Australian cricket team in New Zealand in 1877–78

Last updated

The Australian cricket team toured New Zealand in January and February 1878, before their 1878 tour of England. It was the first overseas tour by a representative Australian team.

Contents

The Australians played seven matches against provincial teams, six of which fielded 22 players (the other team, Canterbury, fielded 15) with the aim of providing more evenly-matched contests. As the matches were not 11-a-side they are not considered to have been first-class.

The team had assembled in November 1877, playing matches against teams in four Australian colonies. [1]

The team

John Conway was the manager and umpire, standing with a local umpire in each match. William Gibbes, a clerk in the New South Wales audit department, was the assistant manager, who preceded the arrival of the team to finalise tour arrangements. [1] [2] Frank Allan was named in the original 12-man team but pulled out of the trip shortly before the team left Australia, suffering from sciatica, [3] leaving the Australians with just 11 players. Gibbes played in the match against Wellington, relieving Boyle.

The matches

Spofforth took 14 for 25 in the first innings; 11 of his victims were bowled. Charles Bannerman opened Australia's innings and scored 125 not out, which was the Australians' only century of the tour. One of his hits over square leg landed in an orchard 50 metres from the ground. [1] Horan made 53. [6] In the first innings the Southland number 10, John Wesney, made 39 not out, and during a 21st-wicket partnership of 27 struck a ball from Spofforth over the fence. [4]

The Australians' ship berthed at Bluff early on the morning of the match, they arrived by train at Invercargill at 10 o'clock, and the match began at noon. [7] The match days were declared half-holidays in Invercargill, and special concerts were held each evening at the Theatre Royal. [8]

Garrett took 7 for 25 and 13 for 33. The highest score in the match was 28 by the Otago batsman Hugh MacNeil. [9] The Otago opening bowler Gordon Millington took 5 for 44, helping Otago achieve a 32-run first-innings lead. [10]

Charles Bannerman made 45, the only score on either side higher than 18. [12] A public holiday was declared in the town for the match. [13]

Tom Horan later wrote that the ground resembled a "worn-out potato paddock on which the lovers of the noble game endeavour to play to the detriment of their legs, body and head". [1]

Canterbury asked to play on even terms, with 11 players a side, but the Australians refused, hoping to prolong the game and thus increase the gate takings. [15] Eventually it was settled that Canterbury would field 15 players, but before the match the reporter in the Christchurch newspaper The Lyttelton Times regretted the decision not to field 18. Without exceptional luck, he said, "I am afraid we shall have to put up with defeat". [16] Interest in the match was high, and the largest Christchurch businesses and law firms closed on each day of the match at midday, which was the scheduled time for play to begin. [17]

The sides agreed to play on a different pitch for each innings, and the Australians got the worse of the arrangement of the first day, when the bowling of the brothers Charlie and William Frith was "almost unplayable" on a "springy" pitch, and despite dropping several catches Canterbury dismissed the Australians for 46. [18] When Canterbury batted, Spofforth bowled at his fastest, taking 9 for 77, all his victims being bowled, several by yorkers, but Arthur Ollivier (36) and the captain, William Neilson (26), defied the bowling and took the score to 105 for 10 at stumps. [18]

After rain washed out the second and third days, a crowd of 8000 turned up to watch the fourth day's play. [19] Tom Horan scored 58 not out, but the rest of the Australian batsmen were troubled by Edwin Fuller, who took 8 for 35, finishing the innings off on the fifth day. Canterbury needed 55 to win, and completed their victory after eight wickets had fallen.

In all 20,000 spectators watched the match, but as the field was in a public park no admission fee could be charged, and the Australians' takings were disappointing. The result caused some surprise in Australia, where the newspapers mixed their tributes to the good play of the Canterbury side with doubts about the pitch, the tour schedule and the New Zealand umpiring. [20]

This match was the only one the 1877-78 Australians lost. It was not until the 1966–67 season that a team representing Australia suffered a first-class defeat in New Zealand – also at the hands of Canterbury. [21]

Spofforth took 14 for 40 in the first innings, 11 of them bowled. George Bailey's 33 not out was the highest score in the match. [22] As the match was completed early on the third day, a single-innings match was played to fill in the time, Wellington scoring 213 all out and the Australians 6 for 1. [23]

In Wellington all government offices and banks and most businesses were closed on the Monday and Tuesday afternoons of the match. [24] The Wellington cricketers held a ball for the Australians on the evening of the 28th, and the dancing continued "till long past midnight". [25]

Spofforth took 11 for 33 and 11 for 26; 16 of his victims were bowled. Tom Garrett's 52 was by far the highest score. J. Liddle took 5 for 51 for Hawke's Bay. [26] The first day of the match, a Friday, was declared a public holiday in Napier for the occasion. [27]

The Australians arrived in Napier on the Wanaka from Wellington on the morning of the match, then travelled by train to Hastings. The match started at two o'clock, "in Mr Braithwaite's paddock at Hastings, about a mile from the railway station". Rather than toss a coin to decide who would bat first, the Australians asked to be allowed to field, in order to work off the effects of their journey. [28]

Spofforth took 13 for 42 and 9 for 26; Garrett took 11 for 11 in the second innings. For Auckland Dan Lynch took the first five Australian wickets and finished with 5 for 67. Bailey's 44 not out was the highest score. [29]

The original itinerary included a three-day match against the "United strength of New Zealand" from 14 to 16 February. [30]

Assessments

The weather was generally cool, cloudy and damp throughout, [1] although only three full days were lost to the weather.

