57-640: The CSA 4-Day Domestic Series is the domestic first class cricket competition of South Africa . The tournament is contested by teams from all nine provinces of South Africa. First contested as the Currie Cup from 1889–90, the tournament has undergone many changes and modifications in its history. In 2004, the traditional province-based format was replaced, with many teams amalgamating. In its place, six entirely professional franchises were created that represented much larger population areas. The competition underwent significant restructuring once again before
114-534: A Zimbabwean Board XI (1993–94) and Namibia cricket team (1996–97). During the 1990s, as South Africa underwent political changes, several teams changed their names to adapt: Orange Free State became Free State (1995–96); Eastern Transvaal became Easterns (1995–96); Western Transvaal became North West (1996–97); Transvaal became Gauteng (1997–98); Northern Transvaal became Northerns (1997–98); and Natal became KwaZulu-Natal (1998–99). The competition itself also changed its name for commercial reasons, becoming
171-567: A challenge final against the previous year's winner; but in 1906–07, a round-robin league format was established, which would be unchanged until 1982–83. First class cricket recommenced after the First World War in the 1920–21 season. The series continued to be held roughly two out of every three years, being cancelled during seasons which coincided with Test tours. After the 1925–26, all seven provincial teams featured in every season. They were joined temporarily by Rhodesia (who contested
228-513: A contemporary report (i.e., termed "a great match" in this case) and to have been played for a large sum of money was one in Sussex between two unnamed eleven-a-side teams contesting "fifty guineas apiece" in June 1697, a match of enormous historical significance but with no statistical data recorded. Gauteng cricket team Gauteng (formerly Transvaal ) is the first-class cricket team of
285-728: A first-class match, that the ICC clearly stipulates that its match type list "is not exhaustive and is merely indicative of the matches which would fall into the first-class definition". For example, the list includes matches of recognised first-class teams versus international touring teams; and the leading domestic championships (using their then-current names) such as the County Championship , Sheffield Shield , Ranji Trophy , etc. The absence of any ICC ruling about matches played before 1947 (or before 1895 in Great Britain)
342-617: A line between what was important historically and what should form part of the statistical record. Hence, for pre-1895 (i.e., in Great Britain) cricket matches, "first-class" is essentially a statistical concept while the historical concept is broader and takes account of historical significance. Webber's rationale was that cricket was "generally weak before 1864" (there was a greater and increasingly more organised effort to promote county cricket from about that time) and match details were largely incomplete, especially bowling analyses, which hindered compilation of records. According to Webber's view,
399-413: A major restructuring, with the six-team franchise system, as well as the semi-professional Provincial Competition, being dissolved. A new format of 15 first-class teams playing in two separate divisions, determined by promotion and relegation (after 2023/24), has been created in its place. From 2019, provinces and cricket unions submitted bids to CSA to make a case to be considered for the top division for
456-524: A once-off basis in the 1904–05 season. The Currie Cup was not contested every year, and a total of fourteen seasons were contested between its inception and the First World War . Aside from an interruption during the Boer War , typically seasons were not held when the English team were touring. The competition took on several different formats, including a knock-out structure, and a round-robin followed by
513-473: A promotion/relegation structure linked the two tiers, with the winner of the lower division generally replacing the last placed team from the top division — although this was not adhered to every season. The top division generally consisted of four or five teams. During this time, the stronger provinces began to field a 'B' team in the lower division. Transvaal B was the first to appear (1959–60), followed by Natal B (1965–66). These B-teams were not promoted to
570-509: A season Five centuries in successive innings Five centuries in six innings Five wickets in six balls Four wickets with consecutive balls Ten wickets in an innings Fifteen wickets in a match A 100 runs and 10 wickets in a match First-class cricket First-class cricket One Day International Limited overs (domestic) Twenty20 International Twenty20 (domestic) Other forms First-class cricket , along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket ,
627-634: Is "taking" the first-class matches to be one against Sydney ( sic ), two each against Victoria , the Combined team and the Australian Eleven, and another against South Australia . In the fourth issue on 1 June 1882, James Lillywhite refers to first-class matches on the tour but gives a different list. The earliest known match scorecards date from 1744 but few have been found before 1772. The cards for three 1772 matches have survived and scorecards became increasingly common thereafter. At
