Austen Cowper

**Sydney Austen Cowper** (13th October, 1885 – 17th June, 1960) be a South African-born cricketer wey ein six-match first-class career span from 1908 to 1924. He play once give Western Province insyd South African domestic cricket, twice for de Argentine national side, den finally three times for Rhodesia (an antecedent of de present-day Zimbabwean national side).
## South Africa
Dem born am insyd Cape Town, Cowper make ein first-class debut insyd January 1908, wey he play give Western Province against Natal at Cape Town ein Newlands ground. De Currie Cup be only contest irregularly at dat stage, den, plus a South African representative side touring England at de time, de 1907–08 season see very little cricket played – indeed, only two first-class matches, both between Western Province den Natal, na dem play thru out de whole season. Cowper ein debut cam insyd de first of these matches. A left-arm medium-pacer, he bowl only five overs on debut, taking 1/21 insyd Natal's second innings as Western Province win by three wickets. James Whitehead (match figures of 10/83) den Paddy Carolin (6/67) take​ 16 wickets between dem for Western Province.  
## Argentina
He arrive insyd Buenos Aires insyd July 1910, Cowper cam turn one of de chaw workers of British den Irish ancestry insyd Argentina (den neighbouring countries). He play give de South insyd Argentine cricket ein annual "North v South" fixture insyd February 1911, dem host for de Hurlingham Club Ground, wey he take ten wickets give de match, 5/42 den 5/38. During de following 1911–12 season, a Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) side tour Argentina from England, wey dey play a number of fixtures. Insyd de inaugural game of de tour, Cowper appear for a representative Southern Suburbs side insyd a two-day game for de Talleres Club Ground. He take 3/147 insyd de MCC ein first innings of 439 all out, wey na dem force de Southern Suburbs team make dem follow on after he score 202 insyd dema own first innings. He cam in eighth insyd de batting order insyd de second innings, Cowper score 182 runs out of a team total of 274, before finally dem dismiss am by Rockley Wilson. Na dem consequently select am for de Argentine national side insyd two of de three first-class fixtures dem play against de MCC. However, he get little success insyd those matches, wey he score only 16 runs from three innings den failingmake he take a wicket.

## Rhodesia
By March 1921, Cowper return to Africa, wey he play for Salisbury (now Harare) against Bulawayo insyd Southern Rhodesia ein Logan Cup. Transvaal visit Rhodesia during de 1922–23 season, wey he play two first-class fixtures towards de end of de season (one insyd Salisbury den one insyd Bulawayo). Cowper play insyd both of those matches, wey he take a single wicket insyd de first den two wickets insyd de second. Na de second match be notable for de performance of Transvaal ein Doug Meintjes, wey take 12 wickets for de match (4/64 den 8/63), den bowled six Rhodesian batsmen (wey dey include Cowper) insyd de team ein second innings.

Cowper ein final first-class match cam insyd December 1924, wen na he aged 39. An English team organise by Solomon Joel (den captain by The Hon. Lionel Tennyson) tour South Africa during de 1924–25 season, sanso dey play a single fixture against Rhodesia insyd Bulawayo. Cowper play insyd dat match, wey dem take 4/65 insyd de English team ein first innings of 294 all out, ein best first-class bowling figures. He dismiss four Test players – Percy Holmes, Jack Russell, Tennyson, den Harold Gilligan. However, Rhodesia soon na he follow on after wey dey make only 121 insyd dema own first innings, wey he eventually lost de match by eight wickets. Cowper ein contribution of 18 not out to Rhodesia ein second innings wey na e sanso be ein highest score at first-class level.

An architect, na Cowper be briefly partners plus James Cope Christie, a Rhodesian pioneer. He die insyd Salisbury insyd June 1960.

## References