Bowlers had the upper hand. Apart from Charles Bannerman's century against Southland, Horan scored two fifties and Garrett one. All 22 of the opposition fielded at once, [31] which slowed the Australians' scoring. [32]

Charles Bannerman led the Australian batting with 284 runs, Horan scored 187, and Bailey 128. [33] Only four New Zealand batsmen, all in South Island teams, reached 20; John Wesney of Southland was the highest scorer among them with 39 not out. Spofforth took 102 wickets at an average of 3.85, although in several matches he bowled only in the first innings. [15]

The Australians returned to Australia and played several matches in New South Wales and Victoria in March before sailing for England.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Alabaster</span> New Zealand cricketer

John Chaloner Alabaster is a former cricketer who played 21 Test matches for New Zealand between 1955 and 1972. A leg-spin bowler, he was the only New Zealander to play in each of the country's first four Test victories. In domestic cricket was often partnered at the crease for his provincial side Otago by his younger brother Gren, who bowled off-spin. A schoolteacher, he later served as Rector of Southland Boys' High School in Invercargill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otago cricket team</span> Cricket team

The Otago cricket team, nicknamed the Volts since the 1997–98 season, are a New Zealand first-class cricket team which first played representative cricket in 1864. The team represents the Otago, Southland and North Otago regions of New Zealand's South Island. Their main governing board is the Otago Cricket Association which is one of six major associations that make up New Zealand Cricket.

Henry Bannerman Morrison was a Scottish-born New Zealand cricketer who played for Otago. He was born in Glasgow and died in Burgess Hill, Sussex.

Robert Alexander Holloway is a New Zealand former cricketer. He played 15 first-class matches, including 14 for Otago in the Plunket Shield, during the 1960s as an opening batsman. A good club batsman who is considered to have not fulfilled his potential in representative cricket, Holloway also played for Southland in the Hawke Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian cricket team in New Zealand and Fiji in 1904–05</span> International cricket tour

An Australian team toured New Zealand and Fiji from February to April 1905 to play four first-class matches including two against New Zealand, which had not then attained Test status. Although it was the fifth Australian team to tour New Zealand, it was the first one to play matches on even terms, which therefore have first-class status. On previous tours all matches had been against teams of 15, 18 or 22 players. As well as the two matches against New Zealand, the Australians played first-class matches against Canterbury and Otago. The other games were non-first-class against Auckland, Wellington and Fiji.

The Australia national cricket team toured New Zealand from February to April 1914 and played eight first-class matches including two against the New Zealand national team. New Zealand at this time had not been elevated to Test status. The tour was organized and captained by Arthur Sims, who had previously represented New Zealand. The tour is notable for the fact that it featured Victor Trumper's final appearance in a first-class match before his death at age 37 in 1915.

An Australian cricket team toured New Zealand from February to April 1921 to play nine first-class matches including two against New Zealand. The Australians also played the main provincial teams.

The Australia national cricket team toured New Zealand from February to April 1928 and played six first-class matches including two against the New Zealand national cricket team. This was before New Zealand began playing Test cricket.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southland cricket team</span>

The Southland cricket team represents the Southland Region of New Zealand. They compete in the Hawke Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lord Hawke's XI cricket team in Australia and New Zealand in 1902–03</span> International cricket tour

Lord Hawke selected a cricket team of ten amateurs and two professional players to tour Australia and New Zealand from November 1902 until March 1903. After an opening game in San Francisco, the tour began of eighteen matches - seven of them considered first-class - in New Zealand followed by three further first-class games in Australia. Hawke's team was the first to tour Australasia with New Zealand as the primary destination and, as was the norm at the time, was privately run and funded. The Australian leg of the tour was a "profit making venture", however the games in New Zealand were scheduled at the behest of the New Zealand Cricket Board in order to raise the profile of cricket in the country. Two of them were against a New Zealand cricket team, before its international Test status. The inclusion of such games on the tour were considered "a sign that cricket in New Zealand was starting to be taken more seriously, and a move towards official international status was possible."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan McBeath</span> New Zealand cricketer

Daniel Jason McBeath was a New Zealand cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1917 to 1927.

