1924 — Bob Catterall, resuming on 52, makes 120 as South Africa are dismissed for 390 in their follow-on innings to lose the first Test against England in Birmingham by an innings and 18 runs.
1955 — Jean Forbes, who at 15 was too young to enter the Wimbledon championships, beats seeded American Dorothy Knode 6-3 3-6 6-2 in the semifinals of the London grass court championships at Queen’s Club. The previous day she beat yet another seeded American, Darlene Hard, who went on to win US and French Open titles. But Forbes, the younger sister of Gordon, lost the final in straight sets to a third American, Louise Brough, who picked up her fourth Wimbledon crown the next month.
1979 — Double world champion Kork Ballington wins the 350cc race at the Yugoslavian motorcycle grand prix at Rijika for his third victory in the class of the season. But he ends fourth in the 250cc event where Italian Graziano Rossi claims his maiden GP triumph. Rossi went on to score only two more GP wins in his career, but his son Valentino became a nine-time world champion.
1995 — The Springboks take on France in the World Cup semifinal at a sodden King’s Park in Durban. The match is delayed as workers try to dry the field. Flank Ruben Kruger scores the only try of the match as the home team scrape home 19-15 with the French pressing on their line in the final minutes. Now for the final against the seemingly unbeatable All Blacks, who had swept all before them, partly with the help of the unstoppable winger, Jonah Lomu.
1999 — One of the darkest days in South African sport as the Proteas are eliminated by Australia from the Cricket World Cup. In their semifinal at Edgbaston in Birmingham, South African captain Hansie Cronje won the toss and put Australia in to bat first, bowling them out for 213. Skipper Steve Waugh (56) and Michael Bevan (65) were the only batsmen to make meaningful contributions. Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs took South Africa to 43/0 after 10 overs when Waugh brought spinner Shane Warne into the attack — and he struck, dismissing Gibbs in his second over and Kirsten in his third. Apart from Jacques Kallis (53) and Jonty Rhodes (43), the wickets tumbled regularly. Eventually South Africa needed nine off the final over, with one wicket standing. Lance Klusener, who had saved South Africa several times in recent matches, was on strike, Damien Fleming was bowling. Klusener hit two consecutive fours to tie the scores, leaving South Africa with one run to win. Fleming bowled a dot ball. And then madness descended — Klusener ran a suicidal single, but the Australian fielder failed to pick up the ball. The run was on, but at the other end Allan Donald, who had taken 4/29, stood unmoved before dropping his bat and running, but he was too slow off the mark and was run out by a mile. The match was tied, but Australia advanced to the final because they finished higher in the Super Six; the loss to Zimbabwe had come back to bite.
2000 — Flyhalf Braam van Straaten kicks six penalties to give the Springboks an 18-13 win over England in the first Test at Loftus Versfeld.
2006 — The Springboks are outscored by Scotland two tries to one, but they still win the second Test 29-15 in Port Elizabeth to take the two-match series 2-0. Fullback Percy Montgomery kicked seven penalties and flyhalf Jaco van der Westhuyzen one to supplement scrumhalf Fourie du Preez’s sole try.
2007 — Ashleigh Simon, just 18, lands her first victory on the Ladies European Tour, carding an eight-under-par 208 to win the Catalonia Ladies Masters in Spain by two strokes.
2017 — The Springboks score four tries to beat France 37-15 in Durban to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
2019 — Banyana Banyana are thumped 4-0 by Germany in their final World Cup group match in Montpellier. It was South Africa’s third straight loss of the tournament — their maiden World Cup — in which they conceded eight goals and scored one.
2022 — Shabnim Ismail takes 5/8 as the Proteas, having made 278/5, trounce Ireland by 189 runs in the third and final ODI in Dublin for a series clean sweep. Captain Sune Luus scored 93 and Laura Wolvaardt 89.
2022 — Rassie van der Dussen’s 20 is the top score as the Proteas are bowled out for 87 in the fourth T20 against India in Rajkot by 82 runs to draw the series 2-2. The final T20 was rained out.
2023 — Zakhele Lepasa scores as Bafana Bafana beat Morocco 2-1 in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at FNB Stadium. The other goal was accredited as an own goal.
2025 — Tazmin Brits scores 101 off 91 balls and captain Laura Wolvaardt 75 as the South African women beat West Indies by 166 runs in a rain-hit ODI at Cave Hill, Barbados, to clinch the three-match series 2-1. The Proteas scored 278/6 in one ball short of 46 overs and then bowled out the home side, who had 39 overs to score 288, for 121. Masabata Klaas took 4/25. Klaas and Marizanne Kapp took three wickets between them without conceding a run as West Indies slumped from 10/1 to 10/4.
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