The ultimate winners of the tournament were England, with four wins in their six matches, but the tournament was deemed a failure, with disappointing crowds and uncompetitive cricket, caused in part by a weakened Australia team.
The idea of a competition involving all three of the nations then playing Test cricket (Australia, England and South Africa) was proposed at the first meeting of the Imperial Cricket Council in July, 1909. The original proposal was for a tournament to be held every four years, with the first hosted by England in 1912.
For a variety of reasons, the tournament was not a success. The summer was one of the wettest since records began in 1766: rainfall in the three months of June, July and August was more than twice the annual average, and August, 1912, was the coldest, dullest and wettest August of the 20th century. At that time, pitches were not covered to protect them against rain, so the batsmen were at a distinct disadvantage on the proverbialsticky wicket. These problems were exacerbated since Tests in England were in those days played over three days rather than the five days that is now usual. Two of the matches between England and Australia were drawn due to the weather, with the final match being played on a pitch said to be "better suited to water polo".[1]
In addition, disputes between the players and management in Australia meant that six leading Australian players refused to tour (including the captain, Clem Hill, and Victor Trumper, neither of whom played for Australia again), weakening a side that had otherwise been level with England in recent Ashes series. The leg spin and googlybowlers in the South African side were very effective on the mattingpitches then in use in South Africa, but were less threatening on English grass pitches. As a result, England dominated, winning four of their six matches and drawing the other two.
Finally, the British public showed little interest: in the words of The Daily Telegraph: "Nine Tests provide a surfeit of cricket, and contests between Australia and South Africa are not a great attraction to the British public."[1]
The tournament was so unsuccessful that it has never been repeated. The idea of a tournament of international cricket matches between more than two countries was not repeated, outside of regional tournaments in East Africa and the West Indies, until the invention of One Day International cricket and the first Cricket World Cup in 1975. The only other Test cricket tournaments in history were the Asian Test Championships played in 1998–99 and 2001–02, which were also not great successes, until the ICC World Test Championship began in 2019.
Perhaps the most notable incident of the series was Australian bowler Jimmy Matthews taking two hat-tricks in the same Test match, one in each innings of the opening match against South Africa, the only time a bowler has taken two hat-tricks in the same Test.
Testsedit
First match: Australia v South Africa at Old Trafford, 27–28 May 1912edit
Australia batted first, completing their first innings score of 448 on the first day, with centuries for Charles Kelleway and Warren Bardsley. Sid Pegler took 6 wickets for 105 runs. South Africa were 16 for 1 at the close.
South Africa were bowled out for 265 on the second day (with a century for Aubrey Faulkner, and Bill Whitty taking 5 wickets for 55 runs). They were within 30 runs of saving the follow on when Jimmy Matthews took a hat-trick to dismiss the last three batsmen. 183 runs behind, the South Africans were asked to bat again, and were bowled out again on the same day for 95 (Kelleway taking 5 for 33). Matthews took a second hat-trick in the second innings.
Australian bowler Jimmy Matthews took a double hat-trick, one in each of South Africa's innings, both hat-tricks being taken on the same day, 28 May 1912. Matthews took no other wickets in the match.
South Africa's debutant wicket-keeperTommy Ward was Matthews' 3rd victim in both innings. Ward's is the only known instance of a king pair on debut in Test cricket.
Second match: England v South Africa at Lord's, 10–12 Jun 1912edit
For the first time in a Test match, extras top scored in an innings.[3]
Heavy rain in the week before the match delayed the start on the first day until after 3pm, and then batting conditions were treacherous. South Africa were all out for 58 in their first innings within 90 minutes. Frank Foster and Sydney Barnes bowled 26.1 overs unchanged, taking 5 wickets each. England's opening batsmen Jack Hobbs and Wilfred Rhodes found the conditions much easier to cope with, and England were 122 for 1 at the close.
On a sunny second day, Reggie Spooner scored 119, and Frank Woolley 73, with Pegler taking 7 for 65. England were all out for 337, with a first innings lead of 279 runs. South Africa were 114 for 4 at the close.
South Africa were bowled out for 217 on the third day, with Charlie Llewellyn scoring 75 and Barnes taking another 6 wickets.
