Australian cricket team in England in 1880
Encyclopedia
The Australian cricket team in England in 1880 played nine first-class matches
including one Test
, which was the first ever played in England. They were captained by W.L. Murdoch. The team had difficulty in arranging fixtures against the counties, and prior to the Test match in early September had played only four matches that are now rated as first-class (as well as a large number of fixtures against weaker opposition), despite having already been in England for almost four months.
The Test was a late addition to the programme, being arranged at the instigation of the Surrey
secretary, C. W. Alcock
, who asked Lord Harris to put together a side. A. N. Hornby
, Tom Emmett and George Ulyett
refused to play, having unpleasant memories of the Sydney Riot of 1879
, but Australia were also seriously handicapped, being without their star bowler, Fred Spofforth
.
The Australians won 4, drew 3 and lost 2 of their first-class fixtures. Their only loss other than to England was to Nottinghamshire
. That defeat was by only one wicket and came in a match in which they played a man short.
, J.McC. Blackham
, G.J. Bonnor
, H.F. Boyle
, T.U. Groube
, A.H. Jarvis
, P.S. McDonnell
, W.H. Moule
, G.E. Palmer
, J. Slight
, F.R. Spofforth
, G. Alexander
(player-manager).
In addition the Australian tourists played 45 minor matches that were not of first class cricket status.
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
including one Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
, which was the first ever played in England. They were captained by W.L. Murdoch. The team had difficulty in arranging fixtures against the counties, and prior to the Test match in early September had played only four matches that are now rated as first-class (as well as a large number of fixtures against weaker opposition), despite having already been in England for almost four months.
The Test was a late addition to the programme, being arranged at the instigation of the Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
secretary, C. W. Alcock
C. W. Alcock
Charles William Alcock was an influential English sportsman and administrator. He was a major instigator in the development of both international football and cricket, as well as being the creator of the FA Cup....
, who asked Lord Harris to put together a side. A. N. Hornby
A. N. Hornby
Albert Neilson Hornby, commonly designated A. N. Hornby, nicknamed Monkey Hornby was one of the best known sportsmen in England during the nineteenth century excelling in both rugby and cricket...
, Tom Emmett and George Ulyett
George Ulyett
George Ulyett was an English all-round cricketer, noted particularly for his very-aggressive batsmanship. A well-liked man , Ulyett was popularly known as "Happy Jack", once musing memorably that Yorkshire played him only for his good behaviour and his whistling...
refused to play, having unpleasant memories of the Sydney Riot of 1879
Sydney Riot of 1879
The Sydney Riot of 1879 was a civil disorder that occurred at an early international cricket match. It took place in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, at the Association Ground, Moore Park, now known as the Sydney Cricket Ground, during a match between a touring English team captained by Lord...
, but Australia were also seriously handicapped, being without their star bowler, Fred Spofforth
Fred Spofforth
Frederick Robert "Fred" Spofforth , also known as "The Demon Bowler", was arguably the Australian cricket team's finest pace bowler of the nineteenth century and was the first bowler to take 50 Test wickets, and the first to take a test hat-trick in 1879...
.
The Australians won 4, drew 3 and lost 2 of their first-class fixtures. Their only loss other than to England was to Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
. That defeat was by only one wicket and came in a match in which they played a man short.
Australian tour party
The Australian party consisted of: W.L. Murdoch (captain), A.C. BannermanAlick Bannerman
Alexander Chalmers Bannerman was an Australian cricketer who played in 28 Tests between 1879 and 1893....
, J.McC. Blackham
Jack Blackham
John McCarthy Blackham was a Test cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia.A specialist wicket-keeper, Blackham played in the first Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in March 1877 and the famous Ashes Test match of 1882...
, G.J. Bonnor
George Bonnor
George John Bonnor was an Australian cricketer, known for his big hitting, who played between 1880 and 1888.-Career:...
, H.F. Boyle
Harry Boyle
Henry Frederick Boyle was a leading Australian Test cricketer of the late 1870s and early 1880s....
, T.U. Groube
Thomas Groube
Thomas Underwood Groube was an Australian cricketer who played in 1 Test in 1880.-External links:*...
