Arthur Edward Ochse
Encyclopedia
Arthur Edward Ochse - One of the many unfortunate victims of the First World War, Arthur Ochse was born at Graaff-Reinet, Cape Colony
, South Africa
on March 11, 1870, and died at Messines Ridge, France
on April 11, 1918, aged 48. He was a middle-order batsman who, along with the entire South African team of 1888/89
, made his first-class
debut in his country’s very first Test
match, played against England
at Port Elizabeth. At 19 years and 1 day old, he was South Africa’s youngest Test debutant (a record since surpassed) and he retained his place for the second Test played two weeks later. But like so many of his team-mates, his inexperience against such good opposition showed. In four innings against Major Warton’s team, Ochse scored just 16 runs as England ran out comprehensive winners in South Africa’s first two representative matches played on level terms. During the second innings
of the second Test, played at Cape Town, Ochse was bowled by England's slow left arm spinner, Johnny Briggs
. And by so being, along with seven of his team-mates, all of them bowled, he became one of Briggs' eight victims in a then Test record of eight wickets for 11 runs in an innings (and 15 for 28 in a match). Domestically, he played occasionally for Transvaal
, once in 1891 and twice more in 1895. In the match against Kimberley played at Johannesburg
in the Currie Cup
season of 1890/91, he was unlucky to miss out on a maiden century when, in the second innings, he fell one run short of that respectable milestone. By scoring 45 runs in Transvaal’s first innings and taking 2 wickets for 27 runs in Kimberley’s first innings (2 for 75 in the match), this match proved to be the height of Ochse’s cricketing achievements. Killed on the Western Front
during Germany’s 1918 Spring Offensive
, his death went unrecorded at the time. Therefore, no obituary appeared within the covers of Wisden for him.
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
on March 11, 1870, and died at Messines Ridge, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
on April 11, 1918, aged 48. He was a middle-order batsman who, along with the entire South African team of 1888/89
History of cricket in South Africa to 1918
This article describes the history of South African cricket from its known beginnings until the end of the First World War in 1918.First-class cricket was introduced to South Africa in the 1888-89 season with the arrival of the first English touring team and the presentation by Sir Donald Currie of...
, made his first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
debut in his country’s very first Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
match, played against England
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
at Port Elizabeth. At 19 years and 1 day old, he was South Africa’s youngest Test debutant (a record since surpassed) and he retained his place for the second Test played two weeks later. But like so many of his team-mates, his inexperience against such good opposition showed. In four innings against Major Warton’s team, Ochse scored just 16 runs as England ran out comprehensive winners in South Africa’s first two representative matches played on level terms. During the second innings
Innings
An inning, or innings, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably cricket and baseball during which one team attempts to score while the other team attempts to prevent the first from scoring. In cricket, the term innings is both singular and plural and is...
of the second Test, played at Cape Town, Ochse was bowled by England's slow left arm spinner, Johnny Briggs
Johnny Briggs (cricketer)
Johnny Briggs was a left arm spin bowler for Lancashire County Cricket Club between 1879 and 1900 who still stands as the second-highest wicket-taker in the county's history after Brian Statham...
. And by so being, along with seven of his team-mates, all of them bowled, he became one of Briggs' eight victims in a then Test record of eight wickets for 11 runs in an innings (and 15 for 28 in a match). Domestically, he played occasionally for Transvaal
Transvaal cricket team
Gauteng cricket team is the first-class cricket team of the province of Gauteng in South Africa....
, once in 1891 and twice more in 1895. In the match against Kimberley played at Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
in the Currie Cup
SuperSport Series
The SuperSport Series is the main domestic first class cricket competition in South Africa, first contested in 1889-90. From 1990-91 it became known as the Castle Cup, and from 1996-97 by its current title...
season of 1890/91, he was unlucky to miss out on a maiden century when, in the second innings, he fell one run short of that respectable milestone. By scoring 45 runs in Transvaal’s first innings and taking 2 wickets for 27 runs in Kimberley’s first innings (2 for 75 in the match), this match proved to be the height of Ochse’s cricketing achievements. Killed on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
during Germany’s 1918 Spring Offensive
Spring Offensive
The 1918 Spring Offensive or Kaiserschlacht , also known as the Ludendorff Offensive, was a series of German attacks along the Western Front during World War I, beginning on 21 March 1918, which marked the deepest advances by either side since 1914...
, his death went unrecorded at the time. Therefore, no obituary appeared within the covers of Wisden for him.
See also
- Arthur Lennox OchseArthur Lennox OchseArthur Lennox Ochse was a South African cricketer who played in 3 Tests from 1928 to 1929.-See also:*Arthur Edward Ochse...