English cricket team in Australia in 1861-62
Encyclopedia
An England cricket team toured Australia
in 1861–62. This was the first-ever tour of Australia by any overseas team and the second tour abroad by an English team, following the one to North America in 1859.
company called Spiers and Pond, which ran the Café de Paris in the city. Spiers was Felix William Spiers
and Pond was Christopher Pond
. Their representative in England, a Mr Mallam, had tried to interest Charles Dickens
in a lecture tour of Australia and New Zealand but without success. Instead, having noted the success of the 1859 venture and the growing popularity of cricket in Australia, Spiers and Pond decided to attract a team of leading English cricketers. Mr Mallam therefore journeyed to Birmingham
in September 1861 to watch the North v. South
game at Aston Park.
During the game, Mallam met the cricketers at the nearby Hen and Chicken Hotel to make a business proposal. As a result, twelve players agreed to tour Australia next winter on terms of £150 per man plus expenses.
The team was captained by HH Stephenson
(Surrey) who was joined by William Caffyn
, William Mortlock, George Griffith
, William Mudie
, Tom Sewell junior
(all Surrey); Roger Iddison
, Ned Stephenson (both Yorkshire); Tom Hearne
, Charles Lawrence
(both Middlesex); George Wells
(Sussex); and George Bennett
(Kent). Stephenson and Caffyn had toured America in 1859.
As a team, they played 12 matches that were not first-class
, winning 6 and losing 2 with 4 drawn. All but one of these games were against odds of at least 18 to 11. The exception was a one-day single innings match.
In January 1862, it played a match on the Sydney
Domain
; the Secretary for Lands, John Robertson controversially allowed the promoters to charge admission to the public while arranging a free stand for parliamentarians.
The team divided for a match in March 1862 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
that has been called The World v Surrey XI and is rated first-class. The six Surrey players were joined by five locals, who reportedly had Surrey affiliations, to form the Surrey XI; the World XI was formed of the six non-Surrey tourists and another five locals. The World XI won by 6 wickets thanks to an outstanding all-round performance by George Bennett who scored 72 and then took 7-30 and 7-85. This game drew a good attendance of about 8,000. One of the World XI locals was John Conway
of Victoria who later managed the first Australian team to tour England
.
The tour was certainly successful in the long-term sense that it inspired later English teams to visit Australia. The team arrived back in England on 12 May 1862.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1861–62. This was the first-ever tour of Australia by any overseas team and the second tour abroad by an English team, following the one to North America in 1859.
Organisers
The idea for the tour came from the English proprietors of a MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
company called Spiers and Pond, which ran the Café de Paris in the city. Spiers was Felix William Spiers
Felix William Spiers
Felix William Spiers was a British restaurateur and hotelier.Spiers' family originated in Glasgow, Scotland in the very early 18th century. One of the family moved to France, where he dealt in tobacco. Later family members were born in Calais, Dunkerque, Boulogne, France and in England...
and Pond was Christopher Pond
Christopher Pond
Christopher Pond was a British caterer and hotelier.Christopher Pond was born in Essex in 1826. While looking to seek his fortune in Australia he met Felix William Spiers, and the pair rented a room at the Melbourne National Hotel in which they created their first restaurant called "The...
. Their representative in England, a Mr Mallam, had tried to interest Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
in a lecture tour of Australia and New Zealand but without success. Instead, having noted the success of the 1859 venture and the growing popularity of cricket in Australia, Spiers and Pond decided to attract a team of leading English cricketers. Mr Mallam therefore journeyed to Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
in September 1861 to watch the North v. South
North v. South
The North of England and South of England teams appeared in first-class cricket between the 1836 and 1961 seasons, most often in matches against each other but also individually in games against touring teams, MCC and others....
game at Aston Park.
During the game, Mallam met the cricketers at the nearby Hen and Chicken Hotel to make a business proposal. As a result, twelve players agreed to tour Australia next winter on terms of £150 per man plus expenses.
Squad
HH Stephenson
Heathfield Harman "HH" Stephenson was a famous English cricketer during the game's roundarm era....
