Lives in Cricket No 32 - Eric Rowan

71 Northampton. In what might have been a post-success let down, they struggled with both bat and ball and were forced to follow on. It took an unbeaten double century from Eric to save them from what would have been an embarrassing defeat. There was no rest for Eric. The next day he was leading the South Africans against Lancashire at Old Trafford. He was not in the best of health, with one paper reporting that he was suffering from a strained shoulder, while others said he had a problem with his right hand which had suffered some jarring from the previous innings. Eric won the toss and chose to bat on what was reported to be an easy-paced pitch. The ire of the crowd was raised by a slow pre- lunch session in which Eric (29) and John Waite scored 81 runs. The pair never looked like getting out, but also never looked like exciting the crowd. Slow handclapping had been heard prior to lunch, but after the break it increased in volume and Eric, the slower of the two batsmen, became the target for the crowd’s barracking with calls of ‘Get a move on’ and numerous appeals. Their behaviour irritated the South African captain who stood staring at the crowd and turning the bat in his hands. Then as the noise increased, the two batsmen walked away from the pitch and squatted on the ground. One paper reported that Eric dropped his bat and stretched full out. Their action incensed the crowd and there was a great crescendo of noise which lasted for several minutes. When it subsided the batsmen returned to the crease and the game continued. The pair took their partnership past a hundred and on to 164 when Eric was dismissed for 66 after 185 minutes at the crease. It was the third chance he had offered. The scoring increased in the latter half of the day and Waite was generously applauded when he reached his century. The Springboks were 304 for five at stumps, but the events of the day were far from finished. Dudley Nourse made the following comment at the end of the day: ‘It was regrettable, but Eric strained his arm while making 202 at Northampton when he batted for six hours and 14 minutes, and the injury was beginning to tell. The incident should not be magnified. The crowd gave him a good reception when he came off. He was forgiven.’ There, one might have thought, the matter should have ended, but it was only just starting. Triumph and Controversy