Hugh Tayfield facts for kids
The South African touring team in 1952–53.
Tayfield is standing at the far left. |
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| Full name |
Hugh Joseph Tayfield
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| Born | 30 January 1929 Durban, Natal Province, Union of South Africa |
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| Died | 24 February 1994 (aged 65) Hillcrest, Natal Province, South Africa |
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| Nickname | Toey | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm offbreak | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut | 24 December 1949 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 18 August 1960 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricInfo, 3 March 2017
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Hugh Joseph Tayfield (born January 30, 1929 – died February 24, 1994) was a famous South African cricket player. He played 37 Test matches for the South Africa team. He played from 1949 to 1960. Many people thought he was one of the best "off spinners" in cricket history. An off spinner is a bowler who spins the ball away from a right-handed batter.
Hugh Tayfield was the fastest South African to take 100 wickets in Test matches. He held this record for many years. In 1956, he was honored as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year. His friends called him 'Toey'. This nickname came from his habit of tapping his toes into the ground before he bowled. He also had a special routine: he would kiss the badge on his cap before giving it to the umpire at the start of each over.
Contents
A Family of Cricketers
Hugh Tayfield came from a family that loved cricket. His uncle, Sidney Martin, played for a team called Worcestershire County Cricket Club. Hugh's brothers, Arthur and Cyril, also played cricket. They played for the Transvaal cricket team. Two of his cousins, Hugh Martin and Ian Tayfield, were also cricketers.
Early Career and Big Moments
Hugh Tayfield started playing for the Natal when he was only 17 years old. This was in the 1945–46 season. When he was 18, he achieved a hat-trick against the Transvaal team. A hat-trick in cricket means taking three wickets with three consecutive balls.
Test Debut Against Australia
In 1949–50, another player named Athol Rowan got injured. This meant Hugh Tayfield was quickly chosen to play for South Africa. His first Test match was against Australia. He played in all five matches of that series. In one match in Durban, the ground was wet and tricky for batting. Tayfield took seven wickets for only 23 runs (7/23). Australia's team went from a strong start to being all out for only 75 runs.
Success in England and Australia
In 1951, Tayfield went on a tour to England. He was a substitute player and had a quiet tour. But in 1952–53, he became a key player for South Africa in Australia. He played under the captain Jack Cheetham. He took 30 wickets in that series. Thirteen of those wickets were in a match in Melbourne. This helped South Africa win against Australia for the first time in 42 years!
Tayfield returned to England in 1955 and had even more success. He took 143 wickets during the whole tour. In the Test series, he took 26 wickets. This included nine wickets in South Africa's win at Headingley. In another match at the Oval, he took five wickets for 60 runs.
Bowling Style and Records
Hugh Tayfield was known for his amazing accuracy when bowling. He bowled "over the wicket," which means he bowled from the side of the stumps. He would make the ball drift away from the batter in the air. Then, it would spin back sharply towards the stumps. He might not have spun the ball as much as some other bowlers, but he was incredibly precise. He could bowl for a very long time without getting tired.
Record-Breaking Spell
In a match against England in Durban in 1956–57, Tayfield set a record. He bowled 119 balls in England's first innings. Then, he immediately bowled another 18 balls in their second innings. He did all of this without letting the other team score a single run! This was a record for both Test and first-class cricket.
Partnership with Trevor Goddard
Tayfield liked to set up an aggressive field for the batters. This was a contrast to his steady bowling style. He worked very well with another player named Trevor Goddard. The South African team also had great fielders who helped them catch balls. In the 1956–57 series against England, Tayfield took 37 wickets. Each wicket cost the team only 17.18 runs on average.
In the Fourth Test match in Johannesburg, he took nine wickets for 113 runs in the second innings. He bowled without a break on the last day of the match. After his amazing performance, his teammates carried him off the field. He even caught the only batter he didn't dismiss himself!
Later Career
In 1960, Tayfield toured England again. He took 123 wickets during the tour. However, he did not do as well in the Test matches. His career started to slow down, and he lost his place in the team in 1961–62.
Hugh Tayfield passed away in a hospital in Durban on February 24, 1994. He was 65 years old.
