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Australian cricket team in England in 1884

April 26, 2023

The Australia national cricket team toured England in 1884. The team is officially termed the Fourth Australians, following three previous tours in the 1878, 1880 and 1882 seasons. The 1884 tour was a private venture by the thirteen players who each invested an agreed sum to provide funding, none of Australia's colonial cricket associations being involved. Billy Murdoch captained the team and George Alexander acted as player-manager. The Australians played a total of 32 matches in England, 31 of which have first-class status.

The 1884 Australian cricket team. Back row (l-r) Percy McDonnell, George Alexander (manager), George Giffen, Joey Palmer. Middle row (l-r) Fred Spofforth, Jack Blackham, Billy Murdoch, George Bonnor, Billy Midwinter, Alick Bannerman, Harry Boyle. Front row (l-r) William Cooper, Tup Scott.

1884 was the first English season to feature more than a single Test match.[notes 1] A three-match series was scheduled which included the inaugural Tests at both Old Trafford and Lord's. The third Test was played at the Oval which had staged the Tests in 1880 and 1882. England won the Test series 1–0 with an innings victory in the second Test at Lord's, while the first and third Tests were drawn. The 1884 series was the first Ashes series in England, following publication of the mock "ashes" obituary after the 1882 Test.

The tour was dogged by financial controversy with the Australians accused by the British press of being interested only in money. The allegations were refuted by the Australian press but it later became clear, when an England team arrived in Australia the following winter, that there had been a financial dispute between Alexander and the English team manager James Lillywhite, resulting in the two teams at first boycotting each other. The dispute was never evident while Murdoch's team was in England as they completed all their scheduled fixtures, winning eighteen matches and losing seven with seven drawn.

Australian squad

Australia had a 13-man squad captained by Billy Murdoch while George Alexander was player-manager. Squad details below state the player's colonial team at the time, his age at the beginning of the tour, his batting hand and his type of bowling:

Batsmen
Name Colony Birth date Batting style Bowling style Ref
G. Alexander Victoria (1851-04-22)22 April 1851 (aged 33) Right-handed Right arm fast roundarm [1]
A. C. Bannerman New South Wales (1854-03-21)21 March 1854 (aged 30) Right-handed Right arm medium pace roundarm [2]
G. J. Bonnor New South Wales (1855-02-25)25 February 1855 (aged 29) Right-handed Right arm medium pace [3]
P. S. McDonnell Victoria (1858-11-13)13 November 1858 (aged 25) Right-handed none [4]
H. J. H. Scott Victoria (1858-12-26)26 December 1858 (aged 25) Right-handed Right arm fast-medium [5]
Wicket-keepers
Name Colony Birth date Batting style Bowling style Ref
J. M. Blackham Victoria (1854-05-11)11 May 1854 (aged 30) Right-handed none [6]
W. L. Murdoch New South Wales (1854-10-18)18 October 1854 (aged 29) Right-handed none [7]
All-rounders
Name Colony Birth date Batting style Bowling style Ref
G. Giffen South Australia (1859-03-27)27 March 1859 (aged 25) Right-handed Right arm medium pace and off break [8]
W. E. Midwinter Victoria (1851-06-19)19 June 1851 (aged 32) Right-handed Right arm medium pace roundarm [9]
Bowlers
Name Colony Birth date Batting style Bowling style Ref
H. F. Boyle Victoria (1847-12-10)10 December 1847 (aged 36) Right-handed Right arm medium pace roundarm [10]
W. H. Cooper Victoria (1849-09-11)11 September 1849 (aged 34) Right-handed Right arm leg break [11]
G. E. Palmer Victoria (1859-02-22)22 February 1859 (aged 25) Right-handed Right arm medium pace and off break [12]
F. R. Spofforth New South Wales (1853-09-09)9 September 1853 (aged 30) Right-handed Right arm fast-medium [13]

The 1884 squad was very similar to the 1882 squad with Alexander, Cooper, Midwinter and Scott replacing Tom Garrett, Tom Horan, Sammy Jones and Hugh Massie. Cooper and Scott were making their first visit to England.[14]

Australia used the same eleven players in all three Tests, Scott making his debut in the first Test, and in the majority of their first-class matches as Alexander was effectively a reserve who made only five appearances on the tour and Cooper, who also made just five appearances, suffered a long-term injury.[15][16] Cooper had an accident on the outbound voyage and tore ligaments in the spinning finger of his right hand.[17]

England Test selections

England selected a total of 16 players in the three Tests. Six players (Barlow, Grace, Peate, Shrewsbury, Steel and Ulyett) played in all three matches. O'Brien (first Test) and Christopherson (second Test) made their Test debuts. Hornby captained England in the first Test and Harris in the other two.[18]

Details of the England players include their ages at the beginning of the 1884 season, their batting and bowling styles, and the county club[notes 2] they represented in 1884:

Batsmen
Name County Birth date Batting style Bowling style Ref
R. G. Barlow Lancashire (1851-05-28)28 May 1851 (aged 32) Right-handed Left arm medium pace [19]
Lord Harris Kent (1851-02-03)3 February 1851 (aged 33) Right-handed Right arm fast roundarm [20]
A. N. Hornby Lancashire (1847-02-10)10 February 1847 (aged 37) Right-handed Right arm medium pace [21]
A. P. Lucas Middlesex (1857-02-20)20 February 1857 (aged 27) Right-handed Right arm slow roundarm [22]
T. C. O'Brien Middlesex (1861-11-05)5 November 1861 (aged 22) Right-handed none [23]
W. W. Read Surrey (1855-11-23)23 November 1855 (aged 28) Right-handed Right arm slow underarm [24]
W. H. Scotton Nottinghamshire (1856-01-15)15 January 1856 (aged 28) Left-handed Left arm fast-medium [25]
A. Shrewsbury Nottinghamshire (1856-04-11)11 April 1856 (aged 28) Right-handed none [26]
All-rounders
Name County Birth date Batting style Bowling style Ref
W. Barnes Nottinghamshire (1852-05-27)27 May 1852 (aged 31) Right-handed Right arm fast-medium [27]
W. G. Grace Gloucestershire (1848-07-18)18 July 1848 (aged 35) Right-handed Right arm medium pace roundarm [28]
A. G. Steel Lancashire (1858-09-24)24 September 1858 (aged 25) Right-handed Right arm fast-medium [29]
G. Ulyett Yorkshire (1851-10-21)21 October 1851 (aged 32) Right-handed Right arm fast roundarm [30]
Wicketkeepers
Name County Birth date Batting style Bowling style Ref
A. Lyttelton Middlesex (1857-02-07)7 February 1857 (aged 27) Right-handed Right arm slow underarm [31]
R. Pilling Lancashire (1855-08-11)11 August 1855 (aged 28) Right-handed none [32]
Bowlers
Name County Birth date Batting style Bowling style Ref
S. Christopherson Kent (1861-11-11)11 November 1861 (aged 22) Right-handed Right arm fast [33]
E. Peate Yorkshire (1855-03-02)2 March 1855 (aged 29) Left-handed Slow left arm orthodox [34]

Tour preparations and voyages

 
Australian Cricketers, ca. 1884, Scott London Stereoscopic Company

The Fourth Australian team was selected after Christmas 1883 at which time Victoria were playing New South Wales at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in a match which ended on New Year's Eve with a three wicket win by Victoria.[35][36] Another match was arranged to start on New Year's Day, also at the MCG, between the Fourth Australians and a Combined XI.[35] All the tour selections except Spofforth were playing, though Scott played for the Combined XI.[37] Murdoch scored a career-high 279 not out and McDonnell 111 in a total of 619, the result being a draw.[35] A return match with the Combined XI was arranged in February at the Association Ground in Sydney.[notes 3] Scott played for the Fourth Australians, replacing Alexander, and Spofforth played for the Combined XI, the Fourth Australians winning by 9 wickets.[39]

