The Ashes Read online

  In 1878, at 30 years old, there seemed little left to keep him in cricket but the tour of a powerful Australian team galvanised him into an extended cricket life as it was realised that the ‘Colonials’ could play. In the first game the MCC made 33 and 19 to be resoundingly beaten by an Australian team inspired by bowler Fred Spofforth. Many historians traced the beginning of Britain’s decline as the most dominant nation on Earth, at least in symbolic terms, to that day at Lord’s. It was a wake-up call for English cricket and from then on WG took Australia seriously.

  WG became a doctor, which led to more time in his Bristol practice and less at games. He still topped the batting averages in 1880, a position held in all but three years between 1866 and 1879. The first Test on English soil was in 1880 at the Oval and featured WG, who made 152 in England’s 420. His score was surpassed by Australia’s Billy Murdoch, who made 153 not out. Apart from the absence of the injured Spofforth, both sides were at near-full strength. England was 8–410 at the close of day one with Grace putting on 91 for the first wicket with brother Edward and 120 for the second with Alfred Lucas. By lunch on the second day Australia was 9–126 after light rain the previous evening changed the pitch. All seemed lost in the follow-on when the visitors lost 3–14, but Murdoch gained valuable support from Percy McDonnell and England were set 57 to win. They did so but lost five wickets, including GF (Fred) Grace, who went for his second duck of his only Test. He had, however, made a famous catch off a hit by George Bonnor. The batsmen were on their third run as the ball was safely caught. GF, 29, died a fortnight later from lung congestion.

  The years 1881 and 1882 were lean for WG, with his only appearance against Australia in the Oval Test in August 1882, which gave birth to the Ashes. His medical practice prevented him from touring Australia in 1881–82 when four Tests were played, with the home side winning two and the others drawn. In Melbourne England made 294 and 308 while Australia replied with 320 and 3–127. George Ulyett with 87 was England’s best while Tom Horan’s 124 was invaluable for Australia. In Sydney England batted first and made 133 with Joey Palmer taking 7–68. Australia followed with 197 but England did better second time to score 232. Murdoch steered Australia to a five-wicket win. Sydney proved a happy hunting ground, with Australia winning by six wickets in the third Test. The drawn fourth Test in Melbourne was one for the batsmen. Ulyett scored 149 in England’s 309 and 64 in the second innings of 2–234. Murdoch scored 85 in Australia’s 300. England seemed to be heading for a morale-boosting victory but the weather broke.

  In the 1884 series in England the hosts won one with two drawn. WG scored a century in lead-up games but struggled in Tests. The first in Manchester was affected by rain, the second at Lord’s won by England, with Ted Peate taking 6–85 in Australia’s first innings, Ulyett taking 7–36 in their second and AG Steel scoring 148. Batsmen dominated at the Oval with Murdoch scoring 211, Henry ‘Tup’ Scott 102 and McDonnell 103 in Australia’s first innings of 551. In reply England made 346 and 2–85 as time ran out.

  England headed ‘down under’ in 1884–85 without WG and won the first two Tests with the home side successful in the next two and England in the fifth. Adelaide hosted its first Test with McDonnell scoring 124 out of 243 and 83 out of 191 for Australia, who were mesmerised by Billy Bates (5–31) in the first innings and Bobby Peel (5–51) in the second. Billy Barnes took five hours to score 134 in England’s first effort of 369 and William Scotton 45 minutes longer for 82. England repeated the dose in Melbourne with Johnny Briggs contributing 121. Barnes and Peel did the damage to Australia with the ball. The return of Spofforth was crucial in a thrilling Sydney Test. Australia made 181 and 165, England 133 and 207, as Australia won by six. Horan snared six wickets for Australia in the first innings and Spofforth four in the first and six in the second. Bonnor was the star for Australia in the fourth Test in Sydney. England scored 269 and Australia was 6–119 when Bonnor strode to the crease. Starting uncertainly, he then began to use his power, and in under two hours made 128 out of 169. In conditions that favoured bowlers, his was an extraordinary innings as Australia won by eight wickets. The visitors retained the Ashes with a decisive win in Melbourne spurred on by a century to captain Arthur Shrewsbury.

