would have done the same but it badly misfired and facing a total of 438 they were put out for 30 by a wonderful display of bowling by A.E.R.Gilligan and Maurice Tate. Taylor commenced the tour pretty well with a 60 against Leicestershire followed three consecutive innings of over 30 but then went through a lean patch until the game against the M.C.C. where he made 42 out of 192 and 50 not out. He failed against Yorkshire and Cambridge University, sat out a weather ruined match at Oxford, suffered his disastrous decision in the first Test but finally made a century against Essex at Colchester. Then followed a purple patch through the middle of June until mid July when he could do no wrong, except in the second Test, and he made three centuries and six fifties until he did not bat against Middlesex because of the weather. There followed a fortnight of dismal weather in which four matches were very badly affected including the fifth Test. Thereafter was an anticlimax and he did well against the Combined Services and made satisfactory scores in the last few matches. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 80. South Africans v Leicestershire, Leicester, May 3, 5, 6 (Match drawn) * not out 60 153 90 b F.Bale 5 167 118-9 81. South Africans v Derbyshire, Derby, May (7), 8, 9 (Match drawn) * lbw b W.Carter 33 161-7d 78-5 82. South Africans v Surrey, Kennington Oval, May 10, 12, 13 (Match drawn) * st H.Strudwick b W.J.Abel 44 223 223 not out 35 85-2 136-2d 83. South Africans v Nottinghamshire, Trent Bridge, May 14, 15, 16 (Nottinghamshire won by three wickets) * c T.W.Oates b F.Barratt 21 186 185 b F.Barratt 3 236 238-7 84. South Africans v Lancashire, Old Trafford, May 17, 19, 20 (Lancashire won by an innings and 78 runs) * lbw b R.K.Tyldesley 4 60 293 2 lbw b C.H.Parkin 18 155 85. South Africans v Gloucestershire, Bristol, May (21), 22, 23 (Match drawn) * b C.W.L.Parker 6 162 92 lbw b C.W.L.Parker 4 126-8d 19-1 86. South Africans v M.C.C., Lord’s, May (24), 26, 27 (Match drawn) * c A.S.Kennedy b J.W.H.T.Douglas 42 192 145 1 not out 50 90-1 191-4d 87. South Africans v Yorkshire, Bramall Lane, June 4, 5, 6 (Match drawn) * c A.Dolphin b R.Kilner 3 111 236 c H.Sutcliffe b R.Kilner 0 141-6 142-3d 15