Third match: England v Australia at Lord's, 24–26 Jun 1912edit
The match was ruined by the weather. Only about 3 hours were played on the first day due to two interruptions for rain. Play was not too difficult on the wet pitch to begin with, but became treacherous as the pitch dried. At the close, England were on 211/4. England added 30 runs in 20 minutes on the second day.
The third day was sunny, and England declared at 310 for 7 (Hobbs 107).
In reply, Australia made 282 for 7 before rain ended play, playing defensively to avoid defeat. Charlie Macartney scored 99 runs before being caught out, becoming only the third player in Test cricket to be dismissed one run short of a century.
Fourth match: England v South Africa at Headingley, 8–10 Jul 1912edit
England were bowled out for 242 in their first innings (Woolley 57; Dave Nourse 4/52) before the end of the first day's play, and South Africa were 141/8 at the close.
South Africa were all out for 147 on the second day (Pegler 35; Barnes 6/52), and England added 238 in their second innings (Spooner 82; Aubrey Faulkner 4/50).
Having set South Africa a target of 334 to win, they reached 105/7 at the close of the second day's play, and were bowled out again for 159 on the third day (Louis Tancred 39, Barnes 4/63).
Fifth match: Australia v South Africa at Lord's, 15–17 Jul 1912edit
South Africa were bowled out for 263 on the first day (Herbie Taylor 93; Bill Whitty 4/68), and Australia were 88/2 at the close.
Australia reached 390 all out on the second day, 127 runs ahead, with centuries for Kelleway and Warren Bardsley (his 164 being the highest score in the tournament) and four wickets for Pegler. South Africa were 146/8 at the close.
After bowling South Africa out for 173 on the third day (Llewellyn 59; Matthews 4/29), setting a target of 47 to win. Claude Jennings and debutant Ernie Mayne reached 48 runs for no loss within half an hour, to win the match.
Sixth match: England v Australia at Old Trafford, 29–31 Jul 1912edit
In a rain affected match, play started at nearly 3pm on the first day, and around 5pm on the second day. With less than 110 overs possible over three days, England reached 185/6 at the end of the first day, and were all out for 203 (Wilf Rhodes 92; Gerry Hazlitt 4/77 and Bill Whitty 4/43) on the second day.
Australia reached 14 for no loss before no further play was possible on the remainder of the second day or on the third day, and the match was drawn.
Seventh match: Australia v South Africa at Trent Bridge, 5–7 Aug 1912edit
Despite a sodden pitch, cloudy weather allowed South Africa to reach 266/8 at the end of the first day. They were dismissed for 329 (Nourse 64), and the second day closed with Australia all out for 219 (Bardsley 56, Pegler 4/80). No play was possible on the third day.
Eighth match: England v South Africa at The Oval, 12–13 Aug 1912edit
In a low-scoring match, South Africa were bowled out for 95, with five wickets each for Barnes and Woolley. England reached 176 and then bowled South Africa out again for 93 (Barnes bowling unchanged to take 8/29), setting England a target of 13 runs to win. Jack Hobbs and Young Jack Hearne took only 27 balls to score 14 for no loss before lunch on the second day, to win by 10 wickets.
Ninth match: England v Australia at The Oval, 19–22 Aug 1912edit
The tournament rules did not anticipate that two teams could complete their matches with the same number of wins and therefore contained no tie-breaking conditions. Therefore, to ensure an overall winner, the match was played as a timeless Test, with the 3-day time limit removed. Regardless, the match finished during the fourth day.
Despite heavy rain the day before the match, England reached 223/8 on the first day. There was only 1+1⁄2 hours play on the second day due to rain, during which England were dismissed for 245, with half centuries for Jack Hobbs and Frank Woolley and four wickets each for Bill Whitty and Roy Minnett. Australia were 51/2 when play was abandoned for the day.
Australia were dismissed for 111 on the third day, with five wickets each for Barnes and Woolley and only Kelleway and Bardsley reaching double figures. The last 7 wickets fell for 21 runs England lost two quick wickets after lunch but batting became easier after a further rain delay and England were 64/4 at the close, 198 runs ahead.
England were dismissed on the fourth day for 175 in their second innings, with CB Fry scoring 79 and Gerry Hazlitt taking 7/25. Needing 310 to win the match and the tournament, Australia were dismissed for just 65, with again only two batsmen reaching double figures (opener Claude Jennings and number 3 Charles Macartney), Woolley taking 5/20 and Harry Dean 4/19.