  England and WG on top

  Between 1886 and 1890 England dominated, winning ten out of eleven Tests with WG a colossus. In the third Test at the Oval in 1886 he scored 170 in 270 minutes, including 22 boundaries. He was rarely thrown the ball by his skipper in 1886 against the Australians, and in 1888 didn’t deliver one over. During this tour he was made captain and led the team to two wins with the second at Manchester on a sticky wicket in which his batting skills were brilliant, with a match-high 38 in the shortest Test match ever, finishing just before lunch on the second day.

  There we re other standout performances such as Shrewsbury’s 164 in England’s second Test victory at Lord’s in 1886. Bowlers Charlie ‘Terror’ Turner and Jack Ferris starred for Australia. In the first Test in Sydney in 1886–87 England was dismissed for 45—its lowest in Tests, with Turner taking 6–15 and Ferris 4–27—but still won thanks to a second innings of 184 in which Ferris took another five. The Australians continued to rattle English batsmen in subsequent Tests, both taking nine wickets in the second Test in Sydney, Turner twelve in the only Test of 1887–88, Turner two five-wicket hauls and Ferris one in the first Test at Lord’s in 1888. Turner took six wickets in the next Test and another five in the third, and Ferris nine in the second Test at the Oval in 1890. Australia’s batsmen struggled against George Lohmann, who took 77 wickets in fifteen Tests.

  Australia regained the Ashes in 1891–92, winning the Melbourne and Sydney Tests but losing in Adelaide. The English side was sponsored by Lord Sheffield and led by WG, whose only other tour of Australia had been 18 years earlier. His fee was £3000 with all expenses paid which again caused friction, while his insistence on confrontation, insults, abuse of umpires, arrogance and gamesmanship meant that by the end of the tour he was bid good riddance. The 43-year-old made 50 in the first Test and 58 in the third. Many flocked to see him and he became the first of many Test visitors to Australia whom the locals loved to hate. Alec Bannerman was Australia’s best batsman but it was Australia’s varied bowling attack that shone, with Bob McLeod taking 5–55 and Turner 5–51 in the first, and Turner 4–46 combining with George Giffen 4–88 and 6–72 in the second. Andrew Stoddart’s 134 and a twelve-wicket haul by Johnny Briggs set up England’s Adelaide win.

  A win in the second Test at the Oval in 1893 was enough to see England claim the next series with the other two drawn. Shrews bury scored 106 in the first Test but it was all-rounder Bill Lockwood’s fast bowling efforts that proved decisive, taking six at Lord’s and two four-wicket hauls at the Oval.

  WG declined to tour in 1894 when England won an enthralling series 3–2. The scene was set by an amazing turnaround in the first Test in Sydney. Australia started badly, losing 3–21 before recovering to register 586 with Giffen scoring 161 and Syd Gregory hitting a double century. England scored 325 and in the follow-on 437 with Albert Ward’s 117 best. Australia began the chase well and were 2–113 at the end of the penultimate day. Heavy overnight rain saturated the pitch, turning it into a bowling paradise. Peel ran through Australia, capturing 6–67 as it lost by ten. The pitch in Melbourne proved troublesome with England dismissed for 75 and Australia 123. It settled and England made 475 in its second innings, featuring 173 from captain Stoddart. The chase, however, was too much, with Australia dismissed 94 runs short.

  Australia had convincing wins in the next two Tests to level the series. The intense heat and a superb debut by Albert Trott proved England’s undoing in Adelaide. Trott scored 48 not out in Australia’s 238, 72 not out in the second innings of 411 and took 8–43 in England’s second innings. His 85 not out and Harry Graham’s 105 in Sydney set up Australia’s first innings fifth Test score of 284, which proved too much for England (65 and 72) as rain left the pitch in a dreadful state.
/>   There was unprecedented interest in the decider in Melbourne, with the ground packed; even Queen Victoria sought details. Australia’s 414 after winning the toss seemed an insurance against defeat. England came up 29 short, aided greatly by Archie MacLaren’s 120. Tom Richardson’s 6–104 restricted Australia to 267 in its second innings and England needed 296 to take the series. The fifth day began with England one down and hopeful. Stoddart was out early and, under an overcast sky, Jack Brown came in. He squared rove his first ball to the boundary, hooked the next for four and in less than half an hour had 50. With rain threatening he raced to his century in 95 minutes. The stand with Ward reached 210 before Brown was caught at slip for 140. Ward missed his century but the pair had taken England to a winning position.

