South Africa v England
St George’s Park, Port Elizabeth: 2nd – 5th December 1960
On 2nd December 1960 at St George’s Park, Port Elizabeth, South Africa made their debut in Test cricket against England.
Sheelagh Nefdt led a local team against a hardened England outfit captained by Helen Sharpe. Sheelagh won the toss and chose to bat and the team put on a respectable total for a first time team of 211, with Eileen Hurly going so close to a century on debut with 96 not out.
England struggled against the pace of Lorna Ward (4-47) and were bundled out behind the home team’s score with just 187. South Africa then pressed home the advantage with an even better effort in the second innings, led the skipper with 62, allowing her to declare at 260/8.
Likewise England performed better in the second innings, finishing with 202/4 before the match ended in a draw. It was a credible performance by Test cricket’s newest team against a much stronger outfit.
Scores
South Africa 211 (Eileen Hurly 96*, Anne Sanders 4-57) and 260/8 dec (Sheelagh Nefdt 62, Jenny Gove 40, Esme Irwin 3-42) drew with England 187 (Ruth Westbrook 58, Polly Marshall 32, Lorna Ward 4-47, Yvonne van Mentz 2-32) and 202/4 (Helen Sharpe 49, Alison Ratcliffe 37*, Jenny Gove 2-34)