Career
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. When Lord Hawke brought England to the continent in 1895/96, Rowe was selected for the 2nd and 3rd Test matches of the series.
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.
Back in England with South Africa in 1901, he again shone, taking 136 wickets in all first-class matches at an average of 18.54. On the way home from England in 1902, Australia stopped off at the Cape and played half-a-dozen matches during October and November.
Rowe was selected for one of the three Test matches but did little of note in a drawn game played at Johannesburg. His best innings analysis was 8 for 25 (11 for 50 in the match) claimed at the expense of South-West Districts at Mossel Bay in 1904/05.
And his best match figures were 13 for 155 against Cambridge University at Fenner"s on the 1901 tour.
He was nothing much of note as a batsman, playing as he always did in the “tail”. Number obituary appeared within Wisden for George Rowe after his death.
