Herbert Wilfred Taylor (5 May 1889 – 8 February 1973) was a South African cricketer who played 42 Test matches for his country including 18 as captain of the side. Specifically a batsman, he was an expert on the matting pitches which were prevalent in South Africa at the time and scored six of his seven centuries at home. His batting was also noted for quick footwork and exceptional 'backplay'. He became the first South African to pass 2,500 Test runs and was selected one of Wisden's Cricketers of the Year in 1925. In domestic cricket, he played for Natal, Transvaal and Western Province.
Taylor's greatest achievement is generally reckoned to be scoring 508 runs at an average of 50.80 in the 1913–14 Test series against England, in spite of English bowler Sydney Barnes taking a record 49 wickets in the series at 10.93. The cricket historian H.S. Altham wrote: "The English cricketers were unanimous that finer batting than his against Barnes at his best they never hoped to see." Neville Cardus noted it was "perhaps the most skilful of all Test performances by a batsman." It also led Cardus to count Taylor as "one of the six greatest batsmen of the post-Grace period".
Cricket career
Early career Born in Durban, Taylor attended Michaelhouse School from 1903 to 1907, during which period he was coached by Sussex bowler George Cox. Taylor made his first-class debut for Natal in January 1910 against the touring MCC team, he opened the batting in both innings, scoring 55 and 30. After finishing the 1910/11 season as second highest run scorer in the Currie Cup, he was selected for South Africa's touring party to England in 1912.
Triangular tournament In the final warm-up match before the Triangular Tournament began, Taylor scored 83 in an innings victory over Worcestershire. He shared in a 146-run opening partnership with Gerald Hartigan after the home side had been dismissed for 50. In the first match of the tournament between South Africa and Australia at Old Trafford, Taylor was selected to make his Test debut. Opening South Africa's innings, in response to Australia's total of 448, Taylor was dismissed for a duck. South Africa followed on and were dismissed for 98 to lose by an innings, Taylor top-scored in the second innings with 21, having moved down the order. In the next two Tests against England he struggled for runs scoring 39 in four innings. In South Africa's second Test against Australia at Lord's he made his maiden half-century, batting at number six he top scored with 93 in a first innings total of 263. From 74/5 he put on a 97-run stand with Louis Stricker "in little more than an hour". Wisden noting that Taylor's "driving was splendid". In South Africa's two remaining fixtures he scored 31 runs, to finish with a series aggregate of 194 at an average of 19.40. South Africa had a poor series, losing five of their six Tests, drawing the other which was rain affected. Taylor finished the whole tour with 1340 runs, a figure only bettered by Dave Nourse.
The Wisden end of series report stated: "Excellent in style and a powerful driver, he is likely to make a great mark before he is much older". In 1912/13 Taylor captained Natal as they won the Currie Cup. He started his captaincy career with a match against Transvaal, in the second innings of which he scored an unbeaten 250 in 225 minutes, out of a score of 384/5 declared. Only one other player passed fifty in the match. This score remained the highest of his first-class career.
England 1913/14 England (Marylebone Cricket Club) toured South Africa in 1913/14, the tourists final game before the Tests began was against Natal at Pietermaritzburg. Taylor carried his bat in the first innings, scoring 83 in a total of 124, in the second he scored 42 not out as the match was drawn. He carried this form into the first Test at Durban, his first match as captain of South Africa. Having won the toss and chosen to bat first he made a maiden Test century, scoring 109 in about three hours and 20 minutes. Wisden described the innings as a "superb display of batting" commenting that he played "[Sydney] Barnes with perfect confidence". However Taylor got little support from his teammates and South Africa were dismissed for 182. England won the Test by an innings after the hosts had managed just 111 in the second innings, Taylor scored eight. England also won the second Test at Johannesburg by an innings, Sydney Barnes taking record Test match figures of 17/159, Taylor fell to him twice for scores of 29 and 40.
Taylor took his Test best bowling figures in the third Test which was again staged in Johannesburg, in England's first innings he took three wickets for 15 runs (3/15) from 10 overs. In dismissing Wilfred Rhodes leg before wicket he claimed his maiden Test wicket, his other two wickets were that of Frank Woolley and Morice Bird. Taylor opened the bowling in the second innings and, although expensive, claimed the wicket of Rhodes again. In terms of batting Taylor scored 14 and 70, the latter innings came in a 153-run opening stand with Billy Zulch. There was a six-week gap between the third and fourth Tests, in which period the MCC played seven tour matches. The last of these was against Natal, and just like in the earlier tour fixture Taylor dominated the scoring for the hosts. In a low scoring match he scored 91 (out of a team total of 153) and 100 (out of 216/6), as Natal won by 4 wickets. Only one other batsman in the match passed fifty.