  Just when it appeared WG may retire he turned the spotlight back onto himself after the touring side returned. At 47, he contrived the most unlikely season he called ‘the crowning point’ of his career. He plundered 1000 runs in May 1895, scored his 100th first-class century, reached 2346 runs for the season and experienced the satisfaction from several testimonial matches that generated more than £9000. WG maintained his rejuvenation in 1896, perhaps owing to the visit of the Australians. Speed bowler Richardson set the scene for England to retain the Ashes in the first session of the first Test, bowling six Australians as the visitors succumbed for 53 in front of 30,000 at Lord’s. England scored 292 in reply, with WG making 66. After being 3–62 Australia fought back, thanks to Trott’s 143 and Gregory’s 103, to register 347 with England then wrapping up the result. Despite the best efforts of Richardson (thirteen wickets) and KS Ranjitsinhji (Ranji) in his Test debut with 154 not out, Australia won the second Test at Old Trafford by three wickets. In a low-scoring third Test at the Oval England scored 145 and 84 and Australia replied with 119 and 44.

  Ranji made his first tour of Australia in 1897–98 and almost attained ‘pop idol’ status. He hit 175 out of England’s 551 in the team’s nine-wicket first Test win in Sydney but despite 71, 77 and 55, was unable to save England from a 4–1 loss. Australia won the second Test in Melbourne by an innings with Charlie McLeod scoring 112. It was a similar margin in Adelaide with Joe Darling contributing 178 to Australia’s 573, and Monty Noble and McLeod getting five-wicket hauls. Clem Hill’s 188 was the standout for Australia in the eight-wicket fourth Test win in Melbourne, while Darling’s 160 in Sydney proved the difference for Australia in a six-wicket win.

  WG rumbled on and in 1898 turned 50. The following year he was unable to resist the challenge of the touring Australians led by Darling. There was little between the sides, with four Tests drawn and one to Australia. This was a series in which dashing Australian batsman Victor Trumper made his debut, as did England’s Wilfred Rhodes, while WG played his last Test. He was selected for the first Test after scoring 175 for London County against Worcestershire but failed.

  Although his experience and spirit made him good enough to make the England side, he decided enough was enough and retired from Tests. He continued at first-class level and despite his age and troublesome knee, was forever a drawcard. He faced the Australians again in 1902 when he took 5–29 for London County. In 1906 there was a 74 against the Players but he was now down to a trickle of games. His last big game was in 1908, a few months short of his 60th birthday, but he was not done yet and fronted for the odd minor match until 1914. On 25 July, a week after he turned 66, he played for Eltham against Grove Park in London for his last innings. He carried his bat for 69 and took 4–48. A year later he had a stroke which forced him to bed and soon after he died.

  Chapter 3

  TRUMPER AND BARNES DOMINATE

  Until 1900 WG Grace dominated cricket, but in the fourteen years before World War I put a halt to Tests, two players dominated—dashing Australian batsman Victor Trumper and English medium-fast bowler Sydney Francis Barnes.

  Trumper’s figures bear poor comparison to others but his style made up for it. One of the finest Ashes Test innings was completed by Trumper in Sydney in 1903–04. English wicket-keeper Arthur Lilley later wrote that the 185 not out was the finest innings by any batsman he had witnessed. Yet it did not save Australia, as England won by five wickets. Trumper’s first-class figures are: 255 matches, 16,939 runs, highest score 300 not out, average 44.58 with 42 centuries and 87 half centuries. His Test figures are: 48 matches, 3163 runs, highest score 214 not out and an average of 39.05. He played in 40 Ashes Tests and accumulated 2263 runs with six centuries.

  Trumper was born in Sydney on 2 November 1877 and his cricket talent was cultivated in his backyard and in the streets of Surry Hills. Although described by schoolmate Monty Noble as a ‘short, spare, narrow-shouldered boy’, Trumper excelled at batting, bowling and fielding. At fifteen he played with Sydney’s Carlton club and at sixteen with South Sydney. Trumper competed at the Federation carnival in Sydney on 4 January 1901, winning the ball-throwing contest with 110.19 metres—his fast, flat throw was a feature of his fielding. Trumper was included late, as fourteenth man on reduced terms, in the 1899 team to tour England. Becoming the first Australian to score 300 in England, in a match against Sussex in July, the 21-year-old made everyone take notice, gaining a Test spot. He was out for a duck on his debut before making amends on his second appearance with 135 not out at Lord’s.