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#1732793088142684-399: Is a fairly comprehensive store of data about 19th century matches, certainly since 1825. Subsequently, Webber's view was challenged by Bill Frindall who believed that 1815 should be the startpoint to encompass the entire roundarm bowling phase of cricket's history, although roundarm did not begin in earnest until 1827. In Frindall's view, the inaugural first-class match should have been
741-438: Is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket . A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officially adjudged to be worthy of the status by virtue of the standard of the competing teams. Matches must allow for the teams to play two innings each, although in practice a team might play only one innings or none at all. The etymology of "first-class cricket"
798-457: Is problematic for those cricket statisticians who wish to categorise earlier matches in the same way. They have responded by compiling their own match lists and allocating a strictly unofficial first-class status to the matches they consider to have been of a high standard. It is therefore a matter of opinion only with no official support. Inevitable differences have arisen and there are variations in published cricket statistics . In November 2021,
855-484: Is unknown, but the term was used loosely before it acquired official status in 1895, following a meeting of leading English clubs. At a meeting of the Imperial Cricket Conference (ICC) in 1947, it was formally defined on a global basis. A significant omission of the ICC ruling was any attempt to define first-class cricket retrospectively. That has left historians, and especially statisticians, with
912-488: The English County Cricket structure. Kimberley (who became known as Griqualand West for the 1892–93 season) and Transvaal were joined by Western Province (1892–93), Natal , Eastern Province (both 1893–94), Border (1897–98) and Orange Free State (1903–04) — although not all of these teams competed in every season after they were established. Rhodesia and South Western Districts also competed on
969-694: The Knights in 2010–11); Eastern Province and Border became the Warriors ; North West and Gauteng became the Lions ; Northerns and Easterns became the Titans ; and KwaZulu-Natal became the Dolphins . These changes occurred across limited overs cricket as well as first class cricket, although the round-robin format was kept. In the franchise era, the Titans (formerly North Eastern Transvaal/Northern Transvaal) were
1026-639: The 1880s. In March 1889, a touring English side played a South African XI in two matches, in what would retrospectively be designated as the first Test played in South Africa. First-class domestic cricket had slowly been developing since 1876, when local settlements and towns played each other in the Cape as part of the Champion Bat Tournament . The tournament was played on five occasions, with its final edition in 1890–91. Sir Donald Currie,
1083-512: The 1980s and 1990s, the weaker provincial teams began to gradually migrate back from the Bowl competition to the Currie Cup. At the same time, those provinces' B-teams began to contest the Bowl, which gradually turned the Bowl entirely into a Currie Cup second XI competition. By 1996–97, the Bowl had split into a two-tier competition (with only the top division given first-class status), and by 1999–2000, all stand-alone provincial teams had returned to
1140-540: The 2023–24 season. Points System Teams are awarded points based on the result of the match as follows: In addition, teams earn bonus points based on their performance in the first 100 overs of each team's first innings: A points system of this basic structure was first introduced in 1971–72, and has been used in almost all seasons since; the current points system was introduced in the 2017–18 season . *Numbers in parentheses count outright championships only. Note: Transvaal B and South West Districts are not shown in
1197-443: The 60 Currie Cups contested — the only exception being Kimberley's win in the second tournament in 1890–91, won based on the result of a single game against Transvaal. In 1988–89, Eastern Province finally broke that dominance when it beat Transvaal in the final. Orange Free State would win its first championship in the 1990s, and Easterns would also win a championship in the 2000s. In first-class domestic cricket, Transvaal/Gauteng were
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#17327930881421254-596: The ACS had published its Guide to Important Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles, 1709–1863 in which it listed all the known matches during that period which it considered to have historical importance. The ACS did stipulate that they had taken a more lenient view of importance regarding matches played in the 18th century than they did of matches played in the 19th century. As they explained, surviving details of 18th century matches are typically incomplete while there
1311-464: The ACS' Important Matches guide, which have left no scorecard and for which only a brief announcement or report exists, must be based on other factors. Contemporary importance was often measured by the amount of money at stake and the fact that a match was deemed notable enough to be reported in the press. The 18th century matches in the ACS list were primarily compiled to assist historians. The earliest match known to have been accorded superior status in