Unlike other Australian touring teams, the 1884 team organised the project themselves and so it was a private business venture which involved none of the Australian colonial cricket associations.[14] The players invested agreed sums to fund their travel and cover any losses.[14]

After one final match in Adelaide, which was the last time South Australia needed odds (i.e., extra men) to compete, the tourists left Melbourne on 11 March 1884 aboard the P & O steamer Sutlej and arrived at Plymouth on 29 April.[14] With a programme of 32 fixtures arranged, the first game in England began on 12 May at Sheffield Park, Uckfield and the last game against the South of England was completed on 12 September.[14] The team travelled home on the SS Mirzapore and reached Melbourne again in early November.[40] Murdoch enjoyed a shipboard romance on the return voyage with an heiress called Jemima Watson whom he married at Fitzroy, Victoria in December, only a few weeks after the Mirzapore berthed.[41]

The outward bound voyage had a short stopover at Colombo where the Australians played a drawn game on Galle Face Green against a Ceylon XVIII in a one-day match on 1 April.[42] The return voyage also stopped off in Colombo and the team played another odds match, again on Galle Face Green and drawn, on 23 October.[43]

Tour itinerary

The following is a list of the matches played by the Fourth Australians, all but one of which are first-class fixtures:[44][45]

Date Match title Venue Result
12 May Lord Sheffield's XI v Australians Sheffield Park, Uckfield Australians won by an innings and 6 runs[46]
15 May Oxford University v Australians Christ Church Ground, Oxford Oxford University won by 7 wickets[47]
19 May Surrey v Australians The Oval, London Australians won by 8 wickets[48]
22 May Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) v Australians Lord's Cricket Ground, London MCC won by an innings and 115 runs[49]
26 May England XI v Australians Aston Lower Grounds, Birmingham Australians won by 4 wickets[50]
29 May Gentlemen of England v Australians Lord's Cricket Ground, London Gentlemen won by 4 wickets[51]
2 June Derbyshire v Australians County Ground, Derby Australians won by an innings and 40 runs[52]
5 June Lancashire v Australians Old Trafford, Manchester Match drawn[53]
9 June Yorkshire v Australians Park Avenue, Bradford Australians won by 3 wickets[54]
12 June Nottinghamshire v Australians Trent Bridge, Nottingham Australians won by 3 wickets[55]
16 June Cambridge University v Australians FP Fenner's Ground, Cambridge Australians won by an innings and 81 runs[56]
19 June North v Australians Old Trafford, Manchester North won by an innings and 22 runs[57]
23 June Liverpool and District v Australians Aigburth, Liverpool Australians won by 1 wicket[58]
26 June Gentlemen of England v Australians The Oval, London Australians won by 46 runs[59]
30 June Players v Australians Bramall Lane, Sheffield Australians won by 6 wickets[60]
3 July Huddersfield v Australians Fartown, Huddersfield Match drawn[61]
10 July England v Australia (First Test) Old Trafford, Manchester Match drawn[62]
14 July Leicestershire v Australians[notes 4] Grace Road, Leicester Australians won by 10 wickets[63]
17 July Middlesex v Australians Lord's Cricket Ground, London Australians won by an innings and 29 runs[64]
21 July England v Australia (Second Test) Lord's Cricket Ground, London England won by an innings and 5 runs[65]
24 July Sussex v Australians County Ground, Hove Match drawn[66]
31 July Players v Australians The Oval, London Australians won by 9 wickets[67]
4 August Kent v Australians St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury Kent won by 96 runs[68]
7 August Gloucestershire v Australians Clifton College Close Ground, Bristol Match drawn[69]
11 August England v Australia (Third Test) The Oval, London Match drawn[70]
18 August Gloucestershire v Australians College Ground, Cheltenham Australians won by an innings and 136 runs[71]
21 August Nottinghamshire v Australians Trent Bridge, Nottingham Match drawn[72]
25 August Cambridge University Past and Present v Australians County Ground, Hove Australians won by 142 runs[73]
28 August South v Australians Bat and Ball Ground, Gravesend Australians won by an innings and 107 runs[74]
1 September North v Australians Trent Bridge, Nottingham North won by 170 runs[75]
4 September I Zingari v Australians North Marine Road Ground, Scarborough Australians won by 8 wickets[76]
11 September South v Australians The Oval, London Australians won by an innings and 5 runs[77]

Test series

First Test

10 – 12 July 1884
Scorecard
Report
v
95 (63 overs)
Arthur Shrewsbury 43
Harry Boyle 6/42 (25 overs)
182 (130 overs)
Billy Midwinter 37
George Ulyett 3/41 (30 overs)
180/9 (130 overs)
W. G. Grace 31
Joey Palmer 4/47 (36 overs)
  • England won the toss and elected to bat.
  • No play on Day 1.

This was the inaugural Old Trafford Test and, as Chris Harte described it, "the first time that a match of such importance had been staged outside of London".[14] Selection of an England home Test team in the 19th century was the privilege of the host club and Lancashire selected five local players in their squad of twelve, although Jack Crossland missed out and was made twelfth man. Barlow, Hornby, Pilling and Steel all played as it was believed their presence would boost the gate receipts.[78]

Chris Harte commented that the match was also the origin of Old Trafford's "reputation for wet weather", the game being drawn after rain had made the first day unplayable.[14][79] The match was therefore reduced to two days play and it was reported that the wicket dried much quicker than expected and conditions were never difficult for batting.[78] Even so, England were all out for 95 in their first innings, Boyle taking six wickets for 42 runs conceded (i.e., 6/42) with his medium-paced spin and Spofforth 4/42. Shrewsbury, displaying "masterly technique", scored 43 to save his team from real embarrassment.[78] In their first innings, Australia "hit with more vigour and confidence than their opponents" and scored 182, a lead of 87. Their top scorer was Midwinter with 37.[80] The wicket had dried out on the final day and England were able to bat out time and secure the draw, scoring 180 for the loss of 9 wickets (i.e., 180/9). Grace was top scorer with a patient 31 and Joey Palmer was the best of the Australian bowlers "with his controlled off- and leg-cutters".[80]

Second Test

21–23 July 1884
Scorecard
Report
v
229 (105.2 overs)
Tup Scott 75
Ted Peate 6/85 (40 overs)
379 (184.1 overs)
A. G. Steel 148
Joey Palmer 6/111 (75 overs)
145 (94.1 overs)
Tup Scott 31*
George Ulyett 7/36 (39.1 overs)
England won by an innings and 5 runs
Lord's Cricket Ground, London
Umpires: Frank Farrands and Charles Pullin
  • Australia won the toss and elected to bat.

