The Troubled Tour

The South African tour of England in 1960 was far from ordinary. The Springboks, under captain Jackie McGlew – and with fine players like Roy McLean, Hugh Tayfield and Neil Adcock – arrived full of confidence, but that confidence was quickly shaken. The tour began a few weeks after the Sharpeville massacre of April that year, and the cricket took place just as the world was waking up to the evils of apartheid. Then there was the ‘no-balling’ of Geoff Griffin, a controversy that had a great deal more to it than met the eye, revealing the sometimes unfortunate intervention of administrators into umpiring decisions. It may also have decided the series, for England won rather easily, but this of course was the era of the great English bowlers Brian Statham and Fred Trueman. All this took place before the all-seeing eyes of the new medium of television, and it was one of the first tours to be featured in detail on BBC TV. The Troubled Tour leaves no stone unturned to bring you the full story of that extraordinary tour.

Author Biography

David Potter, a retired teacher, has written around 50 books, mainly on Scottish football, but a few on cricket as well. South Africa’s 1960 tour of England was the first that really excited his interest in cricket, as he watched it through the new medium of television. He was never a great player, but has contributed to the game in umpiring and scoring. He is currently the scorer of Falkland CC in Scotland.