1368-459: The Bowl in 1980–81, and entered the Cup in 1993–94; and Eastern Transvaal and Western Transvaal , who entered the Bowl in 1991–92, and were the last two teams promoted to the top level in 1999–2000. During the same time, the Bowl competition was joined by Northern Transvaal B (1982–83), Orange Free State B (1989–90), Border B and Boland B (1993–94) and Griqualand West B (1997–98), as well as
1425-539: The Castle Cup in 1990–91, and then the SuperSport Series in 1996–97. During this era, the format of the competition changed several times. In 1982–83, a final was played between the top two teams; this was expanded to a four-team knock-out in 1983–84 and contracted to a three-team knock-out in 1985–86. In 1987–88, the league was split into two pools with a single final between the pool winners. In 1990–91,
1482-580: The Currie Cup, with the Bowl being shut down as a first-class competition. Northern Transvaal was the first team to return to the Currie Cup, in 1979–80; that same year was the final year for Rhodesia, which did not participate following the end of white-minority rule and independence. Orange Free State returned to the Currie Cup in 1985–86. Border returned permanently in 1991–92 (following an unsuccessful two-season return in 1985–86 and 1986–87). Griqualand West returned in 1996–97. In addition, three new provincial teams entered during this time: Boland , who entered
1539-419: The ICC and the application of ICC conditions when the match is played. In 2010, the ICC published its Classification of Official Cricket which includes the criteria with which a match must comply to achieve a desired categorisation. In the section on first-class cricket, there is a list of the types of match that should qualify. It is important to note, given the differences in opinion about what constitutes
1596-463: The ICC retrospectively applied first-class status to women's cricket , aligning it with the men's game. A key issue for the statisticians is when first-class cricket for their purpose is deemed to have begun. Writing in 1951, Roy Webber argued that the majority of matches prior to 1864 (i.e., the year in which overarm bowling was legalised) "cannot be regarded as first-class" and their records are used "for their historical associations". This drew
1653-697: The answers. In 1880, the Cricket Reporting Agency was founded. It acquired influence through the decade especially by association with Wisden Cricketers' Almanack ( Wisden ) and the press came to generally rely on its information and opinions. The term acquired official status, though limited to matches in Great Britain, following a meeting at Lord's in May 1894 between the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) committee and
1710-400: The beginning of the 1860s, there were only four formally constituted county clubs. Sussex was the oldest, formed in 1839, and it had been followed by Kent , Nottinghamshire and Surrey . In the early 1860s, several more county clubs were founded, and questions began to be raised in the sporting press about which should be categorised as first-class, but there was considerable disagreement in
1767-588: The consecutive 1929–30 and 1931–32 season), and permanently by North Eastern Transvaal in 1937–38, which was the final season before World War II . In all, eleven seasons were played between the wars. During this time, cricket in South Africa began to spread outside the British settler diaspora, particularly in the Afrikaner and Indian community. However, cricket remained strictly, although not yet legally, segregated with various national bodies governing cricket for
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1824-431: The country's highest playing standard. Later ICC rulings make it possible for international teams from associate members of the ICC to achieve first-class status but it is dependent on the status of their opponents in a given match. According to the ICC definition, a match may be adjudged first-class if: A Test match is a first-class match played between two ICC full member countries, subject to their current status at
1881-482: The different racial groups. First-class domestic continued to be white-only. After an eight-year hiatus, the Currie Cup restarted in 1946–47 with all eight provincial teams and Rhodesia (who would now feature permanently) In 1951–52, the competition adopted a two-tiered structure, which was retained in some format until 1999–2000 (except for a one-off recombination into a single division in 1960–61). From its inception, until South Africa's international isolation in 1971,
1938-430: The domestic game. Domestic cricket in South Africa reached its peak during the years of isolation in the 1970s and 1980s. With standards exceptionally high, spectators came in their thousands to watch Currie Cup cricket due to the inability to support the national team following South Africa's expulsion in 1970 by the ICC. The two-division format was retained, but promotion/relegation was abandoned, and from 1971 to 1972,
1995-481: The founder of the Castle Shipping Line and the sponsor of the 1889 English tour, donated a trophy for the champions of the promising domestic competition. The 'Currie Cup' was first awarded to Kimberley , who had beaten Transvaal in the single match competition of 1889–90. From 1892 to 1893, the competition began to take the familiar form of province-based competition in a champion format, inspired by
