ENGLAND V. AUSTRALIA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 April 1938, Page 10

ENGLAND V. AUSTRALIA

HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL GAMES. The history of international cricket dates back to 1862, with Spiers and Pond, a firm of caterers, brought a team of English professional players to Australia, under the captaincy of H. H. Stephenson, ft was a private venture, in much the same category as bringing out a circus. They played their first match against eighteen of Victoria, the whole eighteen fielding. The experiment paid so handsomely that quite a number of English sides went there in the sixties and early ’seventies. They did not restrict their activities to the principal cities, either. Many more country matches were played then than is now the case, possibly because in those days the goldfields were booming and a good gate was assured in towns that now are little more than a string of mullock heaps and a few ruined cottages. Among the great players who visited Australia during this period was W. G. Grace and his brother, G.F. In 1868, the first Australian cricket team left for England. The team was the now forgotten Australian aboriginal team, coached by Charles Lawrence, the English professional. This dusky side included such picturesquely named cricketers as Johnny Mullagh, King Billy and Tarpot. The abos played mostly against local teams in England, and interested spectators almost as much with their spear and boomerang throwing displays as with their cricket. They also gave rise to the curious belief, prevalent until quite recently in some parts of rural England, that all Australians were black. It was not until 1877, in Melbourne, that the first match between an English team and a combined eleven of Australia was played. To everyone’s surprise, Australia won, thanks to a fine innings by Charles Bannerman, who not only played the first ball ever bowled in test cricket, but made the first century, scoring 165 before he retired hurt. So great was the amazement of Lilywhite, captain of the English side, and his men that another match against All-Australia was immediatetly arranged. This time the visitors were successful. In 1878, Australia’s first representative cricket team went to England, under the captaincy of D. W. Gregory, uncle of two other famous Gregorys of a later date —S. E. and J. M. (Jack). Gregory’s team, although it included such great players as W. L. Murdoch, F. R. Spofforth and J. M. Blackham, was not considered good enough to do more than play against the counties and clubs; it was not imagined that they would be able to make a game of it against the full strength of England, playing on English turf. Two years later, W. L. Murdoch’s team managed to arrange a fixture at the Oval against AU-Eng-land, but were defeated. W. G. Grace made 152 for England, but Murdoch replied with 153 not out. A popular song of the period described the match. The refrain began, One notch above great Grace’s score . . . Two years later, on the same ground, Murdoch’s second team turned the tables on the Englishmen, and won the historic 1882 match, thanks to the marvellous bowling of Spofforth and Boyle. Murdoch’s team, which included Giffen, Spofforth, Boyle, Garrett, Blackham, S. P. Jones, Bonnor and Massie, was one of the strongest combinations that have ever represented Australia. Later on in the ’eighties, however, Australian cricket suffered a decline. Massie and Bonnor retired; Spofforth and Murdoch settled in England, while the younger players did not reach the standard set by their predecessors. So greatly did the Australians fall away that between 1884 and 1893 they won only one test match in England. Nevertheless, the period produced some great individual players, such as C. T. B. Turner, the great bowler, nicknamed “The Terror”; and G. E. Palmer, another famous trundler, but the batting was of a very inferior calibre. The middle ’nineties saw a great revival. New names crept into the score sheets; brilliant youngsters forced their way into the teams. J. J. Kelly succeeded Blackham as wicketkeeper. Ernie Jones proved himself the world’s fastest bowler. Hill, Darling, Noble, Trumper, Iredale, Graham and other batsmen scored heavily against the English bowling of the period. Australian cricket reached great heights in the famous summer of 1897-98, when A. E. Stoddart brought out his brilliant team, which was considered invincible on any wicket. Known as “the team of all the talents,” it included A. C. Maclaren. Rahjitsinhji, Hayward, Hirst, Tom Richardson, Briggs, Wainwright, Mason, Dsuce and J. T. Hearne. Storer and Board were the wicketkeepers. Formidable as this array was, the Australians triumphed in four matches out of flv:., thanks to the batting of Darling, Hi?’, S. E. Gregory and Iredale, the bowling of Jones, McKibbin and McLeod, arzl Noble’s brilliant all-round play.

A year or two late', Trumper and Duff came into the picture, and the "Ashes” were retained by Australia until 1903-4, when P. 7. Warner brought his first team out. That summer saw the debut of AlberA ("Tibbie”) Cotter, the Sydney fas: bowler, who lost his life in the Palestine campaign. It was not until 19(/'-8 that the Ashes came Australia's war’ again. This time they were recaptured from the good but unluck side brought to Australia by A. O. Jones, whose team included a colt named J. B. Hobbs. Noble’s 1909 team won the rubber, thanks largely to the bowling >f Otter and the magnificent batting

of the incomparable Bardsley, greatest among left-hand batsmen. In 1911-12, England turned the tables. This was due to two of the greatest combinations cricket has seen —Hobbs and Rhodes as opening batsmen, and Foster and Barnes as bowlers. In 1912, the ill-fated “Triangular Tournament” was tried in England, when teams from South Africa and Australia played England and each other. The summer was very wet and the bad weather would probably have ruined the scheme, but in addition the Australian team was not representative, Hill, Trumper, Cotter, Carter, Armstrong, Ransford and others having declined the invitation issued by the Board of Control, then a comparatively new body. England easily retained the honours. Two years later came the War. Post-war cricket is comparatively fresh in memory, so that there is no need to do more than mention the names of some of Australia’s greatest immediate post-war players —Oldfield, J. M. Gregory, Jackson, Macdonald, Woodfull and Ponsford.