Lives in Cricket No 32 - Eric Rowan

84 Consequences only century was an innings of 112 made in 174 minutes with 15 fours against Eastern Province at Ellis Park. The runs were made out of a partnership of 134 with Ron Kimber On the basis of form and experience Eric was a certainty to be in the team for the Australian tour, and many thought he should have been its captain. In terms of both experience and attitude he was the man to take on the Australians. But it was not to be. The events at Old Trafford came back with a vengeance and he was not included in the team. He was not without support, particularly from Transvaal where the Cricket Board resigned en masse in protest at the treatment he received. In order to quell the controversy surrounding Eric’s omission, the President of the South African Cricket Association, Mr D Marquard, issued a long statement justifying the decision in light of the player’s behaviour on the recent tour of England. According to the Board, Rowan’s conduct violated the terms of his agreement. He had also shown disregard of a warning issued to him in March 1949 about his future behaviour, something which it was felt had been ignored during his ‘sit down strike’. The statement also said that Rowan had ‘constituted a frequent source of worry and anxiety to other members of the team and to the management’. Members of the South African Cricket Association Board who voted to remove Eric from international cricket following the 1951 tour of England. Standing (l to r): J.P.W.Howden, E.H.Hammond, A.H.Coy, A.J.Pienaar, G.W.A.Chubb. Seated: D. Marquard (President), R.E.Grieveson (Vice-President). [Bassano Collection]