  He excelled in the 1902 tour when he made 2570 at an average of 48.49 and including eleven centuries. At the time, cricket’s annual publication Wisden said of him: ‘Of all the great Australian batsmen Victor Trumper was by general consent the best and most brilliant. He could play quite an orthodox game when he wished to, but it was his ability to make big scores when orthodox methods were unavailing that lifted him above his fellows.’

  In the next series Trumper was equally formidable, with an unbeaten 185 in Sydney before making 74 out of 122 on a treacherous pitch in Melbourne. During the 1905 tour of England he was handicapped by a torn back muscle. In the fourth Test against England in Melbourne in February 1908 he failed to score, his only ‘ pair’ in any match. In his last tour in 1909 he was overshadowed by Warren Bardsley and Vernon Ransford but contributed much to the tour’s success. His care e r culminated when the South Africans visited Australia in 1910–11 and he recovered his finest form. In five Test matches he scored 662 with an average of 94. Vice-captain under Clem Hill against the English in 1911–12, Trumper, in the first Test in Sydney, became the first to score six centuries in Ashes Tests.

  Under all conditions Trumper was fascinating to watch as his suppleness lent grace to everything he did. He perfected shots, such as leg drives off his pads and toes, that became part of the repertoire of great batsmen after him. His footwork was perfection, part of his computer-like ability to sight the direction, flight, length and pace of the ball quickly.

  A testimonial played between New South Wales and the Rest of Australia at Sydney in February 1913 raised nearly £3000. An invitational Australian side toured New Zealand in February and March 1914 and, batting at number nine at Christchurch, Trumper dazzled with 293 in 178 minutes. Trumper’s final game was for his club, Gordon, against Petersham at Chatswood Oval on 24 October, 1914. By late 1914, kidney disease had taken its toll and by April 1915 he was confined to bed. In June he entered St Vincents Hospital, dying of Bright’s Disease on 28 June 1915. WG Grace died four months later.

  Magician with the ball

  Sydney Francis Barnes was one of the finest bowlers of all time. At medium-fast pace he bowled a range of deliveries—in-swing and out-swing, off and leg breaks, top spin and cutters. His debut Ashes Test in Sydney in 1901 set the pattern with 5–65. Clem Hill, who in successive Test innings scored 99, 98 and 97 against Archie MacLaren’s England team of 1901–02, said that on a perfect wicket Barnes could swing the new ball in and out very late, could spin from the ground, pitch on the leg stump and miss the off.

  SF Barnes was born in 1873 in Staffordshire and his father encouraged his cricket career on the proviso that he always have a trade, as in those days
professional cricketers had short earning careers. Barnes was robust and powerful. He bowled accurately off a shortish run and made full use of his 186-centimetre height by hooking the ball down from a high right hand. He extracted bounce and imparted spin using his strong hands and fingers without seeming to use his wrists. He had the capacity to bowl at a batsman’s weakness and boasted he could send down a different delivery for every ball in an over. Looking ahead, however, he also followed his father’s advice and did a sign-writing and calligraphy apprenticeship, finding work in the Legal Department of Staffordshire County Council, a job that lasted 50 years.

  Barnes had an unconventional career, playing mainly league and minor county cricket. He made his debut for minor county Warwickshire in 1893 but in 1894 went back to Lancashire league playing for Rishton as he preferred the security of the league with its steady wage. He was paid £3/10s a week, over three times the average skilled worker’s wage and substantially more than at Warwickshire. League cricket was also played on weekends, allowing him to maintain a clerk’s job in a colliery. It was difficult to get Barnes out of this mindset but Lancashire and English captain MacLaren succeeded, convincing him to play in the final county game of 1901. He took 6–70 in the first innings and MacLaren persuaded him to play for Lancashire again in 1902 by offering him a sweetener, a tour to Australia in 1901–02 to replace Wilfred Rhodes and George Hirst, who stayed behind to boost Yorkshire’s county hopes. It was a gamble as MacLaren made his judgment based on one county game and the experience of facing him in the nets.