The Australian cricket team in England in 1880 played nine first-class matches including one Test, which was the first ever played in England. They were captained by W.L. Murdoch. The team had difficulty in arranging fixtures against the counties, and prior to the Test match in early September had played only four matches that are now rated as first-class (as well as many fixtures against weaker opposition), despite having already been in England for almost four months.
The Test was a late addition to the programme, being arranged at the instigation of the Surrey secretary, C. W. Alcock, who asked Lord Harris to put together a side. A. N. Hornby, Tom Emmett and George Ulyett refused to play, having unpleasant memories of the Sydney Riot of 1879, but Australia were also seriously handicapped, being without their star bowler, Fred Spofforth.
The Australians won 4, drew 3 and lost 2 of their first-class fixtures. Their only loss other than to England was to Nottinghamshire. That defeat was by only one wicket and came in a match in which they played a man short.
The Australian party consisted of: W.L. Murdoch (captain), A.C. Bannerman, J.McC. Blackham, G.J. Bonnor, H.F. Boyle, T.U. Groube, A.H. Jarvis, P.S. McDonnell, W.H. Moule, G.E. Palmer, J. Slight, F.R. Spofforth, G. Alexander (player-manager).
| No. | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13–14 May | 18 of St Luke's | Antelope Ground, Southampton | Won by an innings and 22 runs | [1] | |
| 1 | 17–18 May | Derbyshire | County Ground, Derby | Won by eight wickets | [2] |
| 18 May | Derbyshire (fill-up match) | County Ground, Derby | Drawn | [3] | |
| 20–22 May | 18 of Longsight | East Road, Longsight, Manchester | Won by ten wickets | [4] | |
| 22 May | 18 of Longsight (fill-up match) | East Road, Longsight, Manchester | Drawn | [5] | |
| 27–29 May | 18 of Rochdale | Butcher Meadow, Rochdale | Won by an innings and 26 runs | [6] | |
| 29 May | 18 of Rochdale (fill-up match) | Butcher Meadow, Rochdale | Drawn | [7] | |
| 31 May–2 June | 18 of Keighley | Hard Ings Road, Keighley | Drawn | [8] | |
| 3–4 June | 18 of Burnley and District | Turf Moor, Burnley | Won by an innings and 27 runs | [9] | |
| 5 June | 18 of Burnley and District (fill-up match) | Turf Moor, Burnley | Drawn | [10] | |
| 7–9 June | 18 of Malton | Old Malton Road, Malton | Won by four wickets | [11] | |
| 2 | 10–11 June | Yorkshire | Dewsbury and Savile Ground, Dewsbury | Won by five wickets | [12] |
| 11–12 June | Yorkshire (fill-up match) | Dewsbury and Savile Ground, Dewsbury | Drawn | [13] | |
| 14–16 June | 18 of North | Ormeau Cricket Ground, Belfast | Won by nine wickets | [14] | |
| 17–18 June | 18 of Dublin University | College Park, Dublin | Drawn | [15] | |
| 21–23 June | 18 of Birmingham | Aston Lower Grounds, Birmingham | Won by an innings and 9 runs | [16] | |
| 23 Jun 1880 | 18 of Birmingham (fill-up match) | Aston Lower Grounds, Birmingham | Drawn | [17] | |
| 24–26 June | 18 of Northampton | St. James' End, Northampton | Won by eight wickets | [18] | |
| 28–29 June | 18 of Harrogate | St. George's Road, Harrogate | Won by ten wickets | [19] | |
| 29–30 June | 18 of Harrogate | St. George's Road, Harrogate | Drawn | [20] | |
| 1–3 July | 18 of Newcastle upon Tyne | Bath Road Ground, Newcastle upon Tyne | Drawn | [21] | |