(Surrey) who was joined by William Caffyn
William Caffyn
William "Billy" Caffyn was a famous English cricketer who played for Surrey CCC and the All-England Eleven.-Surrey and All-England:...
, William Mortlock, George Griffith
George Griffith (cricketer)
George Griffith was an English cricketer. Known by his nickname "Ben" or the altogether more stirring "Lion Hitter", he was a high-quality all-rounder...
, William Mudie
William Mudie
William Mudie was an English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1856 to 1868. He was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm slow underarm bowler...
, Tom Sewell junior
Tom Sewell junior
Thomas Sewell was an English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1851 to 1868...
(all Surrey); Roger Iddison
Roger Iddison
Roger Iddison was an English cricketer, and the original captain of Yorkshire County Cricket Club. He made seventy two first-class appearances for Yorkshire between 1855 and 1876, scoring 1,916 runs at an average of 20.60, and taking 102 wickets at 15.09.Born in Bedale, Yorkshire to Roger and Jane...
, Ned Stephenson (both Yorkshire); Tom Hearne
Tom Hearne
Thomas Hearne was an English cricketer.Tom Hearne was born in Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire. He played first-class cricket as a right-handed batsman, round-arm medium-fast bowler and an occasional wicketkeeper for MCC , Middlesex and Middlesex CCC .Tom and his brother George led a cricketing...
, Charles Lawrence
Charles Lawrence (cricketer)
Charles Lawrence was a Surrey cricketer, represented England but is most notable as the captain-coach of the Aborigine cricket team that toured England in 1868, the first ever tour of England by an Australian team....
(both Middlesex); George Wells
George Wells (cricketer)
George Wells was an English cricketer.-References:* provided by cricinfo.com...
(Sussex); and George Bennett
George Bennett (cricketer)
George Bennett was an English professional cricketer, who played first-class cricket from 1853 to 1873. He was mainly associated with Kent County Cricket Club, and made 170 known appearances in first-class matches.Bennett was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm slow roundarm bowler...
(Kent). Stephenson and Caffyn had toured America in 1859.
Tour
The team sailed from Liverpool on 20 October in the Great Britain, arriving in Melbourne on 24 December.As a team, they played 12 matches that were not first-class
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...
, winning 6 and losing 2 with 4 drawn. All but one of these games were against odds of at least 18 to 11. The exception was a one-day single innings match.
In January 1862, it played a match on the Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
Domain
The Domain, Sydney
The Domain is 34 hectares of open space in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Sydney central business district, near Woolloomooloo. The Domain adjoins the Royal Botanic Gardens and is managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens Trust, a division of the New South...
; the Secretary for Lands, John Robertson controversially allowed the promoters to charge admission to the public while arranging a free stand for parliamentarians.
The team divided for a match in March 1862 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
that has been called The World v Surrey XI and is rated first-class. The six Surrey players were joined by five locals, who reportedly had Surrey affiliations, to form the Surrey XI; the World XI was formed of the six non-Surrey tourists and another five locals. The World XI won by 6 wickets thanks to an outstanding all-round performance by George Bennett who scored 72 and then took 7-30 and 7-85. This game drew a good attendance of about 8,000. One of the World XI locals was John Conway
John Conway (cricketer)
John Conway was an Australian professional cricketer and team manager who played first-class cricket from 1861–62 to 1879–80....
of Victoria who later managed the first Australian team to tour England
Australian cricket team in England and North America in 1878
In 1878, an Australian cricket team made the inaugural first-class tour of England by a representative overseas side. The tour followed one made by an England cricket team to Australia in 1876/77, during which the first Test matches were played....
.
The tour was certainly successful in the long-term sense that it inspired later English teams to visit Australia. The team arrived back in England on 12 May 1862.
External sources
- CricketArchive tour itinerary
- Playing Fields Through to Battle Fields
- Early cricket in Australia - State Library of NSW
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 - Chris Harte, A History of Australian Cricket, Andre Deutsch, 1993