This was the inaugural Lord's Test and England won by an innings after a century by A. G. Steel and fine bowling by Ted Peate and George Ulyett.[81] The game ended just after lunch on the third day.[14]

Wisden recorded that the main elements of England's success were "the magnificent batting of A. G. Steel and the bowling of Ulyett".[81] Batting first, Australia were reduced to 160/9 despite an innings of 63 by Giffen; but then Scott and Boyle added 69 for the final wicket, Wisden reporting that Scott played "cool, confident, skilful cricket" in an innings of 75.[81] At close of play on the first day, England were 90/3 so the match was evenly poised, with Lucas on 28 and Shrewsbury on 27.[81] Steel commenced his innings on the second morning and shared successful partnerships with Ulyett, Barlow and Lyttelton.[81] While Steel was in, 261 runs were added and he made 148 including thirteen boundaries. It was the highest score made against the Australians during the season. By close of play, Australia had lost four wickets in their second innings for only 73 runs.[81] Barlow later recorded that the score was 135/5 when he went out to join Steel and recalled Lord Harris, the England captain, saying to him: "For Heaven's sake, Barlow, stop this rot!" Barlow and Steel added 98 for the sixth wicket.[82] Despite another good effort by Scott on the final day, Australia failed to avoid the innings defeat. Ulyett bowled very well but may have been helped by the state of the ground.[81] However, Ulyett is best remembered in this match for taking what Pelham Warner called "one of the historic catches of cricket" when he caught and bowled Bonnor, noted for his powerful hitting.[82] Warner recorded of Steel's innings that George Giffen talked about it most enthusiastically as late as 1911, when the two were in conversation at Adelaide.[82] When Scott was dismissed for 75 in the Australian first innings, he was caught by his own captain Murdoch off the bowling of Steel. Murdoch was on as a substitute for an injured English player and this was the first time in Test cricket that a batsman was dismissed by a catch taken by a substitute fielder.[41]

Soon afterwards, the London press reported that the entire proceeds of the match, a sum of £1,334, had been awarded to the Australians. This had been agreed beforehand by Alexander and Harris to enable the tourists to cover their costs, but the press disapproved and accused the Australians of being mercenary and acting outside the spirit of the game. Harte commented on the extreme bias of the press as, in all their other games, the Australians received only a share of the gate money, "an arrangement appreciated by the county clubs as the visitors' popularity always boosted takings".[83] In fact, Alexander had attempted to secure payment of half the whole gate (main stands and outer grounds) for every match but the counties refused to share main stand revenue. The agreement brokered by Lord Harris was for the Australians to receive half of all outer ground revenue plus the entire gate for the Lord's Test.[17]

Third Test

11–13 August 1884
Scorecard
Report
v
551 (311 overs)
Billy Murdoch 211 (525)
Hon. A. Lyttelton 4/19 (12 overs)
346 (198 overs)
Walter Read 117 (155)
Joey Palmer 4/90 (54 overs)
85/2 (26 overs)
Arthur Shrewsbury 37 (33)
George Giffen 1/18 (7 overs)
Match drawn
The Oval, London
Umpires: Frank Farrands and Charles Pullin
  • Australia won the toss and elected to bat.

The final Test at the Oval was played in hot weather and Murdoch created a then-record score of 211, the first double-century in Test cricket. Murdoch was helped by three missed chances off the bowling of Ulyett when he had made 46, 171 and 205.[41] England followed on but had only lost two wickets when time ran out and the match was drawn.[15][84]

After McDonnell had made 103 out of 158, Murdoch and Scott completed the first double-century partnership in Test cricket. England, as the score mounted, used 11 bowlers: the first time in Test cricket that an entire team including the wicketkeeper was called upon to bowl. On this occasion, the wicketkeeper Lyttelton was the most successful bowler, taking 4/19. Grace, keeping wicket to Lyttelton, took a catch to dismiss Midwinter.[85]

The two main features of England's first innings were Scotton's "stonewalling" and Read's (batting at number ten) "hard and rapid hitting".[86] Scotton's 90 in six hours and Read's 117 in two enabled England to reach a respectable 346 but they still had to follow on, 205 runs behind. But the time taken by Scotton's innings left Australia with not enough time to bowl England out again and the result was a draw.[86]

The Australian innings of 551 is still the Test match record for the highest total without a bowler conceding 100 runs (E Peate had an analysis of 2-99).[87]

Other matches

The tour began well for the Australians with an innings victory in their opening match at Uckfield against a team chosen by Lord Sheffield which included W. G. Grace, George Ulyett, Billy Barnes, Alfred Shaw and Arthur Shrewsbury. Although Fred Spofforth, Harry Boyle and Billy Midwinter were all playing, the Australian bowling was performed by George Giffen and Joey Palmer only, and they both took ten wickets in the match. However, the key performance in conditions that helped the bowling was Alick Bannerman's innings of 94 which alone outscored the Sheffield XI's first innings total of 86.[46]

The Australians had mixed success in their next five matches, winning against Surrey and an All-England XI but losing to Oxford, MCC and the Gentlemen. An innings of 71 by Tup Scott in a low-scoring match was the key to defeating Surrey by 8 wickets.[48] Centuries by Grace, A. G. Steel and Barnes gave MCC an innings victory at Lord's[49] and Warner described this feat as "remarkable".[88]

The next ten matches prior to the Old Trafford Test were played mainly in the north of England and the Australians did very well in this period, through June and into early July. They lost only to the North by an innings at Old Trafford when their batting struggled against Ted Peate and Ulyett while good scores by A. N. Hornby and Barnes ensured the North's victory.[57] Giffen had a memorable game when the Australians played Lancashire at Old Trafford, taking a hat-trick in the Lancashire innings and then scoring 113.[53] That match was drawn but the Australians defeated both Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire by the same three-wicket margin. Spofforth, Palmer, Peate and Tom Emmett dominated the match at Bradford in which only 255 runs were scored in total.[54] At Trent Bridge, the bowling of Giffen and Palmer enabled the Australians to recover from a first innings deficit of 39 and win.[55] In the return match against the Gentlemen at the Oval, the last three English batsmen including Lord Harris were all stumped by Jack Blackham.[89]

Between the first and second Tests, the Australian victory over Middlesex, whose batting could not cope with Spofforth,[88] was their only win in four matches at Lord's.[64] The Australians struggled in a drawn game against Sussex for whom George Wyatt and Henry Phillips both scored centuries.[66] Spofforth with 14 wickets and George Bonnor with an innings of 68 in a low-scoring match put the Australians back on track when they easily defeated a strong Players XI at the Oval.[67]

An innings of 60 by Lord Harris helped Kent recover from a first innings deficit before the Australians, batting last, collapsed to lose by 96 runs at Canterbury.[68] The first match against Gloucestershire was drawn, W. G. Grace scoring 116 not out for his county.[69] The Australians won the second match convincingly with an innings total of 402 (Giffen 91, Billy Murdoch 89) before dismissing Gloucestershire for only 83.[71] This began a good finish to the tour as the Australians won five of the last seven matches following the third Test. They twice defeated the South by an innings, Spofforth taking a total of 24 wickets in these two matches, but were again beaten by the North, for whom Dick Barlow scored a century and took ten wickets in the match.[75]

Statistical summary

Murdoch, Percy McDonnell and Giffen all scored 1,000 runs for the Australians in the 1884 season while Scott, Bannerman and Bonnor topped 900. Murdoch scored two centuries including his 211 at the Oval; Giffen, McDonnell and Scott one apiece.[16] The outstanding bowler, as on previous tours, was Spofforth who took 205 wickets for the Australians at an average of 12.50 with a best performance of 8/62. Palmer took 130 wickets at 16.14 and the other main bowlers were Giffen (81 wickets) and Boyle (62). Midwinter took 15 wickets while the other players bowled occasionally only.[90] Blackham was the wicket-keeper in 28 out of the 31 first-class matches, Murdoch standing in for him in the other three. Blackham held 23 catches and completed 16 stumpings. Eight fielders held more than twenty catches each, the most being Bonnor's 31.[16]

Putting the Australian performances into perspective, only eight Englishmen made 1,000 runs and only Harris scored more than Murdoch. Louis Hall with four completed the most centuries while Harris, Grace, Ulyett and Billy Bates made three apiece.[91] Spofforth was easily the highest wicket-taker, beating the best English bowler Ted Peate by 70 while Palmer was third overall. Seven other Englishmen managed 100 wickets in the season.[92]

