Intercolonial cricket in Australia
Encyclopedia
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...
matches played between the various colonies of Australia
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...
prior to federation
Federation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed one nation...
in 1901. After federation, they became known as Interstate matches. By the 1880s regular intercolonials were being played, generally with intense rivalry. Matches against visiting professional teams from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
also attracted public interest.
The beginnings
In March 1850, the Melbourne Cricket ClubMelbourne Cricket Club
The Melbourne Cricket Club is a sporting club based in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1838 and is regarded as the oldest sporting club in Australia....
issued a challenge to the Launceston Cricket Club
Launceston Cricket Club
Launceston Cricket Club is a cricket team which represents the city of Launceston in the Northern Tasmanian Cricket Association grade cricket competition...
for a match between representative cricketers of Port Phillip
Port Phillip
Port Phillip Port Phillip Port Phillip (also commonly referred to as Port Phillip Bay or (locally) just The Bay, is a large bay in southern Victoria, Australia; it is the location of Melbourne. Geographically, the bay covers and the shore stretches roughly . Although it is extremely shallow for...
district (to become Victoria the following year) and Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land was the original name used by most Europeans for the island of Tasmania, now part of Australia. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was the first European to land on the shores of Tasmania...
(to become Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
in 1856). Launceston sent an acceptance, but it was not received in time and so a new challenge was issued and accepted for the following 1850-51 season. Meanwhile, news that legislation for the long awaited separation of the Port Phillip district from New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
had been passed in England was received which prompted a declaration by the Superintendent of the Port Phillip District, Charles La Trobe
Charles La Trobe
Charles Joseph La Trobe was the first lieutenant-governor of the colony of Victoria .-Early life:La Trobe was born in London, the son of Christian Ignatius Latrobe, a family of Huguenot origin...
, for celebrations from November 1850. This legislation and the enabling legislation which was passed in New South Wales on 1 July 1851 created the Colony of Victoria, of which La Trobe later become the first Lieutenant-Governor
Governors of Victoria
The Governor of Victoria is the representative in the Australian state of Victoria of its monarch, Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. The Governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the Governor-General of Australia at the national level...
. The long anticipated cricket match was considered to be a significant part of the euphoric mood within the Victorian colony at the time.
The match finally commenced on 11 February 1851 at the Launceston Racecourse, later to become the Northern Tasmania Cricket Association Ground
NTCA Ground
The Northern Tasmania Cricket Association Ground, better known as the NTCA Ground, is a multi-use sports venue in Launceston, Australia. It is currently used mostly for club cricket matches and has a capacity of under 10,000....
. The first ball was bowled (underarm
Underarm bowling
In cricket, underarm bowling is as old as the sport itself. Until the introduction of the roundarm style in the first half of the 19th century, bowling was performed in the same way as in bowls, the ball being delivered with the hand below the waist...
) by William Henty
William Henty
William Henty . He moved to Tasmania in 1837 and for over 20 years practised as a solicitor. In 1857 he was elected a member of the legislative council for Tamar and was colonial secretary in the Weston cabinet...
for the Launcestonians, to Duncan Cooper
Duncan Cooper
Duncan Cooper was an Indian-born Australian cricketer who played for Victoria. He was born in India and died in Paddington.Cooper made a single first-class appearance for the team, during the 1850–51 season, against Tasmania...
of Port Phillip. About 2500 people watched the locals win the match by three wickets.http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/0/899.html
The following February, nine Tasmanians sailed to Melbourne and joined with three Melbourne based Launcestonians for a return match which was held at the Emerald Hill Ground on the south bank of the Yarra River
Yarra River
The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...
, which was the then home ground of the Melbourne Cricket Club. The Victorians won this by 61 runs. Possibly due to distractions from the discovery of gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
in Victoria in 1851, the deciding match was not held until March 1854. The MCC moved to the present 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...
in September 1853.
New South Wales at the MCG
After issuing a challenge to all-comers with a £500 purse in 1855, Victoria hosted its first big game in March 1856 against New South Wales at the newly occupied Melbourne Cricket Ground. Initially the purse was to be played for, but the New South Welshmen had declined this as they were uncertain of their ability to match the bet. It was a low scoring match in which 5000 people watched the first days play which included a dramatic batting collapse by the locals who were all out for 63 in their first innings. NSW made 76 in their first innings and Victoria followed with a paltry 28. After making the required 16 runs, NSW had won the match with three wickets in hand. The match was also notable for a dispute which arose after the umpires had tossed and which Victoria had won. New South Wales insisted that, as the visiting team, they had the choice of batting or bowling. Victoria eventually relented and were sent in.English tours
In March 1861 the first visiting English side toured AustraliaAustralia
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...
, dominated by 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...
players. This tour was followed by another in 1863-64, led by George Parr and including the amateur EM Grace. In 1876-77 James Lillywhite
James Lillywhite
James Lillywhite was a first-class and Test cricketer and umpire. He was the first ever captain of the English cricket team in a Test match, captaining 2 Tests against Australia in 1876-77, losing the first, but winning the second.Lillywhite was born in Westhampnett in Sussex, the son of a...
brought a professional tour out to Australia which played New South Wales in a two day match at the Albert Ground in Sydney on 15 & 16 January 1877. This was followed by a timeless match at the MCG commencing on 15 March 1877 which was later designated as the first 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...
