Before the first test, the South Africans played in five warm-up matches before the first test. Australia would win the opening two tests of the series in Sydney and Melbourne, before South Africa recorded their first test win against Australia in the third test at Adelaide by 28 runs. Three more tour matches against Tasmania and Victoria were played before the fourth test in Melbourne where the Australians won the series by 530 runs. After a tour match against New South Wales a week prior, the South Africans would go on to lose the final test match by seven wickets.
Aubrey Faulkner was leading the run scorer for the series with 732 runs from ten innings, while the leading wicket taker was Australian bowler Bill Whitty who took 37 wickets in ten innings.
Background
The 1910–11 series was the first time that the South Africans had toured Australia. This was also the second series between these nations with the first tour being the 1902–03 tour of South Africa where Australia had won the series 2–0.[1] For the South Africans, their last series was at home to England in 1909-10 with the South Africans recording a 3–2 series victory.[2] Leading into the tour, the South Africans touring team did play two matches in South Africa against Transvaal and Western Province before they left aboard HMS Commonwealth to head to Australia.[3] Australia on the other hand had won their last series 2–1 against England back in the 1909 Ashes series.[4]
The first game of the tour for the South Africans was a trip over to South Australia as they took on the South Australians. After being sent into bat, the South Africans were bowled over for only 133 with some people stating that the tourists were being treaty fairly.[5] In response, South Australia could only get 183 which meant that they held a fifty run lead with Reggie Schwarz taking six wickets. Dave Nourse and Louis Stricker then guided the South Africans on Day 2 with a 242 run partnership with the first 100 of those being scored over 67 minutes. Stricker who was playing his first tour outside of Africa would score 146 which would be his highest score in first-class cricket.[6][7] Though Nourse would go and score 201 as he would give South Australia a target of 458 runs which South Australia fall 281 runs short as Schwarz took another five wicket haul.
South Africans won by 281 runs Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Umpires: FJC Thomas and GA Watson
South Australia won the toss and elected to field.
Day 1 was washed out.
South Africa vs. Victoria
Three days later the South Africans headed to Melbourne for the second tour match with it being against the Victorians. After the first day play was mainly washed out except for a brief period in the morning,[8] the South Africans could only score 189 which was aided with a 106 run partnership between Nourse and Aubrey Faulkner. Victoria opened their innings at 4:50pm and would see Tom Warne ending the second day one run short of his half-century.[9] He would go on to finish on 84 as him, Bert Kortlang and Jimmy Matthews all scoring fifties as Victoria scored 301 just before 5pm local time. Bert Vogler being the pick of the bowlers as he took five wickets.[10]
Victoria was then set a target of only 125 runs when the South Africans were all bowled out for 236 with Matthews taking another three wickets while Frank Laver had two chances go begging. For the South Africans, Faulkner top scored for the South Africans with 69 which included another 80+ run partnership between him ad Nourse. Though this was aided by the tail contributing in what The Age described as having "no tail".[11] The Victorians went on to win the match by five wickets, with top scorer Barlow Carkeek scoring the winning runs for Victoria at 12:10 local time. 23,598 attended the match across the five days as the South Africans went on the train off to New South Wales for the next tour game which was only two days away.[12]
The South Africans next took on New South Wales in Sydney. Once again batting first, the South Africans scored 300 with Faulkner and Striker each scoring 70s which the pair also played in a partnership of 82 runs. Charles Kelleway was the leading wicket taker in the innings with five wickets which included the wicket of Striker. New South Wales in response got off to a good start by the end of the opening day at 70 without loss in what would be later be a 122 run partnership between Victor Trumper and Warren Bardsley.[13] For Warren his 70 would come off only 69 minutes before caught off a delivery from Bert Vogler. This partnership would be the backbone in Day 2, but consist wickets from the South Africans brought them back into the match and gave them a lead of only 13 runs with Faulkner claiming five wickets.[14] The crowd applauded the Bert Folkard performance on the third day as he took a six-wicket haul with him being a major assistance in restricting the South Africans to only 198 which the hosts would go on to win the match by three wickets with Trumper again top scoring with 78.[15]
After all five tests were played, South African batsman, Aubrey Faulkner ended the series with the most runs with 732 runs from ten innings with highest score being a double century in the second test in Melbourne. He finished ahead of two Australians in Victor Trumper (661 runs) and Warren Bardsley (573 runs).[16] For bowling, the leading wicket taker was Australian bowler Bill Whitty who took 37 wickets which included a 6/17 in the second test match which was held in Sydney. He finished ahead of South African bowler, Reggie Schwarz who took 25 wickets with Tibby Cotter rounding out the top three with 22.[17]
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