Lives in Cricket No 32 - Eric Rowan

78 turned forty at the beginning of the tour he showed once again that age was no barrier, taking six for 51 as England was dismissed for 211. With the first innings deficit kept to reasonable proportions the South Africans went about wiping it off and then setting a target for England to chase. Unfortunately, only Eric, who batted nearly three hours for 57, and Cheetham who made 46 showed any resistance. Bedser swept away the tail, taking five for 54, giving him twelve wickets for the match. In the context of the game, England’s target of 139 should have proved far more difficult than it was. Thanks to Hutton’s undefeated 98 and an opening partnership of 121 with Ikin (38) victory was achieved for the loss of just the one wicket. In the end it would seem to have been a convincing victory, but for the greater part of the match it was very close with little between the two sides. Clive van Ryneveld commented in his autobiography that rain had made the pitches difficult in both the Second and Third Tests. While the pitches were far from being sticky the weather had created conditions totally unfamiliar to the South Africans and they struggled as a result, particularly when confronted by masters of such conditions like Bedser. The South Africans arrived at Headingley determined to put two disappointing games behind them and find a way to get back into the series. Nourse again won the toss and Eric and John Waite added 40 for the first wicket before the keeper was leg before to Bedser. Van Ryneveld and Eric then proceeded to take the game away from England with a record second wicket partnership of 198. By the time his partner was dismissed for 83, Eric had passed his century and when stumps were drawn he was undefeated on 160 out of his side’s 282 for three. The Times described the innings as ‘not an achievement of any artistic value, but it was the product of a thoroughly efficient craftsman intent on setting his side’s fortunes on a sound basis’. Most of his runs came from pulls and deflections showing once again the back-foot strengths of his batting. After the early loss of Cheetham on the second day, Roy McLean made a typically aggressive 67 in a partnership of 108 and then Percy Mansell, playing in his first Test, added another 86 with Eric for the sixth wicket. By now the opener had reached his double century and continued on to pass the record South African Test Consequences