In his history, Harry Altham wrote that the 1884 Australians have been equated with the 1882 team but he himself disagreed with that assessment. He added that George Giffen considered England's team in the final Test to have been the strongest of the nineteenth century.[93]

Controversy and aftermath

Although there had been a prior agreement on the matter, bad feeling about the proceeds from the Lord's Test lingered and, at the end of their tour, the Fourth Australians faced more recriminations from the British press. Among other things, they were accused of "introducing a bloodthirsty spirit" and "playing too obviously for money's sake".[15] This criticism was countered by The Australasian of 11 October, whose cricket writer Tom Horan, though himself no supporter of Murdoch's team, objected to the "spiteful criticism from certain portions of the English press" and pointed out the "narrow-minded and insulting abuse levelled at the Australian cricketers".[15] In his history of Lord's, however, Warner stated that the Australians had "evidently come into favour" and that "the rows and bickerings of the past were happily over and done with".[88]

The problems spilled over into the next Australian season when an English team formed by Alfred Shaw, James Lillywhite and Arthur Shrewsbury toured. A disagreement between Alexander and Lillywhite led to members of the Fourth Australians refusing to play against the tourists in certain matches and then being banned by the colonial authorities from playing in others. Having agreed contracts for matches with the colonial authorities, Lillywhite offered Alexander 30% of the gate receipts from the first two Tests, but Murdoch and the rest of the team insisted on 50%.[94] One outcome was that Australia had to make eleven changes to their team for the second Test after terms could not be agreed with the Fourth Australians.[41] The Fourth Australians had made up the team in the first Test but refused to play in the second Test in which nine debutants were necessary alongside Tom Horan and Sammy Jones.[94]

When the Fifth Australians toured England in 1886, the team was selected and managed by the Melbourne Club which was mindful of the past controversy. As a result, Murdoch, McDonnell and Bannerman were omitted despite still being leading batsmen.[95] Boyle was unavailable, as were Horan and Massie who had toured in 1882, while Alexander, Cooper and Midwinter were no longer in contention for places. Scott was appointed captain and the other survivors of 1884 were Blackham, Bonnor, Giffen, Palmer and Spofforth.[95]

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ The term "Test cricket" was not current before the 1890s. The term was first defined by an Australian cricket writer, Clarence Moody, who published a list of matches to which he assigned "Test status" and this received official recognition in 1897 with the 1884 series among those retrospectively recognised.
  2. ^ Several England players also represented Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
  3. ^ The Sydney Cricket Ground was known as the Association Ground until 1893–94 and renamed ahead of the 1894–95 season.[38]
  4. ^ The match at Leicester is the only one on the tour that was not first-class because Leicestershire joined the County Championship in 1895 and are rated first-class from that season.

Notes

  1. ^ "George Alexander". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  2. ^ "Alick Bannerman". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  3. ^ "George Bonnor". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  4. ^ "Percy McDonnell". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  5. ^ "Tup Scott". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  6. ^ "Jack Blackham". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  7. ^ "Billy Murdoch". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  8. ^ "George Giffen". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  9. ^ "Billy Midwinter". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  10. ^ "Harry Boyle". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  11. ^ "William Cooper". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  12. ^ "Joey Palmer". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  13. ^ "Fred Spofforth". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h Harte, p.133.
  15. ^ a b c d Harte, p.134.
  16. ^ a b c "1884 Australian tour batting summary". CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  17. ^ a b Knox, p. 131.
  18. ^ "1884 England series batting summary". CricketArchive. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  19. ^ "Dick Barlow". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  20. ^ "Lord Harris". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  21. ^ "A. N. Hornby". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  22. ^ "A. P. Lucas". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  23. ^ "T. C. O'Brien". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  24. ^ "Walter Read". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  25. ^ "William Scotton". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  26. ^ "Arthur Shrewsbury". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  27. ^ "Billy Barnes". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  28. ^ "W. G. Grace". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  29. ^ "A. G. Steel". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  30. ^ "George Ulyett". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  31. ^ "Alfred Lyttelton". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  32. ^ "Dick Pilling". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  33. ^ "Stanley Christopherson". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  34. ^ "Ted Peate". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  35. ^ a b c Harte, p.132.
  36. ^ "Victoria v New South Wales in 1883–84". CricketArchive. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  37. ^ "Fourth Australians v Combined XI in 1883–84". CricketArchive. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  38. ^ "Sydney Cricket Ground". CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  39. ^ "Fourth Australians v Combined XI in 1883–84". CricketArchive. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  40. ^ Harte, p.135.
  41. ^ a b c d Robinson, p.24.
  42. ^ "Ceylon XVIII v Fourth Australians in 1884". CricketArchive. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  43. ^ "Ceylon XVIII v Fourth Australians in 1884". CricketArchive. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  44. ^ . CricketArchive. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  45. ^ "The Australians in England, 1884". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. John Wisden & Co. 1885. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  46. ^ a b "Lord Sheffield's XI v Australians, 1884". CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  47. ^ "Oxford University v Australians, 1884". CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  48. ^ a b "Surrey v Australians, 1884". CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  49. ^ a b "MCC v Australians, 1884". CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  50. ^ "England XI v Australians, 1884". CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  51. ^ "Gentlemen of England v Australians, 1884". CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  52. ^ "Derbyshire v Australians, 1884". CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  53. ^ a b "Lancashire v Australians, 1884". CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  54. ^ a b "Yorkshire v Australians, 1884". CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  55. ^ a b "Nottinghamshire v Australians, 1884". CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  56. ^ "Cambridge University v Australians, 1884". CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  57. ^ a b "North v Australians, 1884". CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  58. ^ "Liverpool and District v Australians, 1884". CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
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  94. ^ a b Harte, pp.136–139.
  95. ^ a b Harte, p.141.

Sources

  • Altham, H. S. (1962). A History of Cricket – From the Beginnings to the First World War. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd.
  • Harte, Chris (1993). A History of Australian Cricket. London: Andre Deutsch. ISBN 0-233-98825-4.
  • Knox, Malcolm (2012). Never A Gentleman's Game. Hardie Grant. ISBN 978-1-7427-0193-6.
  • Mortimer, David (2005). Old Trafford – Test Match Cricket Since 1884. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing Limited. ISBN 0-7509-3667-3.
  • Mortimer, David (2005). The Oval – Test Match Cricket Since 1880. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing Limited. ISBN 0-7509-3668-1.
  • Robinson, Ray (1975). On Top Down Under. London: Cassell. ISBN 0 233 99122 0.
  • Warner, Pelham (1946). Lord's: 1787 – 1945. London: George G. Harrap.

Further reading

  • Birley, Derek (1999). A Social History of English Cricket. London: Aurum.
  • Frindall, Bill (1979). The Wisden Book of Test Cricket 1877–1978. London: John Wisden & Co.
  • Lillywhite, James (1885). James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual (Red Lilly). London: Lillywhite.
  • Lillywhite, John (1885). John Lillywhite's Cricketer's Companion (Green Lilly). London: Lillywhite.
  • Pollard, Jack (1995). The Complete Illustrated History of Australian Cricket (revised edition). New York: Viking.
  • "Australians in England, 1884". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack (1885 ed.). London: John Wisden & Co.

