Charles Llewellyn
Encyclopedia
Charles Bennett Llewellyn (29 September 1876 – 7 June 1964) was the first non-white South Africa
n Test cricket
er.
Born out of wedlock in Pietermaritzburg
to an English
father and a black Saint Helena
n mother, the dark-eyed and dark-skinned Llewellyn had an underprivileged upbringing in Natal
being considered of mixed blood. He showed all round cricketing prowess from a young age, being a hard hitting left-handed batsman, slow left arm bowler (with a dangerous chinaman
as part of his arsenal) and a great fielder, particularly at mid-off.
While the racism of late nineteenth century South Africa had led to other leading non-white players being omitted from representative sides, Llewellyn’s ability to pass himself of as white in some cases (Wilfred Rhodes
described him as “like a rather sunburned English player"), helped clear the racial hurdle to selection and he was chosen to make his first class debut for Natal against Transvaal
on 13 April 1895, where he took four wickets. While now accepted as a cricketer, Llewellyn would be referred to as “coloured” throughout his career and there are reports of his race-related mistreatment by other South African players.
Duly impressed with his cricketing skill, selectors chose him in a Natal side against Lord Hawke's England XI and subsequently selected Llewellyn to make his Test debut for South Africa
against England
at Johannesburg
on 2 March 1896, aged 19 years and 155 days.
Llewellyn failed to take a wicket in this first Test and was promptly omitted from the remainder of the series but responded by performing impressively in the 1897/98 and 1898/99 Currie Cup
s, which led to his recall to the national team for the first Test of the 1898/99 series against England. Llewellyn impressed by taking five wickets but was surprisingly left out of the second Test.
At the end of the 1898/99 series Llewellyn, perturbed by the actions of the selectors and seeking financial security, left South Africa to play for English county side Hampshire County Cricket Club
as a professional. He would star for Hampshire for over a decade, scoring 8772 runs at 27.58 and snaring 711 wickets at 24.66. His form was such that in 1902 Llewellyn was named in the English First Test squad against the touring Australians
, missing out on the final side. He was however included in an English side captained by Ranjitsinhji that toured America.
In 1902/03 Llewellyn returned to South Africa to play in the three Test series against Australia. He scored 90 in the First Test, his highest Test score, as well as taking nine wickets for the match. Llewellyn took ten wickets in the second Test and six in the third to top the series bowling average at 17.92; a remarkable achievement considering Australia won the series 3-0.
Llewellyn continued to shine for Hampshire, capped by his selection as one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year in 1910, his last year at Hampshire. He then toured Australia with the South African team, where his bowling served as fodder for Victor Trumper
, before returning to England in 1911 to join club side Accrington
, thereby becoming the first Test cricketer to play in the Lancashire Leagues.
In 1912, South Africa brought him out of first-class retirement to play in the Triangular Tournament, scoring 75 in the first Test against England at Lord's and a further half-century against Australia at Lord's.
Llewellyn retired from Test cricket after the triangular tournament, having played 15 Tests (five against England and ten against Australia), scored 544 runs at 20.14 and 48 wickets at 29.60. He however continued to star in league cricket, finally retiring in 1938 at the age of 62.
Llewellyn broke his thigh in 1960, affecting his movement for the remainder of his life and died in Chertsey
, Surrey
in 1964, aged 87. Even after his death, Llewellyn remained a controversial figure, as Llewellyn’s family publicly contested that he was not white, stating that his mother had been an English-born white woman.
Llewellyn's legacy as the first non-white South African Test cricketer remains large. During the apartheid period he was used to show that non-white cricketers could perform as well as their white counterparts while modern day commentators have pointed to the erratic selection of Llewellyn for South Africa throughout his career as the result of prejudice due to his skin colour.
While Llewellyn was the first non-white South African Test cricketer, it was not until Omar Henry
took the field against India in November 1992 that South Africa had its second.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n Test cricket
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
er.
Born out of wedlock in Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg is the capital and second largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838, and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its "purist" Zulu name is umGungundlovu, and this is the name used for the district municipality...
to an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
father and a black Saint Helena
Saint Helena
Saint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...
n mother, the dark-eyed and dark-skinned Llewellyn had an underprivileged upbringing in Natal
Natal, South Africa
Natal is a region in South Africa. It stretches between the Indian Ocean in the south and east, the Drakensberg in the west, and the Lebombo Mountains in the north. The main cities are Pietermaritzburg and Durban...
being considered of mixed blood. He showed all round cricketing prowess from a young age, being a hard hitting left-handed batsman, slow left arm bowler (with a dangerous chinaman
Left-arm unorthodox spin
Left-arm unorthodox spin, or chinaman, is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket using the hand wrist. Left-arm unorthodox spin bowlers use a wrist hand action to spin the ball which turns from off to leg side of the cricket pitch...
as part of his arsenal) and a great fielder, particularly at mid-off.