| 5–6 Jul 1880 | 18 of Middlesbrough | Linthorpe Road West Ground, Middlesbrough | Won by an innings and 26 runs | [22] | |
| 7 July | 18 of Middlesbrough (fill-up match) | Linthorpe Road West Ground, Middlesbrough | Drawn | [23] | |
| 8–10 July | 18 of Broughton | Broughton Cricket Club Ground, Salford | Drawn | [24] | |
| 12–14 July | Leicestershire | Grace Road, Leicester | Drawn | [25] | |
| 16–17 July | 18 of Werneth | The Coppice, Oldham | Won by an innings and 21 runs | [26] | |
| 17 July | 18 of Werneth (fill-up match) | The Coppice, Oldham | Drawn | [27] | |
| 19–20 July | 18 of Crystal Palace | Crystal Palace Park, Crystal Palace | Won by ten wickets | [28] | |
| 3 | 22–24 July | Yorkshire | Fartown, Huddersfield | Drawn | [29] |
| 26–28 July | 18 of Hull | Argyle Street, Hull | Drawn | [30] | |
| 29–31 July | 18 of Crewe | Alexandra Athletic Ground, Crewe | Drawn | [31] | |
| 4 | 2–4 August | Gloucestershire | Clifton College Close Ground, Clifton, Bristol | Won by 68 runs | [32] |
| 4 August | Gloucestershire (fill-up match) | Clifton College Close Ground, Clifton, Bristol | Won by ten wickets | [33] | |
| 5–7 August | 18 of Hunslet | Woodhouse Hill Ground, Hunslet | Won by eight wickets | [34] | |
| 7 August | 18 of Hunslet (fill-up match) | Woodhouse Hill Ground, Hunslet | Drawn | [35] | |
| 9–10 August | 18 of Bradford | Park Avenue Cricket Ground, Bradford | Won by ten wickets | [36] | |
| 10–11 August | 18 of Bradford (fill-up match) | Park Avenue Cricket Ground, Bradford | Won by three wickets | [37] | |
| 12–13 August | 18 of Sunderland | Chester Road, Sunderland | Won by an innings and 38 runs | [38] | |
| 13–14 August | 18 of Sunderland (fill-up match) | Chester Road, Sunderland | Drawn | [39] | |
| 19–21 August | 18 of Scarborough | North Marine Road, Scarborough | Lost by 90 runs | [40] | |
| 23–25 August | 18 of Yeadon | White Swan Ground, Yeadon | Won by an innings and 65 runs | [41] | |
| 26–28 August | 18 of Stockport | Higher Hilgate, Stockport | Lost by 100 runs | [42] | |
| 28 August | 15 of Stockport (fill-up match) | Higher Hilgate, Stockport | Drawn | [43] | |
| 30 August–1 September | 18 of Hastings | Central Recreation Ground, Hastings | Drawn | [44] | |
| 5 | 6–8 September | ENGLAND | Kennington Oval, London | Lost by five wickets | [45] |
| 10–11 September | 18 of Glasgow | Titwood, Glasgow | Drawn | [46] | |
| 6 | 13–15 September | Sussex | County Ground, Hove | Drawn | [47] |
| 16–18 September | Scotland | Raeburn Place, Edinburgh | Won by six wickets | [48] | |
| 7 | 20–22 September | Players of the North | Park Avenue Cricket Ground, Bradford | Drawn | [49] |
| 8 | 23–25 September | Nottinghamshire | Trent Bridge, Nottingham | Lost by one wicket | [50] |
| 9 | 27–29 September | Players | Crystal Palace Park, Crystal Palace | Won by two wickets | [51] |
| 29 September | Players (fill-up match) | Crystal Palace Park, Crystal Palace | Drawn | [52] |
6–8 September 1880 Scorecard |
v | ||
Test matches in the period 1877 to 1883 were organised somewhat differently from international cricket matches today. All were between Australian and English sides, the teams were rarely representative, and the lengthy boat trip required was one that many cricketers were unable or unwilling to undertake. As such, the home teams enjoyed a great advantage.
