Lives in Cricket No 27 - CB Llewellyn

34 Chapter Five Triumph in South Africa On their way home from their tour of England, the Australians broke their voyage with a maiden trip to South Africa. ‘Broke’ is an apt word as their ship, S.S.Dunvegan Castle, ran into the quayside on arrival at Cape Town. Abe Bailey was chiefly responsible for the financial backing of the trip, and for the onward despatch of Buck to Johannesburg, where he found him work in the office at The Wanderers ground. As Buck had described himself as a commercial clerk on both his marriage certificate and his 1901 census return, he was no doubt capable of carrying out his duties there, though they may not have been onerous. This employment was to make difficulties for him later in the season. The Boer War had been ended only four months before by the Treaty of Vereeniging, as the Australian tourists set off on the three-day train journey from the Cape to Johannesburg, where the first two Test matches were to be played at The Wanderers ground. On matting, surrounded by a grassless red soil outfield, in what has been described as searing heat, and at an altitude of almost 6,000 feet, they were forced to follow on in the First Test. It would be fifty years before South Africa could repeat the opportunity. Bailey’s investment in Llewellyn certainly paid off. Buck played in all three Tests and put in a series of outstanding performances. In the first match, on 11, 13 and 14 October, he hit an aggressive 90, adding 173 in a second-wicket stand with L.J.Tancred in the first innings. He followed this by dismissing Victor Trumper for 63 and then taking the last five wickets on the trot, to finish with six for 92, his best return in Test cricket. In the follow-on, Australia, becoming acclimatised, easily saved the game. Jimmy Sinclair, who had reached three figures for a fifteen of the Transvaal against the Australians, did so again in each of the two remaining Tests, though both were won handsomely by Australia. Buck achieved little more with the bat, but his analyses show how superbly he bowled. In the Second Test, which followed on a few days after the First, he took 18.1-3-43-5 in the first innings, and 31.4-9-73-5 in the second.