2052-577: The inaugural first-class match was the opening game of the 1864 season between Cambridge University and MCC at Fenner's on 12 and 13 May, Cambridge winning by 6 wickets. When the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians (ACS) published its Guide to First-Class Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles in 1982, it tentatively agreed with Webber's 1864 start date by saying that "the line between first-class and other matches becomes more easily discernible about that date". A year earlier,
2109-435: The inaugural first-class match was the opening game of the 1895 season between MCC and Nottinghamshire at Lord's on 1 and 2 May, MCC winning by 37 runs. " Test match " was another loosely applied term at the time but the first list of matches considered to be "Tests" was conceived and published by South Australian journalist Clarence P. Moody in his 1894 book, Australian Cricket and Cricketers, 1856 to 1893–94 . His proposal
2166-518: The initial two seasons. The bidding process was overseen by the Independent Evaluation Committee (IEE) who took into account a range of criteria, such as cricketing and financial operations, women's and age-group development, transformation policies and stadium infrastructure. Eight teams make up the first division, with 16 contracted players each, and seven teams the second division, with 11 contracted players each, taking
2223-717: The internet, the CricketArchive (CA) and ESPN Cricinfo (CI) databases both say the earliest first-class match was Hampshire v England at Broadhalfpenny Down on 24 and 25 June 1772. At that time, cricket matches were played with a two-stump wicket and exclusively underarm bowling , although other features of the modern game had been introduced. The opinion of these databases has been repudiated by both Wisden and Playfair Cricket Annual . Wisden agrees with Frindall by commencing its first-class records in 1815. Playfair supports Webber and begins its records in 1864. The status of earlier matches, including many in
2280-437: The league returned to a single pool with no final. The final returned in 1998–99. Then, with eleven teams from 1999 to 2000, the league adopted a format similar to the 1999 Cricket World Cup , with a super eight or super six round before a single final. The most notable feature of this era was the end of the dominance of Transvaal, Natal and Western Province. Prior to the 1988–89 season, the three teams had amongst them won 59 of
2337-657: The most successful of the South African domestic sides, winning 25 times. The club's most glorious period was the 1980s when they were dubbed the "Mean Machine". For the purposes of the SuperSport Series , Gauteng merged with North West (formerly Western Transvaal ) to form the Highveld Lions or, more simply, "the Lions" (from October 2004 to 2021). In April 2021, Cricket South Africa confirmed
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2394-522: The most successful team to have played, winning the competition 25 times between 1889–90 and 2004–05, as well as four shared titles. In 2004–05, the format of South African domestic cricket was changed entirely. The eleven provincial teams were rationalised into six new teams: Western Province and Boland merged to form the Cape Cobras ; Griqualand West and Free State formed the Eagles (who later became
2451-547: The most successful, winning six titles. The eleven provincial Currie Cup teams, as well as South Western Districts and KwaZulu-Natal Inland , continued to compete separately in the Provincial Three-Day Challenge , which remained a first-class competition, although on a semi-professional level and no longer the top level of red-ball cricket in South Africa. In March 2021, Cricket South Africa announced that South African domestic cricket would undergo
2508-426: The new format being seen as a return to the more traditional structure, some of South Africa's nine provinces have more than one team. Only Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and North West – the least populated provinces – will have one team. Some new sides have opted to keep the name of their previous franchises to which they belonged, whilst others have decided on new branding. Division allocation as of
2565-527: The opening game of the 1815 season between MCC and Middlesex at Lord's on 31 May and 1 June, Middlesex winning by 16 runs. Notwithstanding Frindall's reputation, Webber's view has been revived and reinforced in recent times. For example, the Kent researcher Derek Carlaw began his study of Kent cricketers since 1806 by stating: "Part One is confined to players who appeared for Kent in important matches from 1806 to 1863 and first-class matches from 1864 to 1914". On
2622-590: The problem of how to categorise earlier matches, especially those played in Great Britain before 1895. The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians (ACS) has published a list of early matches which are believed to have been of a high standard. Test cricket , the highest standard of cricket, is statistically a form of first-class cricket, though the term "first-class" is mainly used to refer to domestic competition. A player's first-class statistics include any performances in Test matches. Before 1894 "first-class"