1912, triangular, tournament, test, cricket, competition, played, between, australia, england, south, africa, only, test, playing, nations, time, date27, august, 1912locationenglandresultengland, nine, match, tournament, 0teams, england, australia, south, afri. The 1912 Triangular Tournament was a Test cricket competition played between Australia England and South Africa the only Test playing nations at the time 1912 Triangular TournamentDate27 May 22 August 1912LocationEnglandResultEngland won the nine match tournament 4 2 0Teams England Australia South AfricaCaptainsC B FrySyd GregoryFrank MitchellMost runsJack Hobbs 391 Wilfred Rhodes 263 Warren Bardsley 392 Charles Kelleway 360 Dave Nourse 220 Aubrey Faulkner 194 Most wicketsSydney Barnes 39 Frank Woolley 17 Bill Whitty 25 Gerry Hazlitt 19 Sid Pegler 29 Aubrey Faulkner 17 The ultimate winners of the tournament were England with four wins in their six matches but the tournament was deemed a failure with disappointing crowds and uncompetitive cricket caused in part by a weakened Australia team The tournament was the first tournament in Test history to be played between more than two nations It was the only such tournament until the Asian Test Championships of 1998 99 and 2001 02 and the ICC World Test Championship which began in 2019 Contents 1 Background 2 Squad 3 Notable incidents 4 Tests 4 1 First match Australia v South Africa at Old Trafford 27 28 May 1912 4 2 Second match England v South Africa at Lord s 10 12 Jun 1912 4 3 Third match England v Australia at Lord s 24 26 Jun 1912 4 4 Fourth match England v South Africa at Headingley 8 10 Jul 1912 4 5 Fifth match Australia v South Africa at Lord s 15 17 Jul 1912 4 6 Sixth match England v Australia at Old Trafford 29 31 Jul 1912 4 7 Seventh match Australia v South Africa at Trent Bridge 5 7 Aug 1912 4 8 Eighth match England v South Africa at The Oval 12 13 Aug 1912 4 9 Ninth match England v Australia at The Oval 19 22 Aug 1912 5 Results table 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External linksBackground editThe idea of a competition involving all three of the nations then playing Test cricket Australia England and South Africa was proposed at the first meeting of the Imperial Cricket Council in July 1909 The original proposal was for a tournament to be held every four years with the first hosted by England in 1912 For a variety of reasons the tournament was not a success The summer was one of the wettest since records began in 1766 rainfall in the three months of June July and August was more than twice the annual average and August 1912 was the coldest dullest and wettest August of the 20th century At that time pitches were not covered to protect them against rain so the batsmen were at a distinct disadvantage on the proverbial sticky wicket These problems were exacerbated since Tests in England were in those days played over three days rather than the five days that is now usual Two of the matches between England and Australia were drawn due to the weather with the final match being played on a pitch said to be better suited to water polo 1 In addition disputes between the players and management in Australia meant that six leading Australian players refused to tour including the captain Clem Hill and Victor Trumper neither of whom played for Australia again weakening a side that had otherwise been level with England in recent Ashes series The leg spin and googly bowlers in the South African side were very effective on the matting pitches then in use in South Africa but were less threatening on English grass pitches As a result England dominated winning four of their six matches and drawing the other two Finally the British public showed little interest in the words of The Daily Telegraph Nine Tests provide a surfeit of cricket and contests between Australia and South Africa are not a great attraction to the British public 1 The tournament was so unsuccessful that it has never been repeated The idea of a tournament of international cricket matches between more than two countries was not repeated outside of regional tournaments in East Africa and the West Indies until the invention of One Day International cricket and the first Cricket World