Domestic Cricket From 1889 To 1914
Domestic first-class matches began at the end of 1889 (i.e., in the 1889–90 season) when the inaugural Currie Cup competition took place and was won by Transvaal, who defeated Kimberley. Until 1892, the Currie Cup was not nationally contested.
The 1890–91 season had four first-class matches. The first three games were between Eastern Province, Western Province and Griqualand West in the Champion Bat Tournament. Western Province ended up the winners after defeating both their rivals. The last first-class match was for the Currie Cup, the second time the competition was contested and saw Kimberley defeat Transvaal to reverse the preceding season's result.
No domestic matches took place in 1891–92, when England was on tour. In 1892–93, Western Province won the Currie Cup after defeating both their rivals Transvaal by 91 runs and Griqualand West by 109 runs. In the other match, Transvaal beat Griqualand West by 8 wickets.
From then on, although it was not contested every season, the Currie Cup was the established national championship.
In 1903–04 the Currie Cup had a change in format from a qualifying round-robin followed by a final, for which the holders had already qualified, to a knock-out competition. This allowed for the competition to be held in more than one province. In 1904–05, the competition was expanded to allow for the inclusion of Rhodesia.
First-class cricket in South Africa was suspended during the Boer War from 1899 to 1902 and again during the First World War from 1914 to 1919. Competition began again in the 1919–20 season.
Read more about this topic: History Of Cricket In South Africa To 1918
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