Lives in Cricket No 32 - Eric Rowan

10 Growing Up the mat and a South African cricketer of great experience. The youngster, worried about confronting such a famous player, nervously arrived at the crease and was bowled first ball. In Eric’s words, ‘I walked back to the pavilion and got a cuff across the earhole from my dad. He said, “If I ever see you frightened when you go in to bat you’ll get a good hiding and I’ll stop you playing”’. No one would ever accuse him of being frightened again. It was in Eric’s early days with the Jeppe Old Boys that he learned another valuable lesson. He was playing under the captaincy of Springbok wicketkeeper-batsman ‘Jock’ Cameron who told him to appeal against the light as soon as he arrived at the wicket. The youngster ignored the advice, hit his first ball to the boundary and walked off at stumps 11 not out, feeling quite pleased with himself. Instead of the expected praise he received a cuff across the ear that sent him staggering across the room. ‘There’s only one captain in this team,’ he was told. He never ignored a captain’s instructions again, and expected the same commitment from his players when he was in charge. Eric attributedmuch of his success to his fitness and determination to succeed. Certainly he was able to play well at the highest level at an age when most had long since retired. Even getting to play involved an effort in those early days. ‘I used to walk to work just to save the bus fare so I could buy my cricket kit.’ Later he was able to save enough to buy a bicycle so he could ride to Jeppe’s ground at Driehoek, carrying his gear on his back. Like most cricketers in South Africa at the time, Eric played virtually all his cricket on matting surfaces. Former Springbok John Watkins believed that this was the reason he developed into such a strong back foot player. The bounce of the mat allied with Eric’s short stature meant that he scored most of his runs square of and behind the wicket, with the cut being his best shot. His greatest asset was his concentration which never seemed to waver, no matter how long he had been at the crease or how many runs he had scored. Perhaps it was this steady application which attracted the attention of the Transvaal selectors when they chose him to make his first- class debut against Natal at Kingsmead, Durban, in 1929/30. Placed at number five in the order he came in with his side 13 for 3 chasing 345. The young man dealt with the pressure of both his debut and the situation well, adding 87 with Bill Foley (49). He fell two short of a maiden half-century when trapped in front by Alan