Cup in 1975 The only other Test cricket tournaments in history were the Asian Test Championships played in 1998 99 and 2001 02 which were also not great successes until the ICC World Test Championship began in 2019 Squad editEngland C B Fry captain Jack Hobbs Wilfred Rhodes Reginald Spooner Frank Woolley Johnny Douglas Jack Hearne Pelham Warner Frank Foster Schofield Haigh Tiger Smith Sydney Barnes Gilbert Jessop Harry Dean Ernie Hayes Bill Hitch Walter Brearley Australia Syd Gregory captain Warren Bardsley Barlow Carkeek Sid Emery Gerry Hazlitt Claude Jennings Charles Kelleway John McLaren Charlie Macartney Jimmy Matthews Edgar Mayne Roy Minnett David Smith Harold Webster Bill Whitty South Africa Frank Mitchell captain Louis Tancred captain Rolland Beaumont Tom Campbell Claude Carter Joe Cox Aubrey Faulkner Gerald Hartigan Charles Llewellyn Dave Nourse Sid Pegler Reggie Schwarz Sibley Snooke Louis Stricker Herbie Taylor Tommy Ward Gordon White 2 Notable incidents editPerhaps the most notable incident of the series was Australian bowler Jimmy Matthews taking two hat tricks in the same Test match one in each innings of the opening match against South Africa the only time a bowler has taken two hat tricks in the same Test Tests editFirst match Australia v South Africa at Old Trafford 27 28 May 1912 edit 27 28 May 1912 3 day match Scorecard Australia nbsp v nbsp South Africa 448 122 3 overs W Bardsley 121 SJ Pegler 6 105 45 3 overs 265 116 overs GA Faulkner 122 WJ Whitty 5 55 34 overs 95 f o 28 2 overs HW Taylor 21 C Kelleway 5 33 14 2 overs Australia won by an innings and 88 runsOld Trafford Manchester Umpires GW Webb and A White Australia won the toss and elected to bat CB Jennings SH Emery and W Carkeek all AUS and GPD Hartigan HW Taylor R Beaumont TA Ward all SA made their Test debuts Report Australia batted first completing their first innings score of 448 on the first day with centuries for Charles Kelleway and Warren Bardsley Sid Pegler took 6 wickets for 105 runs South Africa were 16 for 1 at the close South Africa were bowled out for 265 on the second day with a century for Aubrey Faulkner and Bill Whitty taking 5 wickets for 55 runs They were within 30 runs of saving the follow on when Jimmy Matthews took a hat trick to dismiss the last three batsmen 183 runs behind the South Africans were asked to bat again and were bowled out again on the same day for 95 Kelleway taking 5 for 33 Matthews took a second hat trick in the second innings Australian bowler Jimmy Matthews took a double hat trick one in each of South Africa s innings both hat tricks being taken on the same day 28 May 1912 Matthews took no other wickets in the match South Africa s debutant wicket keeper Tommy Ward was Matthews 3rd victim in both innings Ward s is the only known instance of a king pair on debut in Test cricket Second match England v South Africa at Lord s 10 12 Jun 1912 edit 10 12 June 1912 3 day match Scorecard South Africa nbsp v nbsp England 58 26 1 overs AW Nourse 13 FR Foster 5 16 13 1 overs 337 119 overs RH Spooner 119 SJ Pegler 7 65 31 overs 217 82 overs CB Llewellyn 75 SF Barnes 6 85 34 overs England won by an innings and 62 runsLord s London Umpires W Richards and WAJ West South Africa won the toss and elected to bat CP Carter SA made his Test debut Report For the first time in a Test match extras top scored in an innings 3 Heavy rain in the week before the match delayed the start on the first day until after 3pm and then batting conditions were treacherous South Africa were all out for 58 in their first innings within 90 minutes Frank Foster and Sydney Barnes bowled 26 1 overs unchanged taking 5 wickets each England s opening batsmen Jack Hobbs and Wilfred Rhodes found the conditions much easier to cope with and England were 122 for 1 at the close On a sunny second day Reggie Spooner scored 119 and Frank Woolley 73 with Pegler taking 7 for 65 England were all out for 337 with a first innings lead of 279 runs South Africa were 114 for 4 at the close South Africa were bowled out for 217 on the third day with Charlie Llewellyn scoring 75 and Barnes taking another 6 wickets Third match England v Australia at Lord s 24 26 Jun 1912 edit 24 26 June 1912 3 day match Scorecard