, A.H. Jarvis
Affie Jarvis
Arthur Harwood Jarvis was an Australian wicket-keeper who played for Australia and South Australia....
, P.S. McDonnell
Percy McDonnell
Percy Stanislaus McDonnell was an Australian cricketer who captained the Australian Test team in six matches, including the tour of England in 1888....
, W.H. Moule
William Moule
William Henry Moule was a lawyer, a politician and a cricketer....
, G.E. Palmer
George Palmer (cricketer)
George "Joey" Eugene Palmer was an Australian cricketer who played in 17 Tests between 1880 and 1886....
, J. Slight
James Slight
James Slight was an Australian cricketer who played in one Test in 1880.-External links:*...
, F.R. Spofforth
Fred Spofforth
Frederick Robert "Fred" Spofforth , also known as "The Demon Bowler", was arguably the Australian cricket team's finest pace bowler of the nineteenth century and was the first bowler to take 50 Test wickets, and the first to take a test hat-trick in 1879...
, G. Alexander
George Alexander (cricketer)
George Alexander was a cricketer who played for Victoria and for Australia....
(player-manager).
Tour matches
- 17 May 1880 DerbyshireDerbyshire County Cricket Club in 1880Derbyshire Country Cricket Club in 1880 was the cricket season when the English club Derbyshire played their tenth season.Derbyshire played Lancashire and Yorkshire who they had played in the previous season...
v Australians County Ground, Derby - Australia won by 8 wickets in two days, and a fill-in match was played on the third day which ended in a draw - 10 Jun 1880 YorkshireYorkshire County Cricket ClubYorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
v Australians Dewsbury and Savile Ground - Australia won by 5 wickets - 22 Jul 1880 YorkshireYorkshire County Cricket ClubYorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
v Australians Fartown, Huddersfield - Match drawn - 02 Aug 1880 GloucestershireGloucestershire County Cricket ClubGloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
v Australians Clifton College Close Ground - Australia won by 68 runs - 13 Sep 1880 SussexSussex County Cricket ClubSussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
v Australians County Ground, Hove - Match drawn - 20 Sep 1880 Players of the North v Australians Park Avenue Cricket Ground, Bradford - Match drawn
- 23 Sep 1880 NottinghamshireNottinghamshire County Cricket ClubNottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
v Australians Trent Bridge, Nottingham - Nottinghamshire won by 1 wicket - 27 Sep 1880 Players v Australians Crystal Palace Park - Australia won by 2 wickets
In addition the Australian tourists played 45 minor matches that were not of first class cricket status.
Only Test: 6 - 8 September 1880
Note: 4 ball overs.External links
External sources
Annual reviews
- James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual (Red Lilly) 1881
- John Lillywhite's Cricketer's Companion (Green Lilly) 1881
- Wisden Cricketers Almanack 1881
Further reading
- Derek BirleyDerek BirleySir Derek Birley was an English educator and writer who had a strong interest in sport, especially cricket.He was educated at grammar school in Hemsworth, West Yorkshire, and at Queens' College, Cambridge University....
, A Social History of English Cricket, Aurum, 1999 - Bill FrindallBill FrindallWilliam Howard Frindall, MBE was an English cricket scorer and statistician. He was familiar to cricket followers from his appearances on the BBC Radio 4 programme Test Match Special, nicknamed the Bearded Wonder by Brian Johnston for his ability to research the most obscure cricketing facts in...
, The Wisden Book of Test Cricket 1877-1978, Wisden, 1979 - Chris Harte, A History of Australian Cricket, Andre Deutsch, 1993
- Ray Robinson, On Top Down Under, Cassell, 1975
- Ralph BarkerRalph BarkerRalph Hammond Cecil Barker was an English non-fiction author with over twenty-five books to his credit...
& Irving RosenwaterIrving RosenwaterIrving Rosenwater was an English cricket researcher and author whose best-known work was Sir Donald Bradman - A Biography ....
, England v Australia: A compendium of Test cricket between the countries 1877-1968, Batsford, 1969, ISBN 0-7134-0317-9, pp6-7.