April 26, 2023
australian, cricket, team, england, 1884, australia, national, cricket, team, toured, england, 1884, team, officially, termed, fourth, australians, following, three, previous, tours, 1878, 1880, 1882, seasons, 1884, tour, private, venture, thirteen, players, e. The Australia national cricket team toured England in 1884 The team is officially termed the Fourth Australians following three previous tours in the 1878 1880 and 1882 seasons The 1884 tour was a private venture by the thirteen players who each invested an agreed sum to provide funding none of Australia s colonial cricket associations being involved Billy Murdoch captained the team and George Alexander acted as player manager The Australians played a total of 32 matches in England 31 of which have first class status The 1884 Australian cricket team Back row l r Percy McDonnell George Alexander manager George Giffen Joey Palmer Middle row l r Fred Spofforth Jack Blackham Billy Murdoch George Bonnor Billy Midwinter Alick Bannerman Harry Boyle Front row l r William Cooper Tup Scott 1884 was the first English season to feature more than a single Test match notes 1 A three match series was scheduled which included the inaugural Tests at both Old Trafford and Lord s The third Test was played at the Oval which had staged the Tests in 1880 and 1882 England won the Test series 1 0 with an innings victory in the second Test at Lord s while the first and third Tests were drawn The 1884 series was the first Ashes series in England following publication of the mock ashes obituary after the 1882 Test The tour was dogged by financial controversy with the Australians accused by the British press of being interested only in money The allegations were refuted by the Australian press but it later became clear when an England team arrived in Australia the following winter that there had been a financial dispute between Alexander and the English team manager James Lillywhite resulting in the two teams at first boycotting each other The dispute was never evident while Murdoch s team was in England as they completed all their scheduled fixtures winning eighteen matches and losing seven with seven drawn Contents 1 Australian squad 2 England Test selections 3 Tour preparations and voyages 4 Tour itinerary 5 Test series 5 1 First Test 5 2 Second Test 5 3 Third Test 6 Other matches 7 Statistical summary 8 Controversy and aftermath 9 References 9 1 Footnotes 9 2 Notes 9 3 Sources 10 Further readingAustralian squad EditAustralia had a 13 man squad captained by Billy Murdoch while George Alexander was player manager Squad details below state the player s colonial team at the time his age at the beginning of the tour his batting hand and his type of bowling Batsmen Name Colony Birth date Batting style Bowling style RefG Alexander Victoria 1851 04 22 22 April 1851 aged 33 Right handed Right arm fast roundarm 1 A C Bannerman New South Wales 1854 03 21 21 March 1854 aged 30 Right handed Right arm medium pace roundarm 2 G J Bonnor New South Wales 1855 02 25 25 February 1855 aged 29 Right handed Right arm medium pace 3 P S McDonnell Victoria 1858 11 13 13 November 1858 aged 25 Right handed none 4 H J H Scott Victoria 1858 12 26 26 December 1858 aged 25 Right handed Right arm fast medium 5 Wicket keepers Name Colony Birth date Batting style Bowling style RefJ M Blackham Victoria 1854 05 11 11 May 1854 aged 30 Right handed none 6 W L Murdoch New South Wales 1854 10 18 18 October 1854 aged 29 Right handed none 7 All rounders Name Colony Birth date Batting style Bowling style RefG Giffen South Australia 1859 03 27 27 March 1859 aged 25 Right handed Right arm medium pace and off break 8 W E Midwinter Victoria 1851 06 19 19 June 1851 aged 32 Right handed Right arm medium pace roundarm 9 Bowlers Name Colony Birth date Batting style Bowling style RefH F Boyle Victoria 1847 12 10 10 December 1847 aged 36 Right handed Right arm medium pace roundarm 10 W H Cooper Victoria 1849 09 11 11 September 1849 aged 34 Right handed Right arm leg break 11 G E Palmer Victoria 1859 02 22 22 February 1859 aged 25 Right handed Right arm medium pace and off break 12 F R Spofforth New South Wales 1853 09 09 9 September 1853 aged 30 Right handed Right arm fast medium 13 The 1884 squad was very similar to the 1882 squad with Alexander Cooper Midwinter and Scott replacing Tom Garrett Tom Horan Sammy Jones and Hugh Massie Cooper and Scott were making their first visit to England 14 Australia used the same eleven players in all three Tests Scott making his debut in the first Test and in the majority of their first class matches as Alexander was effectively a reserve who made only five appearances on the tour and Cooper who also made just five appearances suffered a long term injury 15 16 Cooper had an accident on the outbound voyage and tore ligaments in the spinning finger of his right hand 17 England Test selections EditEngland selected a total of 16 players in the three Tests Six players Barlow Grace Peate Shrewsbury Steel and Ulyett played in all three matches O Brien first Test and Christopherson second Test made their Test debuts Hornby captained England in the first Test and Harris in the other two 18 Details of the England players include their ages at the beginning of the 1884 season their batting and bowling styles and the county club notes 2 they represented in 1884 Batsmen Name County Birth date Batting style Bowling style RefR G Barlow Lancashire 1851 05 28 28 May 1851 aged 32 Right handed Left arm medium pace 19 Lord Harris Kent 1851 02 03 3 February 1851 aged 33 Right handed Right arm fast roundarm 20 A N Hornby Lancashire 1847 02 10 10 February 1847 aged 37 Right handed Right arm medium pace 21 A P Lucas Middlesex 1857 02 20 20 February 1857 aged 27 Right handed Right arm slow roundarm 22 T C O Brien Middlesex 1861 11 05 5 November 1861 aged 22 Right handed none 23 W W Read Surrey 1855 11 23 23 November 1855 aged 28 Right handed Right arm slow underarm 24 W H Scotton Nottinghamshire 1856 01 15 15 January 1856 aged 28 Left handed Left arm fast medium 25 A Shrewsbury Nottinghamshire 1856 04 11 11 April 1856 aged 28 Right handed none 26 All rounders Name County Birth date Batting style Bowling style RefW Barnes Nottinghamshire 1852 05 27 27 May 1852 aged 31 Right handed Right arm fast medium 27 W G Grace Gloucestershire 1848 07 18 18 July 1848 aged 35 Right handed Right arm medium pace roundarm 28 A G Steel Lancashire 1858 09 24 24 September 1858 aged 25 Right handed Right arm fast medium 29 G Ulyett Yorkshire 1851 10 21 21 October 1851 aged 32 Right handed Right arm fast roundarm 30 Wicketkeepers Name County Birth date Batting style Bowling style RefA Lyttelton Middlesex 1857 02 07 7 February 1857 aged 27 Right handed Right arm slow underarm 31 R Pilling Lancashire 1855 08 11 11 August 1855 aged 28 Right handed none 32 Bowlers Name County Birth date Batting style Bowling style RefS Christopherson Kent 1861 11 11 11 November 1861 aged 22 Right handed Right arm fast 33 E Peate Yorkshire 1855 03 02 2 March 1855 aged 29 Left handed Slow left arm orthodox 34 Tour preparations and voyages Edit Australian Cricketers ca 1884 Scott London Stereoscopic Company The Fourth Australian team was selected after Christmas 1883 at which time Victoria were playing New South Wales at the Melbourne Cricket Ground MCG in a match which ended on New Year s Eve with a three wicket win by Victoria 35 36 Another match was arranged to start on New Year s Day also at the MCG between the Fourth Australians and a Combined XI 35 All the tour selections except Spofforth were playing though Scott played for the Combined XI 37 Murdoch scored a career high 279 not out and McDonnell 111 in a total of 619 the result being a draw 35 A return match with the Combined XI was arranged in February at the Association Ground in Sydney notes 3 Scott played for the Fourth Australians replacing Alexander and Spofforth played for the Combined XI the Fourth Australians winning by 9 wickets 39 Unlike other Australian touring teams the 1884 team organised the project themselves and so it was a private business venture which involved none of the Australian colonial cricket associations 14 The players invested agreed sums to fund their travel and cover any losses 14 After one final match in Adelaide which was the last time South Australia needed odds i e extra men to compete the tourists left Melbourne on 11 March 1884 aboard the P amp O steamer Sutlej and arrived at Plymouth on 29 April 14 With a programme of 32 fixtures arranged the first game in England began on 12 May at Sheffield Park Uckfield and the last game against the South of England was completed on 12 September 14 The team travelled home on the SS