Basuto XI (Orange Free State) Tour to Britain 1899/1900

An amateur team of Basuto affiliated to the Orange Free State FA were the first South African squad to tour Britain (playing in Belfast and Roubaix as well); the squad consisted of 20 players, identified in [Raa 02] as: Thomas, Adolph (keeper), Daniells, Apollis, Davids, Brown, Kennedy, Laking, Mohn, Zwagi, Bothloko, Broffitt, Kortie, Stevens, Abel, Twazi (captain), Nicholas, Solomon, Twayi and Koslie; however, Twazi and Twayi certainly refer to the same player (captain Joseph Twayi) and the same may apply to Kortie and Koslie; Bolsmann's article states there were 16 black players (not named individually) and 4 white officials (Roberts, Nathan, Day and Moss). The team were referred to as "Kaffirs" in the contemporary British press, and wore blue knickers and orange shirts with blue facings.

All results:

 5- 9-1899 Newcastle United      6-3 Basuto XI        [att: 6000]
 6- 9-1899 Sunderland            5-3 Basuto XI
 7- 9-1899 Middlesbrough         7-3 Basuto XI
 9- 9-1899 Scarborough           9-3 Basuto XI
11- 9-1899 Hibernian             3-2 Basuto XI        [att: 3000]

13- 9-1899 Morton                7-6 Basuto XI
15- 9-1899 Ayr Parkhouse         6-5 Basuto XI
16- 9-1899 Hamilton Academicals  6-5 Basuto XI
20- 9-1899 Dundee                6-4 Basuto XI
21- 9-1899 Celtic (Glasgow)      2-0 Basuto XI

23- 9-1899 Celtic (Belfast)      5-3 Basuto XI
27- 9-1899 Everton               9-3 Basuto XI        [att: 4000]
 2-10-1899 Burton Swifts         5-4 Basuto XI
 4-10-1899 Manchester City       5-3 Basuto XI
 7-10-1899 Leicester Fosse       7-3 Basuto XI

 9-10-1899 Northampton Town      7-4 Basuto XI
12-10-1899 Nottingham Forest     6-3 Basuto XI
14-10-1899 Barnsley              8-5 Basuto XI
18-10-1899 Derby County          6-6 Basuto XI
21-10-1899 Lincoln City Reserves 9-5 Basuto XI

23-10-1899 Sheffield United      7-2 Basuto XI
25-10-1899 Loughborough          7-4 Basuto XI        [or 4-7?]    [*]
28-10-1899 Bolton Wanderers     13-3 Basuto XI        [att: 2000]
30-10-1899 Burnley               7-6 Basuto XI
 6-11-1899 Preston North End     5-3 Basuto XI

 7-11-1899 Bradford & District   8-6 Basuto XI
11-11-1899 Wrexham               5-4 Basuto XI
15-11-1899 Druids                4-3 Basuto XI
16-11-1899 Shrewsbury Town       7-5 Basuto XI
20-11-1899 Aston Villa           7-4 Basuto XI        [att: 4000]

22-11-1899 West Bromwich Albion 11-6 Basuto XI
25-11-1899 Wellingborough        7-5 Basuto XI
27-11-1899 Tottenham Hotspur     6-4 Basuto XI
29-11-1899 Richmond Association  8-4 Basuto XI
 4-12-1899 Luton Town            8-6 Basuto XI

 6-12-1899 Portsmouth Reserves   7-3 Basuto XI
 7-12-1899 Ryde                  5-3 Basuto XI
 9-12-1899 Cowes                 5-3 Basuto XI
13-12-1899 Gravesend             5-4 Basuto XI
16-12-1899 Sheppey United        4-3 Basuto XI        [hosts also identified as Sheerness]

17-12-1899 SC Tourcoing          1-3 Basuto XI        [in Roubaix; date appears unlikely]
20-12-1899 Reading               9-5 Basuto XI        [att: 750]   
23-12-1899 Ealing                abd Basuto XI        [abandoned due to inclement weather]
25-12-1899 Brentford             3-2 Basuto XI
26-12-1899 Brighton United      10-5 Basuto XI

27-12-1899 Dorset County         8-3 Basuto XI
30-12-1899 Bournemouth           2-1 Basuto XI        [or 1-2?]    [*]
 1- 1-1900 Bristol City          6-5 Basuto XI
 2- 1-1900 Aberdare              7-3 Basuto XI

[*] results against Loughborough and Bournemouth listed in C. Bolsmann's article
    (footnote 110) in such a way as to suggest the visitors won; however, in the
    article it is also claimed their win in Roubaix was their only one.
 
NB: matches in January 1900 against Coventry City, Ilkeston Town and Walsall were
    cancelled; the tourists returned to South Africa on January 6th.

About this document

Sources: [Raa 02], C. Bolsmann, "The 1899 Orange Free State football team tour of Europe"

Prepared and maintained by Hans Schöggl for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation

Author: Hans Schöggl
Last updated: 20 Mar 2014