Nupen Elulf “Buster” Image 1 Transvaal 1923

Description

Alesund, Norway born right-arm fast-medium bowler Elulf “Buster” Nupen, despite losing an eye in early life, was a deadly force for Transvaal against lesser batsmen on matting during the late 1920’s, by which time his bowling on these wickets had been developed into a fine art, whereas on grass tops he performed modestly, being regarded at his best as one of the greatest bowlers on a mat there has ever been.

Tall and strongly built, he bowled fast-medium right-hand round the wicket and on the mat his off-break spun prodigiously, came off very quick and lifted sharply. The leg-cutter, with which he varied it, was more obvious and less accurate than George Geary’s, but none the less got many wickets. He made his first class debut for Transvaal in 1920-21 and first attracted attention by taking 6-89 for the Transvaal against the great Australian side of 1921, his first Test match for South Africa followed when he played against Australia at Durban in November 1921.

What he could do on matting was shown against the Hon. L.H. Tennyson’s unofficial side in 1924-25, which was at least a strong England ‘A’ side: in four Representative matches he took 37 wickets at 11.45 apiece. However touring England in 1924, when, after his record at home, he was expected to be one of the main match winners, he was a complete failure. It is true that he was handicapped by injury, but the general impression was that, even when fit, he was ineffective on grass tops. He never toured abroad again.

In 1930-31, owing to the absence of South Africa’s former captain Nummy Deane who had retired, Nupen was chosen to captain the Test team against England. He did so with considerable skill and accomplished the best bowling of his Test career. He took 5-63 and 6-87 in the First Test to give South Africa victory by 28 runs, and 3-148 and 6-46 in the drawn Fourth Test. However, Nupen was thought of so badly on turf pitches that he was left out of the Third and Fifth Tests, the first two ever played on turf in South Africa. In a 17 Test match career for South Africa which extended from 1921 to his final Test against Australia at Johannesburg in February 1936, Buster Nupen’s 50 wickets cost him 35.76 runs each

In 28 Currie Cup matches for Transvaal he took 190 wickets at an average of 12.92, taking ten or more wickets in a match nine times. He achieved his best ever domestic figures in 1931-32 with 43 wickets for 434 runs, including 9-48 and 7-88 in the match against Griqualand West. Handicapped by having lost his eye at the age of four, he was not normally regarded as a serious batsman. However in the third Test against England in 1927-28, he made 51 and 69, he and his captain, Gummy Deane, putting on 95 for the eighth wicket in the first innings and 123 for the seventh in the second.

In 74 first class matches Nupen scored 1,635 runs at an average of 17.96 with 8 half centuries and a highest scored of 89. With his bowling he took 334 wickets at 18.19 apiece with 12 ten wicket matches and 33 five wicket hauls. He also took 34 catches including 9 in Test cricket.

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