2679-486: The secretaries of the clubs involved in the official County Championship , which had begun in 1890. As a result, those clubs became first-class from 1895 along with MCC, Cambridge University , Oxford University , senior cricket touring teams (i.e., Australia and South Africa at that time) and other teams designated as such by MCC (e.g., North v South , Gentlemen v Players and occasional "elevens" which consisted of recognised first-class players). Officially, therefore,
2736-458: The southern parts of Gauteng province of South Africa . The team was called Transvaal from April 1890 to April 1997 (the area north of Johannesburg, including Pretoria being part of the Northerns , formerly Northern Transvaal ). Under the main competition's various names – the Currie Cup, then the Castle Cup, now the SuperSport Series – Transvaal/Gauteng cricket team has been
2793-417: The start of the 2021–22 season . The six-team franchise system was disbanded, and the tournament returned to its more traditional format. Fifteen province-based teams now compete across two divisions, determined by promotion and relegation. Like many other Commonwealth nations, cricket was first introduced by the British in the early 19th Century, with the sport becoming firmly established in South Africa by
2850-617: The status of teams. For example, MCC was authorised to determine the status of matches played in Great Britain. To all intents and purposes, the 1947 ICC definition confirmed the 1894 MCC definition, and gave it international recognition and usage. Hence, official judgment of status is the responsibility of the governing body in each country that is a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC). The governing body grants first-class status to international teams and to domestic teams that are representative of
2907-502: The table. Each contested only one season in the top division, and neither finished in the top two. Note: Includes only Currie Cup lower division and Bowl seasons with full first-class status. Note: To minimise the size of the table, teams which contested five or fewer seasons without winning or placing second are not shown. These teams were: Orange Free State B/Free State B, Rhodesia B/Zimbabwe-Rhodesia B, Griqualand West B, Zimbabwe Board XI, Border B and Boland B. Two double centuries in
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#17327930881422964-603: The top division remained constant with five teams: Transvaal, Natal, Eastern Province, Western Province and Rhodesia. The second division expanded with more B-teams: Western Province B joining in 1975–76, and Eastern Province B and Rhodesia B joining in 1977–78. During the 1970s, the second division became a separate competition from the Currie Cup, known initially as the Castle Bowl (and later under different commercial names, such as UCB Bowl). In 1971–72, North Eastern Transvaal became known as Northern Transvaal . Through
3021-520: The top division when they won the lower competition. Since the 1965–66 season, the Currie Cup has been contested every year, and was no longer suspended during international tours. The introduction of apartheid (separation of racial groups by strict legal enforcement) following the 1948 General Election did not have a great impact on the domestic competition. Although previously not bound legally, first-class cricket had long been de facto white-only and international opinion had little practical effect on
3078-412: The total to 205. CSA believes that the new format will provide more opportunities for players to compete at a high standard just below international cricket, in turn providing a wider talent pool for the national selectors. It is hoped that wider selection of teams at the highest domestic level will help increase playing opportunities of all races, particularly those currently underrepresented. Although
3135-597: Was a common adjective applied to cricket matches in England, used loosely to suggest that a match had a high standard; adjectives like "great", "important" and "major" were also loosely applied to such matches, but there tended to be differences of opinion. In the inaugural issue of Cricket: A Weekly Record of the Game on 10 May 1882, the term is used twice on page 2 in reference to the recently completed tour of Australia and New Zealand by Alfred Shaw's XI . The report says it
3192-540: Was formally defined by the then Imperial Cricket Conference (ICC) on 19 May 1947. It was made clear that the definition "will not have retrospective effect". The definition is as follows: A match of three or more days' duration between two sides of eleven players officially adjudged first-class, shall be regarded as a first-class fixture. Matches in which either team have more than eleven players or which are scheduled for less than three days shall not be regarded as first-class. The Governing body in each country shall decide
3249-610: Was widely accepted after a list of 39 matches was reproduced in the 28 December 1894 issue of Cricket magazine. The list began with the Melbourne Cricket Ground match played 15–17 March 1877 and ended with a recent match at the Association Ground, Sydney played 14–20 December 1894. All of Moody's matches, plus four additional ones, were retrospectively recognised as Test matches and also, thereby, as first-class matches. The term "first-class cricket"
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