Mirzapore and reached Melbourne again in early November 40 Murdoch enjoyed a shipboard romance on the return voyage with an heiress called Jemima Watson whom he married at Fitzroy Victoria in December only a few weeks after the Mirzapore berthed 41 The outward bound voyage had a short stopover at Colombo where the Australians played a drawn game on Galle Face Green against a Ceylon XVIII in a one day match on 1 April 42 The return voyage also stopped off in Colombo and the team played another odds match again on Galle Face Green and drawn on 23 October 43 Tour itinerary EditThe following is a list of the matches played by the Fourth Australians all but one of which are first class fixtures 44 45 Date Match title Venue Result12 May Lord Sheffield s XI v Australians Sheffield Park Uckfield Australians won by an innings and 6 runs 46 15 May Oxford University v Australians Christ Church Ground Oxford Oxford University won by 7 wickets 47 19 May Surrey v Australians The Oval London Australians won by 8 wickets 48 22 May Marylebone Cricket Club MCC v Australians Lord s Cricket Ground London MCC won by an innings and 115 runs 49 26 May England XI v Australians Aston Lower Grounds Birmingham Australians won by 4 wickets 50 29 May Gentlemen of England v Australians Lord s Cricket Ground London Gentlemen won by 4 wickets 51 2 June Derbyshire v Australians County Ground Derby Australians won by an innings and 40 runs 52 5 June Lancashire v Australians Old Trafford Manchester Match drawn 53 9 June Yorkshire v Australians Park Avenue Bradford Australians won by 3 wickets 54 12 June Nottinghamshire v Australians Trent Bridge Nottingham Australians won by 3 wickets 55 16 June Cambridge University v Australians FP Fenner s Ground Cambridge Australians won by an innings and 81 runs 56 19 June North v Australians Old Trafford Manchester North won by an innings and 22 runs 57 23 June Liverpool and District v Australians Aigburth Liverpool Australians won by 1 wicket 58 26 June Gentlemen of England v Australians The Oval London Australians won by 46 runs 59 30 June Players v Australians Bramall Lane Sheffield Australians won by 6 wickets 60 3 July Huddersfield v Australians Fartown Huddersfield Match drawn 61 10 July England v Australia First Test Old Trafford Manchester Match drawn 62 14 July Leicestershire v Australians notes 4 Grace Road Leicester Australians won by 10 wickets 63 17 July Middlesex v Australians Lord s Cricket Ground London Australians won by an innings and 29 runs 64 21 July England v Australia Second Test Lord s Cricket Ground London England won by an innings and 5 runs 65 24 July Sussex v Australians County Ground Hove Match drawn 66 31 July Players v Australians The Oval London Australians won by 9 wickets 67 4 August Kent v Australians St Lawrence Ground Canterbury Kent won by 96 runs 68 7 August Gloucestershire v Australians Clifton College Close Ground Bristol Match drawn 69 11 August England v Australia Third Test The Oval London Match drawn 70 18 August Gloucestershire v Australians College Ground Cheltenham Australians won by an innings and 136 runs 71 21 August Nottinghamshire v Australians Trent Bridge Nottingham Match drawn 72 25 August Cambridge University Past and Present v Australians County Ground Hove Australians won by 142 runs 73 28 August South v Australians Bat and Ball Ground Gravesend Australians won by an innings and 107 runs 74 1 September North v Australians Trent Bridge Nottingham North won by 170 runs 75 4 September I Zingari v Australians North Marine Road Ground Scarborough Australians won by 8 wickets 76 11 September South v Australians The Oval London Australians won by an innings and 5 runs 77 Test series EditFirst Test Edit 10 12 July 1884 ScorecardReportEngland v Australia95 63 overs Arthur Shrewsbury 43 Harry Boyle 6 42 25 overs 182 130 overs Billy Midwinter 37 George Ulyett 3 41 30 overs 180 9 130 overs W G Grace 31 Joey Palmer 4 47 36 overs Match drawnOld Trafford Cricket Ground Manchester Umpires Charles Pullin and Joseph RowbothamEngland won the toss and elected to bat No play on Day 1 This was the inaugural Old Trafford Test and as Chris Harte described it the first time that a match of such importance had been staged outside of London 14 Selection of an England home Test team in the 19th century was the privilege of the host club and Lancashire selected five local players in their squad of twelve although Jack Crossland missed out and was made twelfth man Barlow Hornby Pilling and Steel all played as it was believed their presence would boost the gate receipts 78 Chris Harte commented that the match was also the origin of Old Trafford s reputation for wet weather the game being drawn after rain had made the first day unplayable 14 79 The match was therefore reduced to two days play and it was reported that the wicket dried much quicker than expected and conditions were never difficult for batting 78 Even so England were all out for 95 in their first innings Boyle taking six wickets for 42 runs conceded i e 6 42 with his medium paced spin and Spofforth 4 42 Shrewsbury displaying masterly technique scored 43 to save his team from real embarrassment 78 In their first innings Australia hit with more vigour and confidence than their opponents and scored 182 a lead of 87 Their top scorer was Midwinter with 37 80 The wicket had dried out on the final day and England were able to bat out time and secure the draw scoring 180 for the loss of 9 wickets i e 180 9 Grace was top scorer with a patient 31 and Joey Palmer was the best of the Australian bowlers with his controlled off and leg cutters 80 Second Test Edit 21 23 July 1884 ScorecardReportAustralia v England229 105 2 overs Tup Scott 75 Ted Peate 6 85 40 overs 379 184 1 overs A G Steel 148 Joey Palmer 6 111 75 overs 145 94 1 overs Tup Scott 31 George Ulyett 7 36 39 1 overs England won by an innings and 5 runsLord s Cricket Ground London Umpires Frank Farrands and Charles PullinAustralia won the toss and elected to bat This was the inaugural Lord s Test and England won by an innings after a century by A G Steel and fine bowling by Ted Peate and George Ulyett 81 The game ended just after lunch on the third day 14 Wisden recorded that the main elements of England s success were the magnificent batting of A G Steel and the bowling of Ulyett 81 Batting first Australia were reduced to 160 9 despite an innings of 63 by Giffen but then Scott and Boyle added 69 for the final wicket Wisden reporting that Scott played cool confident skilful cricket in an innings of 75 81 At close of play on the first day England were 90 3 so the match was evenly poised with Lucas on 28 and Shrewsbury on 27 81 Steel commenced his innings on the second morning and shared successful partnerships with Ulyett Barlow and Lyttelton 81 While Steel was in 261 runs were added and he made 148 including thirteen boundaries It was the highest score made against the Australians during the season By close of play Australia had lost four wickets in their second innings for only 73 runs 81 Barlow later recorded that the score was 135 5 when he went out to join Steel and recalled Lord Harris the England captain saying to him For Heaven s sake Barlow stop this rot Barlow and Steel added 98 for the sixth wicket 82 Despite another good effort by Scott on the final day Australia failed to avoid the innings defeat Ulyett bowled very well but may have been helped by the state of the ground 81 However Ulyett is best remembered in this match for taking what Pelham Warner called one of the historic catches of cricket when he caught and bowled Bonnor noted for his powerful hitting 82 Warner recorded of Steel s innings that George Giffen talked about it most enthusiastically as late as 1911 when the two were in conversation at Adelaide 82 When Scott was dismissed for 75 in the Australian first innings he was caught by his own captain Murdoch off the bowling of Steel Murdoch was on as a substitute for an injured English player and this was the first time in Test cricket that a batsman was dismissed by a catch taken by a substitute fielder 41 Soon afterwards the London press reported that the entire proceeds of the match a sum of 1 334 had been awarded to the Australians This had been agreed beforehand by Alexander and Harris to enable the tourists to cover their costs but the press disapproved and accused the Australians of being mercenary and acting outside the spirit of the game Harte commented on the extreme bias of the press as in all their other games the Australians received only a share of the gate money an arrangement appreciated by the county clubs as the visitors popularity always boosted takings 83 In fact Alexander had attempted to secure