Arthur Edward Ochse

Who was Arthur Edward Ochse?

Arthur Edward Ochse, played Test cricket in the first matches played by the South African team in 1888-89.

A middle-order batsman, Ochse, like the rest of the side, made his first-class debut in his country’s very first Test match, which was played against England at Port Elizabeth. At 19 years and 1 day old, he was South Africa’s youngest Test debutant 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. Domestically, he played occasionally for Transvaal, once in 1891 and twice more in 1895.