Lives in Cricket No 4 - Ernie Jones

bowlers, especially Trumble whose 140 wickets from 20 matches stood next to Trumper in order of merit. Fast bowlers could not be as effective in wet seasons as when the turf was firm and thus the services of Jones were discounted. In one bright fortnight in July when the sun was able to take the moisture out of the grounds the burly South Australian found pitches to his liking and gave the Englishmen a taste of his quality. He captured 28 wickets in that two weeks with continuous work, but most of his other good figures were obtained spasmodically between showers. Overall, Jones performed respectably to take 66 wickets at 21.29 in his 20 matches, with three five-wicket hauls at Leicester, Worcester and Leyton being the last of his first-class career. Australians in South Africa 1902/03 Following their successful tour of England the Australian team returned home via the Cape of Good Hope and were welcomed enthusiastically in South Africa, where they played six matches, including three Test matches and three against odds. The Australians won three games and drew three, and won two of the three Test matches. Jones appeared in only two games: the first drawn Test match at the old Wanderers Ground in Johannesburg on matting, in which he performed modestly, and against Natal. Many of the Australians would have been surprised by the playing conditions, although those like Jones, who had experience in Broken Hill and Quorn, and Howell, who came from Bathurst, may have been reminded of playing fields of their youth, when they walked through the porchway to the arena and found that it consisted of red dust. The centre wicket was well watered, rolled and very hard, over which was laid a green mat, the only sight of green. The Australians would also undoubtedly have been surprised by the home side’s aggression on the first day which ended at 7 for 428, and faced defeat at the end of the second when they had been dismissed for 296 and following on were 2 for 76 in their second innings. An inspired counter-attack on the third morning from Clem Hill, who took his own total from 22 to 138 in the session, saw Australia to safety before declaring at 7 for 372, and the South Africans were 4 for 101 chasing 215 when time was called. It is surprising for a modern reader to note the modesty of South African opening batsman Louis Tancred in a brief essay on the tour, such that he overlooked this match entirely, especially A Slow Dimming: 1900-1903 64