payment of half the whole gate main stands and outer grounds for every match but the counties refused to share main stand revenue The agreement brokered by Lord Harris was for the Australians to receive half of all outer ground revenue plus the entire gate for the Lord s Test 17 Third Test Edit 11 13 August 1884 ScorecardReportAustralia v England551 311 overs Billy Murdoch 211 525 Hon A Lyttelton 4 19 12 overs 346 198 overs Walter Read 117 155 Joey Palmer 4 90 54 overs 85 2 26 overs Arthur Shrewsbury 37 33 George Giffen 1 18 7 overs Match drawnThe Oval London Umpires Frank Farrands and Charles PullinAustralia won the toss and elected to bat The final Test at the Oval was played in hot weather and Murdoch created a then record score of 211 the first double century in Test cricket Murdoch was helped by three missed chances off the bowling of Ulyett when he had made 46 171 and 205 41 England followed on but had only lost two wickets when time ran out and the match was drawn 15 84 After McDonnell had made 103 out of 158 Murdoch and Scott completed the first double century partnership in Test cricket England as the score mounted used 11 bowlers the first time in Test cricket that an entire team including the wicketkeeper was called upon to bowl On this occasion the wicketkeeper Lyttelton was the most successful bowler taking 4 19 Grace keeping wicket to Lyttelton took a catch to dismiss Midwinter 85 The two main features of England s first innings were Scotton s stonewalling and Read s batting at number ten hard and rapid hitting 86 Scotton s 90 in six hours and Read s 117 in two enabled England to reach a respectable 346 but they still had to follow on 205 runs behind But the time taken by Scotton s innings left Australia with not enough time to bowl England out again and the result was a draw 86 The Australian innings of 551 is still the Test match record for the highest total without a bowler conceding 100 runs E Peate had an analysis of 2 99 87 Other matches EditThe tour began well for the Australians with an innings victory in their opening match at Uckfield against a team chosen by Lord Sheffield which included W G Grace George Ulyett Billy Barnes Alfred Shaw and Arthur Shrewsbury Although Fred Spofforth Harry Boyle and Billy Midwinter were all playing the Australian bowling was performed by George Giffen and Joey Palmer only and they both took ten wickets in the match However the key performance in conditions that helped the bowling was Alick Bannerman s innings of 94 which alone outscored the Sheffield XI s first innings total of 86 46 The Australians had mixed success in their next five matches winning against Surrey and an All England XI but losing to Oxford MCC and the Gentlemen An innings of 71 by Tup Scott in a low scoring match was the key to defeating Surrey by 8 wickets 48 Centuries by Grace A G Steel and Barnes gave MCC an innings victory at Lord s 49 and Warner described this feat as remarkable 88 The next ten matches prior to the Old Trafford Test were played mainly in the north of England and the Australians did very well in this period through June and into early July They lost only to the North by an innings at Old Trafford when their batting struggled against Ted Peate and Ulyett while good scores by A N Hornby and Barnes ensured the North s victory 57 Giffen had a memorable game when the Australians played Lancashire at Old Trafford taking a hat trick in the Lancashire innings and then scoring 113 53 That match was drawn but the Australians defeated both Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire by the same three wicket margin Spofforth Palmer Peate and Tom Emmett dominated the match at Bradford in which only 255 runs were scored in total 54 At Trent Bridge the bowling of Giffen and Palmer enabled the Australians to recover from a first innings deficit of 39 and win 55 In the return match against the Gentlemen at the Oval the last three English batsmen including Lord Harris were all stumped by Jack Blackham 89 Between the first and second Tests the Australian victory over Middlesex whose batting could not cope with Spofforth 88 was their only win in four matches at Lord s 64 The Australians struggled in a drawn game against Sussex for whom George Wyatt and Henry Phillips both scored centuries 66 Spofforth with 14 wickets and George Bonnor with an innings of 68 in a low scoring match put the Australians back on track when they easily defeated a strong Players XI at the Oval 67 An innings of 60 by Lord Harris helped Kent recover from a first innings deficit before the Australians batting last collapsed to lose by 96 runs at Canterbury 68 The first match against Gloucestershire was drawn W G Grace scoring 116 not out for his county 69 The Australians won the second match convincingly with an innings total of 402 Giffen 91 Billy Murdoch 89 before dismissing Gloucestershire for only 83 71 This began a good finish to the tour as the Australians won five of the last seven matches following the third Test They twice defeated the South by an innings Spofforth taking a total of 24 wickets in these two matches but were again beaten by the North for whom Dick Barlow scored a century and took ten wickets in the match 75 Statistical summary EditMurdoch Percy McDonnell and Giffen all scored 1 000 runs for the Australians in the 1884 season while Scott Bannerman and Bonnor topped 900 Murdoch scored two centuries including his 211 at the Oval Giffen McDonnell and Scott one apiece 16 The outstanding bowler as on previous tours was Spofforth who took 205 wickets for the Australians at an average of 12 50 with a best performance of 8 62 Palmer took 130 wickets at 16 14 and the other main bowlers were Giffen 81 wickets and Boyle 62 Midwinter took 15 wickets while the other players bowled occasionally only 90 Blackham was the wicket keeper in 28 out of the 31 first class matches Murdoch standing in for him in the other three Blackham held 23 catches and completed 16 stumpings Eight fielders held more than twenty catches each the most being Bonnor s 31 16 Putting the Australian performances into perspective only eight Englishmen made 1 000 runs and only Harris scored more than Murdoch Louis Hall with four completed the most centuries while Harris Grace Ulyett and Billy Bates made three apiece 91 Spofforth was easily the highest wicket taker beating the best English bowler Ted Peate by 70 while Palmer was third overall Seven other Englishmen managed 100 wickets in the season 92 In his history Harry Altham wrote that the 1884 Australians have been equated with the 1882 team but he himself disagreed with that assessment He added that George Giffen considered England s team in the final Test to have been the strongest of the nineteenth century 93 Controversy and aftermath EditAlthough there had been a prior agreement on the matter bad feeling about the proceeds from the Lord s Test lingered and at the end of their tour the Fourth Australians faced more recriminations from the British press Among other things they were accused of introducing a bloodthirsty spirit and playing too obviously for money s sake 15 This criticism was countered by The Australasian of 11 October whose cricket writer Tom Horan though himself no supporter of Murdoch s team objected to the spiteful criticism from certain portions of the English press and pointed out the narrow minded and insulting abuse levelled at the Australian cricketers 15 In his history of Lord s however Warner stated that the Australians had evidently come into favour and that the rows and bickerings of the past were happily over and done with 88 The problems spilled over into the next Australian season when an English team formed by Alfred Shaw James Lillywhite and Arthur Shrewsbury toured A disagreement between Alexander and Lillywhite led to members of the Fourth Australians refusing to play against the tourists in certain matches and then being banned by the colonial authorities from playing in others Having agreed contracts for matches with the colonial authorities Lillywhite offered Alexander 30 of the gate receipts from the first two Tests but Murdoch and the rest of the team insisted on 50 94 One outcome was that Australia had to make eleven changes to their team for the second Test after terms could not be agreed with the Fourth Australians 41 The Fourth Australians had made up the team in the first Test but refused to play in the second Test in which nine debutants were necessary alongside Tom Horan and Sammy Jones 94 When the Fifth Australians toured England in 1886 the team was selected and managed by the Melbourne Club which was mindful of the past controversy As a result Murdoch McDonnell and Bannerman were omitted