George Rowe (cricketer)

One of the earliest successful South African bowlers, George Rowe was born in Grahamstown, Cape Colony, on 15 June 1874.

He was a slow left-arm orthodox bowler and claimed five wickets in an innings on thirteen occasions, converting five of them into ten-wicket match hauls.

He first made his mark on South Africa's non-first-class tour of England in 1894 where he was the pick of the bowlers in a wet summer, taking 136 wickets at 12.87 apiece.

In the first of these, played at the Old Wanderers Ground, at Johannesburg, not only did he bowl T. C. O'Brien with his second ball in Tests, he also distinguished himself with 5 wickets for 115 runs in England's only innings.

[1] Lord Hawke and England returned in 1898–99 and Rowe played in both Tests, taking a total of 7 for 186 as the visitors won the series.