England nbsp v nbsp Australia 310 7d 90 overs JB Hobbs 107 SH Emery 2 46 12 overs 282 7 127 2 overs CG Macartney 99 W Rhodes 3 59 19 2 overs Match drawnLord s London Umpires J Moss and AE Street England won the toss and elected to bat H Dean ENG and DBM Smith AUS made their Test debuts Report The match was ruined by the weather Only about 3 hours were played on the first day due to two interruptions for rain Play was not too difficult on the wet pitch to begin with but became treacherous as the pitch dried At the close England were on 211 4 England added 30 runs in 20 minutes on the second day The third day was sunny and England declared at 310 for 7 Hobbs 107 In reply Australia made 282 for 7 before rain ended play playing defensively to avoid defeat Charlie Macartney scored 99 runs before being caught out becoming only the third player in Test cricket to be dismissed one run short of a century 1 Fourth match England v South Africa at Headingley 8 10 Jul 1912 edit 8 10 July 1912 3 day match Scorecard England nbsp v nbsp South Africa 242 78 1 overs FE Woolley 57 AW Nourse 4 52 26 1 overs 147 56 3 overs SJ Pegler 35 SF Barnes 6 52 22 overs 238 90 2 overs RH Spooner 82 GA Faulkner 4 50 24 2 overs 159 58 2 overs LJ Tancred 39 SF Barnes 4 63 21 2 overs England won by 174 runsHeadingley Leeds Umpires W Richards and A White England won the toss and elected to bat Report England were bowled out for 242 in their first innings Woolley 57 Dave Nourse 4 52 before the end of the first day s play and South Africa were 141 8 at the close South Africa were all out for 147 on the second day Pegler 35 Barnes 6 52 and England added 238 in their second innings Spooner 82 Aubrey Faulkner 4 50 Having set South Africa a target of 334 to win they reached 105 7 at the close of the second day s play and were bowled out again for 159 on the third day Louis Tancred 39 Barnes 4 63 Fifth match Australia v South Africa at Lord s 15 17 Jul 1912 edit 15 17 July 1912 3 day match Scorecard South Africa nbsp v nbsp Australia 263 89 overs HW Taylor 93 WJ Whitty 4 68 31 overs 390 128 5 overs W Bardsley 164 SJ Pegler 4 79 29 5 overs 173 57 1 overs CB Llewellyn 59 TJ Matthews 4 29 13 overs 48 0 12 1 overs ER Mayne 25 Australia won by 10 wicketsLord s London Umpires J Moss and AE Street South Africa won the toss and elected to bat ER Mayne AUS made their Test debuts Report South Africa were bowled out for 263 on the first day Herbie Taylor 93 Bill Whitty 4 68 and Australia were 88 2 at the close Australia reached 390 all out on the second day 127 runs ahead with centuries for Kelleway and Warren Bardsley his 164 being the highest score in the tournament and four wickets for Pegler South Africa were 146 8 at the close After bowling South Africa out for 173 on the third day Llewellyn 59 Matthews 4 29 setting a target of 47 to win Claude Jennings and debutant Ernie Mayne reached 48 runs for no loss within half an hour to win the match Sixth match England v Australia at Old Trafford 29 31 Jul 1912 edit 29 31 July 1912 3 day match Scorecard England nbsp v nbsp Australia 203 92 5 overs W Rhodes 92 WJ Whitty 4 43 27 overs 14 0 13 overs CB Jennings 9 Match drawnOld Trafford Manchester Umpires GW Webb and WAJ West England won the toss and elected to bat Report In a rain affected match play started at nearly 3pm on the first day and around 5pm on the second day With less than 110 overs possible over three days England reached 185 6 at the end of the first day and were all out for 203 Wilf Rhodes 92 Gerry Hazlitt 4 77 and Bill Whitty 4 43 on the second day Australia reached 14 for no loss before no further play was possible on the remainder of the second day or on the third day and the match was drawn Seventh match Australia v South Africa at Trent Bridge 5 7 Aug 1912 edit 5 7 August 1912 3 day match Scorecard South Africa nbsp v nbsp Australia 329 128 5 overs AW Nourse 64 TJ Matthews 2 27 20 5 overs 219 94 1 overs W Bardsley 56 SJ Pegler 4 80 36 overs Match drawnTrent Bridge Nottingham Umpires GW Webb and WAJ West South Africa won the toss and elected to bat Report Despite a sodden pitch cloudy weather allowed South Africa to reach 266 8 at the end of the first day They were dismissed for 329 Nourse 64 and the