despite still being leading batsmen 95 Boyle was unavailable as were Horan and Massie who had toured in 1882 while Alexander Cooper and Midwinter were no longer in contention for places Scott was appointed captain and the other survivors of 1884 were Blackham Bonnor Giffen Palmer and Spofforth 95 References EditFootnotes Edit The term Test cricket was not current before the 1890s The term was first defined by an Australian cricket writer Clarence Moody who published a list of matches to which he assigned Test status and this received official recognition in 1897 with the 1884 series among those retrospectively recognised Several England players also represented Marylebone Cricket Club MCC The Sydney Cricket Ground was known as the Association Ground until 1893 94 and renamed ahead of the 1894 95 season 38 The match at Leicester is the only one on the tour that was not first class because Leicestershire joined the County Championship in 1895 and are rated first class from that season Notes Edit George Alexander CricketArchive Retrieved 24 October 2012 Alick Bannerman CricketArchive Retrieved 24 October 2012 George Bonnor CricketArchive Retrieved 24 October 2012 Percy McDonnell CricketArchive Retrieved 24 October 2012 Tup Scott CricketArchive Retrieved 24 October 2012 Jack Blackham CricketArchive Retrieved 24 October 2012 Billy Murdoch CricketArchive Retrieved 24 October 2012 George Giffen CricketArchive Retrieved 24 October 2012 Billy Midwinter CricketArchive Retrieved 24 October 2012 Harry Boyle CricketArchive Retrieved 24 October 2012 William Cooper CricketArchive Retrieved 24 October 2012 Joey Palmer CricketArchive Retrieved 24 October 2012 Fred Spofforth CricketArchive Retrieved 24 October 2012 a b c d e f g h Harte p 133 a b c d Harte p 134 a b c 1884 Australian tour batting summary CricketArchive Retrieved 27 September 2012 a b Knox p 131 1884 England series batting summary CricketArchive Retrieved 28 September 2012 Dick Barlow CricketArchive Retrieved 24 October 2012 Lord Harris CricketArchive Retrieved 24 October 2012 A N Hornby CricketArchive Retrieved 24 October 2012 A P Lucas CricketArchive Retrieved 24 October 2012 T C O Brien CricketArchive Retrieved 24 October 2012 Walter Read CricketArchive Retrieved 24 October 2012 William Scotton CricketArchive Retrieved 24 October 2012 Arthur Shrewsbury CricketArchive Retrieved 24 October 2012 Billy Barnes CricketArchive Retrieved 24 October 2012 W G Grace CricketArchive Retrieved 24 October 2012 A G Steel CricketArchive Retrieved 24 October 2012 George Ulyett CricketArchive Retrieved 24 October 2012 Alfred Lyttelton CricketArchive Retrieved 24 October 2012 Dick Pilling CricketArchive Retrieved 24 October 2012 Stanley Christopherson CricketArchive Retrieved 24 October 2012 Ted Peate CricketArchive Retrieved 24 October 2012 a b c Harte p 132 Victoria v New South Wales in 1883 84 CricketArchive Retrieved 7 October 2012 Fourth Australians v Combined XI in 1883 84 CricketArchive Retrieved 7 October 2012 Sydney Cricket Ground CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 Fourth Australians v Combined XI in 1883 84 CricketArchive Retrieved 7 October 2012 Harte p 135 a b c d Robinson p 24 Ceylon XVIII v Fourth Australians in 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 7 October 2012 Ceylon XVIII v Fourth Australians in 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 7 October 2012 Australia in England 1884 CricketArchive Archived from the original on 12 October 2012 Retrieved 14 October 2012 The Australians in England 1884 Wisden Cricketers Almanack John Wisden amp Co 1885 Retrieved 27 September 2012 a b Lord Sheffield s XI v Australians 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 Oxford University v Australians 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 a b Surrey v Australians 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 a b MCC v Australians 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 England XI v Australians 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 Gentlemen of England v Australians 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 Derbyshire v Australians 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 a b Lancashire v Australians 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 a b Yorkshire v Australians 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 a b Nottinghamshire v Australians 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 Cambridge University v Australians 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 a b North v Australians 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 Liverpool and District v Australians 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 Gentlemen of England v Australians 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 Players v Australians 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 England XI v Australians 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 England v Australia First Test 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 Leicestershire v Australians 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 a b Middlesex v Australians 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 England v Australia Second Test 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 a b Sussex v Australians 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 a b Players v Australians 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 a b Kent v Australians 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 a b Gloucestershire v Australians 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 England v Australia Third Test 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 a b Gloucestershire v Australians 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 Nottinghamshire v Australians 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 Cambridge University Past and Present v Australians 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 South v Australians 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 a b North v Australians 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 I Zingari v Australians 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 South v Australians 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 14 October 2012 a b c Mortimer Old Trafford p 3 First Test England v Australia 1884 Wisden Cricketers Almanack John Wisden amp Co 1885 Retrieved 27 September 2012 a b Mortimer Old Trafford p 4 a b c d e f g Second Test England v Australia 1884 Wisden Cricketers Almanack John Wisden amp Co 1885 Retrieved 27 September 2012 a b c Warner p 82 Harte pp 133 134 Third Test England v Australia 1884 Wisden Cricketers Almanack John Wisden amp Co 1885 Retrieved 27 September 2012 Mortimer The Oval p 9 a b Mortimer The Oval p 10 Walmsley Keith 2003 Mosts Without in Test Cricket Reading England Keith Walmsley p 360 ISBN 0947540067 a b c Warner p 84 Robinson p 43 First class bowling for Australians in 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 20 October 2012 First class batting in England for 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 20 October 2012 First class bowling in England for 1884 CricketArchive Retrieved 20 October 2012 Altham p 159 a b Harte pp 136 139 a b Harte p 141 Sources Edit Altham H S 1962 A History of Cricket From the Beginnings to the First World War London George Allen amp Unwin Ltd Harte Chris 1993 A History of Australian Cricket London Andre Deutsch ISBN 0 233 98825 4 Knox Malcolm 2012 Never A Gentleman s Game Hardie Grant ISBN 978 1 7427 0193 6 Mortimer David 2005 Old Trafford Test Match Cricket Since 1884 Stroud Gloucestershire Sutton Publishing Limited ISBN 0 7509 3667 3 Mortimer David 2005 The Oval Test Match Cricket Since 1880 Stroud Gloucestershire Sutton Publishing Limited ISBN 0 7509 3668 1 Robinson Ray 1975 On Top Down Under London Cassell ISBN 0 233 99122 0 Warner Pelham 1946 Lord s 1787 1945 London George G Harrap Further reading EditBirley Derek 1999 A Social History of English Cricket London Aurum Frindall Bill 1979 The Wisden Book of Test Cricket 1877 1978 London John Wisden amp Co Lillywhite James 1885 James Lillywhite s Cricketers Annual Red Lilly London Lillywhite Lillywhite John 1885 John Lillywhite s Cricketer s Companion Green Lilly London Lillywhite Pollard Jack 1995 The Complete Illustrated History of Australian Cricket revised edition New York Viking Australians in England 1884 Wisden Cricketers Almanack 1885 ed London John Wisden amp Co Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Australian cricket team in England in 1884 amp oldid 1118695478, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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