The South African cricket team toured England in the 1947 season to play a five-match Test series against England. The team was captained by Alan Melville with Dudley Nourse as his vice-captain (v/c). England won the series with three wins and two matches drawn. This was the second Test series hosted by England since the end of World War II in 1945. South Africa's previous visit to England was their successful 1935 tour.
Background 1947 was a year in which the weather frequently made headlines in Great Britain. After one of the coldest winters on record, the summer was uncharacteristically warm and sunny. In terms of cricket, what the new Playfair Cricket Annual called a "glorious summer" contrasted sharply with the wet summer of 1946.Playfair, p. 8. The country was still recovering from the war with austerity and rationing a fact of daily life, but sporting events were eagerly awaited and drew large attendances.
South African squad South Africa brought a 17-man squad captained by Alan Melville. Squad details below state the player's age at the beginning of the tour, his batting hand, his type of bowling, and his provincial Currie Cup team at the time:
+ Batsmen Name Currie Cup Birth date Batting style Bowling style Ref Alan Melville (captain) Transvaal right-handed off break, leg break and googly Dudley Nourse (v/c) Natal right-handed none Denis Begbie Transvaal right-handed off break, leg break and googly Dennis Dyer Natal right-handed slow left-arm orthodox spin Tony Harris Transvaal right-handed none Ken Viljoen Transvaal right-handed none
+ All-rounders Name Currie Cup Birth date Batting style Bowling style Ref Ossie Dawson Natal right-handed right arm medium pace Bruce Mitchell Transvaal right-handed leg break
+ Wicket-keepers Name Currie Cup Birth date Batting style Bowling style Ref George Fullerton Transvaal right-handed none Johnny Lindsay Transvaal right-handed none Douglas Ovenstone Western Province right-handed none
+ Bowlers Name Currie Cup Birth date Batting style Bowling style Ref Tufty Mann Eastern Province right-handed slow left-arm orthodox spin Leslie Payn Natal right-handed slow left-arm orthodox spin Jack Plimsoll Western Province right-handed left-arm fast bowling medium fast Athol Rowan Transvaal right-handed off break Ian Smith Natal right-handed leg break Lindsay Tuckett Orange Free State right-handed right-arm fast bowling medium fast
England selections England chose a total of 21 players to represent them in the series. Five players took part in all five Test matches: captain Norman Yardley; batsmen Len Hutton, Cyril Washbrook and Denis Compton; and wicket-keeper Godfrey Evans.
Test series summary First Test
Second Test
Third Test
Fourth Test
Fifth Test
References
Bibliography
Further reading Louis Duffus, South African Cricket, Volume 3, 1927-1947, The South African Cricket Association, 1948 Wisden Almanack 1948 Various writers, A Century of South Africa in Test & International Cricket 1889-1989, Ball, 1989
External links CricketArchive – tour summaries Short British Pathe newsreel of the team arriving in England and signing autographs