, played between Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
and England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
.http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/2/2077.html
Attendance at some of these touring matches were similar to the intercolonials which suggests that the local competition was fairly well supported and that there was a healthy intercolonial rivalry.
Regular fixtures of New South Wales v. Victoria and Victoria v. Tasmania continued until 1875 with at least one match per season being played.
In 1877-78, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
played Tasmania for the first time in a match at the newly created Adelaide Oval
Adelaide Oval
The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
in which the attendance of 1870 over two days saw South Australia win comfortably by an innings and 13 runs.http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/2/2155.html The following season saw the infamous 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...
, in which the visiting English team of Lord Harris was faced a pitch invasion whilst playing New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The cause of the riot is at least partly attributed to the rivalry between Victoria and NSW, as Victoria had supplied the umpire to the English team and an unfavourable decision by him against the local team has incensed the crowd.
Sheffield Shield
In 1891-1892 the Earl of Sheffield was in Australia as the promoter of an English team led by W. G. GraceW. G. Grace
William Gilbert Grace, MRCS, LRCP was an English amateur cricketer who is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest players of all time, having a special significance in terms of his importance to the development of the sport...
. The tour included three Tests
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...
played in Melbourne
Melbourne
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...
, 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...
and Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
. At the conclusion of the tour, Sheffield donated £150 to fund a trophy for an annual tournament of intercolonial cricket in Australia
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...
. After his departure there was some debate between the organising committees in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales about how to use the donation, including serious consideration of a proposal to split the money between the committees of the three colonies. This was rejected.
Ultimately a new tournament was decided upon and named the Sheffield Shield in honour of its benefactor. It commenced in the 1892-93 season between New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. That season also marked the inclusion of Queensland
Queensland Bulls
The Queensland cricket team, nicknamed the Bulls, are the Brisbane-based Queensland representative cricket team in Australia's domestic cricket tournaments:*Sheffield Shield, 4-day matches with first-class status, since the 1926/27 season...
and Western Australia
Western Warriors
The Western Australia cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team representing the state of Western Australia...
in the intercolonial matches, though they were not admitted to the Shield competition until much later. 4500 people watched Queensland win by 14 runs in its first intercolonial against New South Wales at the Exhibition Ground in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
and Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
played its first intercolonial against South Australia in Adelaide. The Western Australians had a miserable tour with a loss to South Australia in Adelaide, being beaten by 10 wickets and a loss to Victoria at the MCG by an innings and 243 runs. The Sheffield Shield competition was effectively played in parallel with other intercolonial matches as Tasmania, Queensland and Western Australia did not join the Sheffield Shield competition until well into the 20th century.
As well as matches between two colonies, frequent combined team matches, (and also classified as first-class) were played such as Smokers v Non-Smokers
Smokers v Non-Smokers
A Smokers v Non-Smokers cricket match with first class status was held on two occasions in the late 19th century. The first of these was staged at Lord's in 1884, and resulted in a resounding nine-wicket win for the Non-Smokers, due in great part to an innings of 124 from George Bonnor and eight...
, Australian XI v Combined XI and New South Wales and Victoria v Australian XI.
From the second Shield competition in 1893/94 each of the Shield teams were playing each other twice each season, both home and away. This format continues today, though with six teams the season now contains 31 matches, including the final.
Milestones
- 1850-51 — Tasmania and Victoria play in the very first intercolonial
- 1855-56 — First match including NSW, played at the newly opened MCGMelbourne Cricket GroundThe 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...
- 1877-78 — South Australia and Tasmania play in first match at the Adelaide OvalAdelaide OvalThe Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
, and the first intercolonial for South Australia. Sydney Cricket GroundSydney Cricket GroundThe Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
also used for the first time when NSW plays Victoria - 1892-93 — Queensland and Western Australia play in intercolonials for the first time. Sheffield Shield competition between NSW, Victoria and South Australia commences
- 1898-99 — Western Australia hosts its first intercolonial at the WACA GroundWACA GroundThe WACA is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. WACA are the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association....
in Perth
Victoria
The Melbourne Cricket ClubMelbourne Cricket Club
The Melbourne Cricket Club is a sporting club based in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1838 and is regarded as the oldest sporting club in Australia....
(MCC) was formed in 1838, within three years of the establishment of the colony. Early Victorian teams were virtually MCC teams. In 1858 The Victorian Intercolonial Cricket Committee was formed by the leading clubs, to arrange and administer matches between the colonies.
New South Wales
In 1826 the Australian Cricket Club was formed.The first match between New South Wales and Victoria was played at the Outer Domain, 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...
on 26 March 1856.
See also
- List of Australian intercolonial cricket matches
- History of Test cricket (to 1883)History of Test cricket (to 1883)Test matches in the period 1877 to 1883 were organised somewhat differently from international cricket matches today. The teams were rarely representative, and the boat trip between Australia and England, which usually lasted about 48 days, was one that many cricketers were unable or unwilling to...