Charlie Frith was an English-born New Zealand cricketer who played first-class cricket for Canterbury and Otago between 1877 and 1890.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Burnes</span> New Zealand cricketer

George Gordon Burnes was a businessman and first-class cricketer in New Zealand.

Lawrence Edward Reade was a New Zealand cricketer. He played first-class cricket for Canterbury and Otago between 1869 and 1877.

Carl Zimmerman was a New Zealand cricketer. He played nine first-class matches for Otago between 1925 and 1930. He lived most of his life in Oamaru, working first as a teacher, then as a lawyer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Lynch (cricketer)</span> New Zealand cricketer

Daniel Joseph Francis Lynch was a New Zealand cricketer. He played nine first-class matches for Auckland between 1877 and 1890.

James William Hugh Bannerman was a New Zealand journalist, historian, cricketer and soldier.

The Australian cricket team toured New Zealand in January and February 1881. The Australians played ten matches against provincial teams, nine of which fielded 22 players with the aim of providing more evenly-matched contests. Two further brief matches were played to fill the allotted time after a scheduled match finished early. As none of the matches were 11-a-side they are not considered to have been first-class.

The Australian cricket team toured New Zealand in late November and early December 1886.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian cricket team in New Zealand in 1896–97</span> International cricket tour

The Australian cricket team toured New Zealand in November 1896, playing five matches. They were returning from their 1896 tour of England.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 John Lazenby (2015). The Strangers Who Came Home: The First Australian Cricket Tour of England. London: Bloomsbury. pp. 20–26.
  2. ↑ "[Untitled]". Southland Times: 2. 4 January 1878.
  3. ↑ "The Australians at Invercargill". Evening Star. No. 4636. 9 January 1878. p. 2.
  4. 1 2 "Intercolonial Cricket Match". Southland Times. No. 2976. 10 January 1878. p. 2.
  5. ↑ "Australians v. Invercargill". Hawke's Bay Herald. XXI (4087): 2. 10 January 1878. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  6. ↑ "Southland v Australians 1877-78". CricketArchive. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  7. ↑ "The Australian Eleven v. Twenty-Two of Invercargill". The Age: 3. 21 January 1878.
  8. ↑ "Cricket". Southland Times. No. 2973. 7 January 1878. p. 2.
  9. ↑ "Otago v Australians 1877-78". CricketArchive. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  10. ↑ T. W. Reese, New Zealand Cricket: 1841–1914, Simpson & Williams, Christchurch, 1927, p. 193.
  11. ↑ "Argus", The Australian Cricketers' Tour through Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain, Jarrett & Co., Sydney, 1878, p. 6.
  12. ↑ "Oamaru v Australians 1877-78". CricketArchive. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  13. ↑ "The Australian Cricketers". Southland Times. No. 2983. 18 January 1878. p. 3.
  14. ↑ "Canterbury v Australians 1877-78". CricketArchive. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  15. 1 2 The Oxford Companion to Australian Cricket, Oxford, Melbourne, 1996, p. 383.
  16. ↑ "Cricket". Lyttelton Times. Vol. XLIX, no. 5273. 14 January 1878. p. 3.
  17. ↑ "Australia v. Canterbury". Press. Vol. XXIX, no. 3897. 18 January 1878. p. 2.
  18. 1 2 "Australia v. Canterbury". Lyttelton Times. Vol. XLIX, no. 5279. 21 January 1878. p. 2.
  19. ↑ Bertram, Gavin (22 November 2013). "Visited by a Demon from Australia". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  20. ↑ "The Australian Cricketers at Christchurch". Star. No. 3078. 14 February 1878. p. 3.
  21. ↑ Wisden 1968, p. 879.
  22. ↑ "Wellington v Australians 1877-78". CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  23. ↑ "Inter-Colonial Cricket Match". New Zealand Times: 2. 30 January 1878.
  24. ↑ "[Untitled]". New Zealand Times: 2. 26 January 1878.
  25. ↑ "The Australian Eleven in New Zealand". Leader: 12–13. 16 February 1878.
  26. ↑ "Hawke's Bay v Australians 1877-78". CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  27. ↑ "Public Holiday". Hawke's Bay Herald. XXI (5004): 3. 30 January 1878. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  28. ↑ "Australian Eleven v. Napier Twenty-Two". New Zealand Times. XXXIII (5261): 3. 2 February 1878. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  29. ↑ "Auckland v Australians 1877-78". CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  30. ↑ "Sporting Notes". The Express and Telegraph: 2. 11 January 1878.
  31. ↑ "Australia v. Auckland". New Zealand Herald. XV (5065): 5. 9 February 1878. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  32. ↑ "The Cricketers' Dinner at Dunedin". Press. Vol. XXIX, no. 3899. 21 January 1878. p. 3.
  33. ↑ "The Australian Eleven". Lyttelton Times. XLIX (5298): 2. 12 February 1878. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.