South Africa's Googly Quartet — Schwarz, Vogler, Faulkner, White, England 1907

The South African tour was one of the country's first since the Anglo-Boer War. Sherwell, the wicketkeeper-captain, was widely respected. The team had toured Australia in 1902-03 (briefly) but was effectively unknown in England. The selection of four wrist-spinners reflected the influence of the matting wickets at home, where wrist-spin had developed differently from England's slow left-armers.

Schwarz had studied at Cambridge, where he played rugby for England, and had then joined Middlesex where he overlapped with Bosanquet. He brought the technique south, but in matting conditions it became more virulent: Vogler in particular bowled it at near-medium pace.

England were strong on paper — Jackson had retired but Tom Hayward, Wilfred Rhodes and George Hirst were available, with Reggie Foster captain in his only home series in charge. South Africa were unfancied. The Lord's Test, drawn after a wet first day, gave the first hint that the visiting bowlers were not ordinary club leg-spinners.

South Africa had played Tests at home since 1888-89 but had never sent a team to England considered first-class until 1907. Captained by Percy Sherwell, the side included an extraordinary quartet of wrist-spinners. Reggie Schwarz, born in London but living in Johannesburg, had played for Middlesex with Bernard Bosanquet and learned the googly directly from him. He brought it back to South Africa, where Bert Vogler, Aubrey Faulkner and Gordon White all picked it up.

The three-Test series was played at Lord's, Headingley and The Oval. England won the second Test at Headingley despite being reduced to 76 in the first innings — Faulkner taking 6 for 17 in 11 overs after lunch, including a spell of 6 for 8 in 41 balls. The third Test at The Oval was drawn. The series was won 1-0 by England, but the impact of the South African bowling was the talking point of the summer.

Schwarz topped the tour bowling averages with 137 wickets at 11.79; Vogler took 119 at 14.69; Faulkner 64 at 15.82; White 47 at 22. Schwarz and Vogler were both named Wisden Cricketers of the Year for 1908. Their bowling was the first sustained demonstration of the googly's possibilities in Test conditions and changed the tactical assumptions of every spin attack thereafter.

“The South Africans' bowling left an indelible mark on English cricket.”

“Their googly bowling was a revelation.”

The South African board, encouraged by the tour, pushed at MCC for membership of an Imperial body. Two years later, in 1909, the Imperial Cricket Conference was founded with England, Australia and South Africa as members.

The four bowlers themselves had varying fates. Schwarz served in the First World War and died of influenza in 1918, days after armistice. Vogler's career fizzled after personal troubles. White was killed in action at Cambrai in 1918. Only Faulkner had a long post-war career, becoming a teacher in London and dying tragically by suicide in 1930.