Dudley Nourse facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Dudley Nourse

Personal information
Full name	Arthur Dudley Nourse
Born	(1910-11-12)12 November 1910 Durban, Natal, South Africa
Died	14 August 1981(1981-08-14) (aged 70) Durban, Natal, South Africa
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm
Role	Batsman
Relations	Dave Nourse (Father)
International information
National side	South Africa
Test debut (cap 140)	15 June 1935 v England
Last Test	16 August 1951 v England
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1931–1953	Natal
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class Matches 34 175 Runs scored 2,960 12,472 Batting average 53.81 51.53 100s/50s 9/14 41/54 Top score 231 260* Balls bowled 20 250 Wickets 0 0 Bowling average – – 5 wickets in innings – – 10 wickets in match – – Best bowling – – Catches/stumpings 12/0 135/0
Source: CricketArchive, 30 January 2009

Arthur Dudley Nourse (born 12 November 1910 – died 14 August 1981) was a famous South African Test player. He was mainly a batsman, which means he was good at hitting the ball. Dudley Nourse was also the captain of the South African team from 1948 to 1951.

Dudley Nourse's Early Life

Dudley Nourse was born in Durban, South Africa. His father was Arthur (Dave) Nourse, who was also a famous South African Test cricketer. Dave Nourse played in 45 Test matches in a row from 1902 to 1924.

Dudley was named after William Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley. Lord Dudley was the Governor-General of Australia in 1910. This happened because Dudley's father, Dave Nourse, scored many runs in a cricket game in Australia. Lord Dudley was impressed and suggested the name.

Dudley Nourse's Cricket Career

When he was young, Dudley Nourse played both cricket and football. His father wanted him to learn cricket by himself, just like he had. At 18, Dudley decided to focus only on cricket. He started playing for the Umbilo Cricket Club in Durban.

He played first-class cricket for the Natal cricket team from 1931 to 1952. He also played 34 Test matches for South Africa. His international career lasted 16 years, from 1935 to 1951. In his second match for Natal, he scored a century (100 runs). His father was playing for the other team, Western Province, in that game.

Nourse's Batting Style

Dudley Nourse was a strong and aggressive batsman. He was built like his father, with broad shoulders and strong arms. He often hit the ball from his back foot. He was good at cutting the ball square, hooking it, and driving it on the off side. He was also a very good fielder and caught the ball well.

International Debut

Nourse joined the tour to England in 1935. Herby Wade was the captain of the team. This is when Dudley Nourse played his first Test match. He scored a century in three games in a row during this tour. After these great performances, a famous cricket writer, Plum Warner, said, "A Nourse, a Nourse, my kingdom for a Nourse."

In his first two Test matches, he didn't score many runs. He was not chosen for the Third Test. But in the Fourth Test at Old Trafford, he scored 53 runs and was not out. South Africa won the Second Test at Lord's and won the series 1–0.

Playing Against Australia

Nourse played at home against Australia in 1935–36. In the second Test in Johannesburg, he scored zero runs in the first part of the game. But then, in the second part, he scored 231 runs! This was his first century in a Test match. Dudley Nourse is the only batsman to score over 200 runs in the second part of a Test match after getting zero in the first part.

That match ended in a draw, which caused some debate. The South Africa captain, Wade, said the light was too bad to play safely. Australia won the other four matches and the series 4–0.

The Timeless Test

Because of the international cricket schedule, South Africa did not play Test cricket for three years. Nourse then played against the English team in 1938–39. In a famous 10-day-long game called the timeless Test at Durban, he took six hours to score a century.

World War II and Return to Cricket

Dudley Nourse was at his best as a player when World War II started. He lost six years of international cricket because of the war. During this time, he served in the Middle East.

South Africa started playing Test cricket again in 1947. Nourse went on the tour to England as the vice-captain. Alan Melville was the captain. South Africa lost that series 3–0. Nourse was the best South African batsman on that tour. Because of their great playing, he and Melville were named Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1948.

Dudley Nourse as Captain

Nourse's career performance graph, showing his runs over time.

Dudley Nourse became the captain of South Africa for their home series against England in 1948–49. He stayed captain until he retired in 1951. He led his country in fifteen matches. These included two home series against England (lost 2–0) and Australia (lost 4–0). He also captained the team on the tour to England in 1951.

His Most Famous Game

In the 1951 series, Nourse played his most famous game. It was against England in the First Test at Trent Bridge. He batted for 9 hours! He had a pin in his right thumb because it had been broken earlier. Every time he hit the ball, his thumb hurt more. Even with the pain, he scored 208 runs in the first part of the game.

After that, he couldn't play in the field or bat in the second part of the game. His 208 runs were the first time a South African scored over 200 runs against England. This score helped South Africa win a Test match for the first time in 16 years. It was Nourse's first win as captain. England won three of the other matches, and the series ended 3–1.

Dudley Nourse's Later Life

Dudley Nourse stopped playing Test cricket after the 1951 tour. He played his last first-class match in 1953. He was named South African Cricket Annual Cricketer of the Year in 1952.

When he retired, he had the highest batting average of any South African batsman. Only Barry Richards, Graeme Pollock, and Jacques Kallis have a higher average now. He scored 9 centuries in Test matches, with 7 of them against England. He is one of the few Test batsmen to retire with a batting average of over 50 runs.

His book, Cricket in the Blood, was published in 1949. After playing, he helped choose players for South Africa. He also managed the team that toured England in 1960, which was captained by Jackie McGlew.

Dudley Nourse passed away in Durban.

Images for kids

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  Dudley Nourse in 1935.