Frederick Robert Spofforth, also known as "The Demon Bowler", was an Australian cricket team pace bowler of the nineteenth century. He was the first bowler to take 50 Test wickets, and the first to take a Test hat-trick, in 1879. He played in Test matches for Australia between 1877 and 1887, and then settled in England where he played for Derbyshire. In 2009, he was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.
The history of Test cricket between 1884 and 1889 was one of English dominance over the Australians. England won every Test series that was played. The period also saw the first use of the word "Test" to describe a form of cricket when the Press used it in 1885. It has remained in common usage ever since.
An England team toured Australia between November 1920 and March 1921. The tour was organised by the Marylebone Cricket Club and matches outside the Tests were played under the MCC name. The tour itinerary consisted of 13 first-class matches, including a series of 5 Test matches against Australia in which The Ashes were at stake.
Marylebone Cricket Club organised the England cricket team's tour of Australia in the 1924–25 season. Australia won the Ashes series 4–1.
England won the 1926 Ashes series against Australia, winning the last Test of the series after the first four matches were drawn.
The 1938 Ashes series between Australia and England was drawn. England and Australia won a Test each, with two of the other Tests drawn and the third game of the series, scheduled for Manchester, abandoned without a ball being bowled, only the second instance of this in more than 60 years of Test cricket. The Australians retained The Ashes.
The Australian cricket team toured England in the 1964 season to play a five-match Test series against England for The Ashes. Australia won the series 1–0 with 4 matches drawn and therefore retained The Ashes.
From May to September in 1878, an Australian cricket team made the inaugural first-class tour of England by a representative overseas side. In October, the Australians played additional matches in the US and Canada on their return journey. The tour followed one made by an England team to Australia in 1876–77, during which the first matches retrospectively given Test match status were played. None of the 1878 matches had international status, nevertheless the tour proved to be such an outstanding financial and sporting success that the future of international cricket was assured.
1882 was the 96th season of cricket in England since the foundation of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). England lost to Australia in the match which gave rise to the Ashes.
1884 was the 98th season of cricket in England since the foundation of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). Australia toured England to compete for the Ashes. It was the seventh test series between the two sides. Fred Spofforth, an overseas bowler, took the most wickets, but England avenged its loss to the touring Australians in 1882 winning 1 test to 0.
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 Australian cricket team in England in 1886 played 27 first-class matches including 3 Tests which were all won by England.
The Australian cricket team played 34 first-class matches in England in 1890, including two Test matches.
The Australian cricket team played 31 first-class matches in England in 1893, including 3 Tests. One of the first-class matches was against the Oxford and Cambridge Universities Past and Present team in Portsmouth. In their first innings, the Australians scored 843 runs, with eight of their batsmen scoring half-centuries. This is the only instance in first-class cricket with eight half-centuries being scored in the same innings.
The Australian cricket team played 34 first-class matches in England in 1896, including 3 Tests.
The Australian cricket team in England in 1899 played 35 first-class matches including five Tests, the first time that a series in England had consisted of more than three matches. It was also the first time that a panel of selectors was appointed; previously the authority for the ground where the match was to be played was responsible for selecting the side.
The Australia and New Zealand tour of the England cricket team in 1876–77 was at the time considered to be another professional first-class cricket tour of the colonies, as similar tours had occurred previously, but retrospectively it became classified as the first Test cricket tour of Australia by the English cricket team. The English team is sometimes referred to as James Lillywhite's XI. In all, they played 23 matches but only three including the two Tests are recognised as first-class. The first match started at the Adelaide Oval on 16 November 1876 and the last at the same venue on 14 April 1877. There were fifteen matches in Australia and, between January and March, eight in New Zealand.
The England cricket team in Australia in 1886–87, generally known as Alfred Shaw's XI, was described by Wisden as "one of the strongest that ever left England for the Colonies". The team played 10 first-class matches, winning 6 with 2 draws and 2 defeats. It was the 9th English team to visit Australia, the first tour having occurred in the summer of 1861–62.
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.
| 1850 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | |||||
| 1950 | |||||
| 2000 | |||||
| |||||
| |||||