In the fourth Test at Durban South Africa avoided defeat despite Sydney Barnes excellent form continuing, he claimed 14 more wickets to take his series tally to 49. Taylor was dismissed by him in both innings, scoring 16 in the first and 93 in the second, an innings Wisden described as "more cautious than usual". In that second innings he shared a 69-run partnership with his older brother Dan who was making his Test debut. In the fifth and final Test of the series at Port Elizabeth Taylor scored 42 and 87 as South Africa lost by ten wickets. In the second innings he shared a century stand with Billy Zulch for the second time in the series, this time they put on 129. Despite the 4–0 defeat Taylor finished the series as the leading run scorer on either side with 508 runs in 10 innings, his aggregate was 227 ahead of the next best South African, Philip Hands. This performance came while facing Barnes who finished the series with a Test record 49 wickets at 10.93. The cricket historian H. S. Altham wrote: "The English cricketers were unanimous that finer batting than his against Barnes at his best they never hoped to see". Neville Cardus wrote in the 1955 Wisden: Yet at his deadliest Barnes met a worthy opponent in H. W. Taylor, who played with ease and assurance in each Test match...how possibly could any mortal batsman be subjected to a severer ordeal—Barnes on matting, with wickets falling at the other end all the time? H. W. Taylor must be counted one of the six greatest batsmen of the post-Grace period. Cardus also wrote that Taylor's performance was "perhaps the most skilful of all Test performances by a batsman".
Post-war Taylor returned to cricket in 1919/20 having won the Military Cross in World War I. He served 18 months in the Royal Field Artillery and two years in the Royal Flying Corps. His first match back for Natal was against Transvaal in April 1920, he scored 76 but the innings was overshadowed by Dave Nourse who scored 304 not out. This was the only match of the season however formal competition (the Currie Cup) returned for the 1920/21 season. Taylor scored 150 in the opening match of the season against Orange Free State and finished with 372 runs at an average of 53.14.
The first international opponents for South Africa following the War were Australia, who toured South Africa in 1921/22. Despite the eight-year gap after the hosts' last Test, Taylor was still captain. In the first Test at Durban, Taylor was dismissed for one in the first innings, and he moved down the order to number four for the second innings and the remainder of the series. From the unaccustomed position he made scores of 29, 47, 80, 26 and 17 to finish the series with a total of 200 runs at an average of 33.33. After the first two Tests were drawn, Australia won the three match series with a ten wicket victory at Cape Town.
England 1922/23 The following season saw England tour and just like nine years previous Taylor was at his best. In the first Test at Johannesburg he batted at number three and in the second innings scored a superb 176, the next highest score in the match was 50. Taylor's knock included 25 boundaries and was the largest by a South African against England. South Africa won the Test by 168 runs, it was Taylor's first victory as captain and as a Test player. He followed that in the second Test with scores of 9 and 68 as England narrowly won by one wicket. In the third Test at Durban he was moved back up to open the innings, he scored 91 and shared 110 with Bob Catterall. The third days play was washed out leaving the draw inevitable in a four-day match. The fourth Test was also drawn, Taylor scored 11 at number four and when moved back as opener in the second innings made 101. Wisden wrote: "Taylor, who hit out freely when fear of defeat had gone, played a masterly game, but he had a little luck".
With the series still level at 1–1, the fifth and final Test was made Timeless to ensure a winner of the series. England's C. A. G. Russell scored two centuries in the match and South Africa were set a target of fourth innings target of 344. Taylor, at number four, batted for four and a half hours over an innings of 102 however he received little support from his teammates and South Africa lost by 109 runs. Taylor finished the series with 582 runs at 64.66 and was the highest scorer on either side, his total was 278 more than the next South African. His series total was at the time a Test record for a captain, later surpassed by Don Bradman in 1936. His three centuries in the series set a South African Test record which was only bettered in 2003/04 by Jacques Kallis. The Wisden report of the series recorded that "H. W. Taylor as a batsman was in a class by himself".
1924 England tour
Taylor played only two matches in the 1923/24 season prior to the South Africa tour of England in 1924. His form at the start of the tour was poor, in 11 matches before the first Test, he scored just two fifties in 18 innings. In the first Test at Edgbaston he scored 7 and 34, however his first innings was the top score for South Africa as they were dismissed for 30 in 12.3 overs. It equalled the record for the lowest Test total, the previous score of 30 also set by South Africa against England. It was also the only occasion in Test history that not a single batsman had reached double figures. Despite scoring 390 in the second innings they lost by an innings and 18 runs, the same margin of defeat followed in the second Test at Lord's where Taylor made scores of four and eight.