second day closed with Australia all out for 219 Bardsley 56 Pegler 4 80 No play was possible on the third day Eighth match England v South Africa at The Oval 12 13 Aug 1912 edit 12 13 August 1912 3 day match Scorecard South Africa nbsp v nbsp England 95 42 3 overs HW Taylor 23SJ Snooke 23 SF Barnes 5 28 21 overs 176 56 1 overs JB Hobbs 68 GA Faulkner 7 84 27 1 overs 93 32 4 overs AW Nourse 42 SF Barnes 8 29 16 4 overs 14 0 4 3 overs JB Hobbs 9 England won by 10 wicketsThe Oval London Umpires W Richards and A White South Africa won the toss and elected to bat Report In a low scoring match South Africa were bowled out for 95 with five wickets each for Barnes and Woolley England reached 176 and then bowled South Africa out again for 93 Barnes bowling unchanged to take 8 29 setting England a target of 13 runs to win Jack Hobbs and Young Jack Hearne took only 27 balls to score 14 for no loss before lunch on the second day to win by 10 wickets Ninth match England v Australia at The Oval 19 22 Aug 1912 edit 19 22 August 1912 Timeless Test Scorecard England nbsp v nbsp Australia 245 114 1 overs JB Hobbs 66 RB Minnett 4 34 10 1 overs 111 54 4 overs C Kelleway 43 FE Woolley 5 29 9 4 overs 175 86 4 overs CB Fry 79 GR Hazlitt 7 25 21 4 overs 65 22 4 overs CG Macartney 30 FE Woolley 5 20 7 4 overs England won by 244 runsThe Oval London Umpires J Moss and AE Street England won the toss and elected to bat Report The tournament rules did not anticipate that two teams could complete their matches with the same number of wins and therefore contained no tie breaking conditions Therefore to ensure an overall winner the match was played as a timeless Test with the 3 day time limit removed Regardless the match finished during the fourth day Despite heavy rain the day before the match England reached 223 8 on the first day There was only 1 1 2 hours play on the second day due to rain during which England were dismissed for 245 with half centuries for Jack Hobbs and Frank Woolley and four wickets each for Bill Whitty and Roy Minnett Australia were 51 2 when play was abandoned for the day Australia were dismissed for 111 on the third day with five wickets each for Barnes and Woolley and only Kelleway and Bardsley reaching double figures The last 7 wickets fell for 21 runs England lost two quick wickets after lunch but batting became easier after a further rain delay and England were 64 4 at the close 198 runs ahead England were dismissed on the fourth day for 175 in their second innings with CB Fry scoring 79 and Gerry Hazlitt taking 7 25 Needing 310 to win the match and the tournament Australia were dismissed for just 65 with again only two batsmen reaching double figures opener Claude Jennings and number 3 Charles Macartney Woolley taking 5 20 and Harry Dean 4 19 Results table editTeam Played Won Lost Drawn England 6 4 0 2 Australia 6 2 1 3 South Africa 6 0 5 1See also editBig Six cricket dispute of 1912References edit a b Reference at content usa cricinfo com Triangular Tournament Aus Eng RSA May Aug 1912 Averages Frindall Bill 2000 The Wisden Book Of Test Cricket Volume 1 1877 1970 London Headline Book Publishing p 124 ISBN 0747272735 Further reading editH S Altham A History of Cricket Volume 1 to 1914 George Allen amp Unwin 1962 Derek Birley A Social History of English Cricket Aurum 1999 Rowland Bowen Cricket A History of its Growth and Development Eyre amp Spottiswoode 1970 Bill Frindall The Wisden Book of Test Cricket 1877 1978 Wisden 1979 David Frith The Golden Age of Cricket 1890 1914 Lutterworth 1978 Chris Harte A History of Australian Cricket Andre Deutsch 1993 various writers A Century of South Africa in Test amp International Cricket 1889 1989 Ball 1989 Roy Webber The Playfair Book of Cricket Records Playfair Books 1951 Wisden Cricketers Almanack 1913 Patrick Ferriday Before the Lights Went Out The 1912 Triangular Tournament Von Krumm Publishing 2011External links editCricketArchive re Australian tour Cricket Archive re South African tour The original damp squib from Cricinfo Report of the tournament from 334notout com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1912 Triangular Tournament amp oldid 1127938735, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