While the racism of late nineteenth century South Africa had led to other leading non-white players being omitted from representative sides, Llewellyn’s ability to pass himself of as white in some cases (Wilfred Rhodes
Wilfred Rhodes
Wilfred Rhodes was an English professional cricketer who played 58 Test matches for England between 1899 and 1930. In Tests, Rhodes took 127 wickets in and scored 2,325 runs, becoming the first Englishman to complete the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in Test matches...
described him as “like a rather sunburned English player"), helped clear the racial hurdle to selection and he was chosen to make his first class debut for Natal against Transvaal
South African Republic
The South African Republic , often informally known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer-ruled country in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century. Not to be confused with the present-day Republic of South Africa, it occupied the area later known as the South African...
on 13 April 1895, where he took four wickets. While now accepted as a cricketer, Llewellyn would be referred to as “coloured” throughout his career and there are reports of his race-related mistreatment by other South African players.
Duly impressed with his cricketing skill, selectors chose him in a Natal side against Lord Hawke's England XI and subsequently selected Llewellyn to make his Test debut for South Africa
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
against England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
at Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
on 2 March 1896, aged 19 years and 155 days.
Llewellyn failed to take a wicket in this first Test and was promptly omitted from the remainder of the series but responded by performing impressively in the 1897/98 and 1898/99 Currie Cup
SuperSport Series
The SuperSport Series is the main domestic first class cricket competition in South Africa, first contested in 1889-90. From 1990-91 it became known as the Castle Cup, and from 1996-97 by its current title...
s, which led to his recall to the national team for the first Test of the 1898/99 series against England. Llewellyn impressed by taking five wickets but was surprisingly left out of the second Test.
At the end of the 1898/99 series Llewellyn, perturbed by the actions of the selectors and seeking financial security, left South Africa to play for English county side Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
as a professional. He would star for Hampshire for over a decade, scoring 8772 runs at 27.58 and snaring 711 wickets at 24.66. His form was such that in 1902 Llewellyn was named in the English First Test squad against the touring Australians
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
, missing out on the final side. He was however included in an English side captained by Ranjitsinhji that toured America.
In 1902/03 Llewellyn returned to South Africa to play in the three Test series against Australia. He scored 90 in the First Test, his highest Test score, as well as taking nine wickets for the match. Llewellyn took ten wickets in the second Test and six in the third to top the series bowling average at 17.92; a remarkable achievement considering Australia won the series 3-0.
Llewellyn continued to shine for Hampshire, capped by his selection as one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year in 1910, his last year at Hampshire. He then toured Australia with the South African team, where his bowling served as fodder for Victor Trumper
Victor Trumper
Victor Thomas Trumper was an Australian cricketer known as the most stylish and versatile batsman of the Golden Age of cricket, capable of playing match-winning innings on wet wickets his contemporaries found unplayable. Archie MacLaren said of him, "Compared to Victor I was a cab-horse to a Derby...
, before returning to England in 1911 to join club side Accrington
Accrington Cricket Club
Accrington Cricket Club are a cricket club in the Lancashire League, which play their home games at Thorneyholme Road in Accrington. For the 2011 season their captain is Jimmy Hayhurst and their professional is Ashar Zaidi....
, thereby becoming the first Test cricketer to play in the Lancashire Leagues.
In 1912, South Africa brought him out of first-class retirement to play in the Triangular Tournament, scoring 75 in the first Test against England at Lord's and a further half-century against Australia at Lord's.
Llewellyn retired from Test cricket after the triangular tournament, having played 15 Tests (five against England and ten against Australia), scored 544 runs at 20.14 and 48 wickets at 29.60. He however continued to star in league cricket, finally retiring in 1938 at the age of 62.
Llewellyn broke his thigh in 1960, affecting his movement for the remainder of his life and died in Chertsey
Chertsey
Chertsey is a town in Surrey, England, on the River Thames and its tributary rivers such as the River Bourne. It can be accessed by road from junction 11 of the M25 London orbital motorway. It shares borders with Staines, Laleham, Shepperton, Addlestone, Woking, Thorpe and Egham...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
in 1964, aged 87. Even after his death, Llewellyn remained a controversial figure, as Llewellyn’s family publicly contested that he was not white, stating that his mother had been an English-born white woman.
Llewellyn's legacy as the first non-white South African Test cricketer remains large. During the apartheid period he was used to show that non-white cricketers could perform as well as their white counterparts while modern day commentators have pointed to the erratic selection of Llewellyn for South Africa throughout his career as the result of prejudice due to his skin colour.
While Llewellyn was the first non-white South African Test cricketer, it was not until Omar Henry
Omar Henry
Omar Henry is a former cricketer who played in three Tests and three One Day Internationals for South Africa. He is notable for being the first non-white player of the modern era, to play cricket for South Africa. He played extensively in Scotland.-References:...
took the field against India in November 1992 that South Africa had its second.