Frank "Nipper" Nicholson (17 September 1909 – 30 July 1982) was a South African

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

er who played in four

Test matches Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to: * Test cricket * Test match (indoor cricket) * Test match (rugby union) * Test match (rugby league) * Test match (association football) ...

in 1935–36. Nicholson was a right-hand batsman and wicket-keeper who was a mainstay of the often-weak

Griqualand West cricket team Northern Cape (formerly Griqualand West) is a first-class cricket team that nominally represents the South African province of Northern Cape in the CSA Provincial Competitions. The team is selected and supported by Northern Cape Cricket and plays i ...

for 20 years from 1927, sometimes acting as captain and often opening the batting. It was as an opener that he scored his first century, an innings of 131 against Western Province in the 1929–30 season; with a double century from

Ken Viljoen Kenneth George Viljoen (14 May 1910 – 21 January 1974) was a South African cricketer who played in 27 Test matches from 1930–31 to 1948–49. He was later a manager of post–World War II South African teams. He was born in Windsorton, Cap ...

and 101 from Xen Balaskas, Griqualand West totalled 603, which remains the team's highest first-class total. He improved on that innings with a score of 148 in 1933–34 against Orange Free State. Then a year later against the same opposition, he was opening batsman, wicketkeeper and captain and he scored 185, which remained his highest first-class score. He was not, however, selected for any representative sides and was not picked for the 1935 tour of England. In the South African season of 1935–36, though, Nicholson was drafted into the South African Test team for the series against

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

after the shock death of Jock Cameron, who had been such a success on the tour to England and the decision by

Robert Williams Robert, Rob, Robbie, Bob or Bobby Williams may refer to: Entertainment Film * Robert Williams (actor, born 1894) (1894–1931), American stage and film actor * Robert B. Williams (actor) (1904–1978), American film actor * R. J. Williams (born ...

, Cameron's deputy on the England tour, to remain in the UK. In a one-sided series which

won 4–0, with one match drawn, Nicholson took only three catches in the first four matches, and, after making 0 in both innings of the fourth Test, was dropped for the fifth match in favour of

Edward van der Merwe Edward Alexander van der Merwe (9 November 1903 – 26 February 1971) was a South African cricketer who played in two Test matches, one each in 1929 and 1935–36. He was born in Rustenburg, Transvaal and died at Auckland Park, also in Transva ...

. He batted low in the order and made just 76 runs in eight innings, one of them not out. Nicholson returned to Griqualand West and played regularly for a further two seasons, and then irregularly through to 1946–47.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholson, Frank 1909 births 1982 deaths South Africa Test cricketers South African cricketers Griqualand West cricketers Wicket-keepers British emigrants to South Africa