Part 8 of an exquisitely detailed biography of Billy Midwinter by Pradip Dhole. The travelling cricketer played four Test matches for England, sandwiched between eight Tests Australia and holds a unique place in cricket history as the only cricketer to have played for both Australia and England in Test Matches against each other

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Part2
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Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7

The 1880 tour

The Otago Witness carried this short message dated 19 Mar 1880: “The Australian cricketers sailed today for England in the Garonne.” As frequently happens, this particular one-liner veiled over a frenzied amount of background activity before the voyage could become a reality for the Australian cricketers. This was to be the third tour to England by a team of Australian cricketers, the sequence having begun in 1868 with Charles Lawrence leading his team of indigenous Australian cricketers for their pioneering tour. This was followed by the rather contentious 1878 tour arranged by John Conway where all the cricketers had been ‘white’ players, and more or less representative of the cricketing talent of Australia at the time.

The Melbourne Cricket Club had initially been somewhat indecisive about the proposed tour, and had finally announced their assent rather late in the Australian summer of 1879/80. The English authorities had not been very enthusiastic and the counties had been reluctant to allot games for the visitors, their own match schedules having already been finalised by then. The infamous Sydney Riot of 1879, and the physical assault on Lord Harris was still a burning issue with the English cricket establishment. James Lillywhite, the English agent for the tourists, had been compelled to insert advertisements in The Sporting Life for matches. The strong-willed Conway, who had been involved in a fiery confrontation with WG Grace on the previous tour of 1878, was discretely bypassed while preparing for the current tour.

Iron Screw Steamer ss Garonne — Iron Screw Steamer *ss Garonne*

It was a complement of 13 Australian cricketers under the leadership of Billy Murdoch, the wicketkeeper-batsman from New South Wales, that boarded the ss Garonne at Melbourne on 19 Mar 1880 for the voyage to England. Only 5 of the assembled players had played Test cricket before, while the other 8 players, though competent enough on merit, were yet to play at the highest level. One member of the latter group of 8, fast bowler George Alexander, was to act as player-manager for the tour. One unfortunate late withdrawal from the squad was that of opening batsman Charles Bannerman, on health grounds. The party landed at Plymouth on 4 May/1880.

Of the 52 games played by the Australians on the tour between 13 May 1880 and 29 Sep 1880, only 9 were to be of first-class status, one of them being the 4th Test match in history, and the first on English soil. The match against Gloucestershire, involving another joust against the redoubtable WG Grace, was an event looked forward to with eager anticipation. Gloucestershire were still without a dedicated ground of their own, and the match was played on the ground of Clifton College from Monday, 2 Aug 1880, a summer Bank Holiday in England.

Murdoch won the toss for the visitors and went in first along with Alec Bannerman. Both were quickly back in the pavilion having scored 2 runs each. It was slow going for the Australians after that, and their total of 110 all out was achieved in the 106th (4-ball) over. The only notable contribution came from the bat of the Victorian Percy McDonnell (42). For the home team, skipper WG (6/44) and Midwinter (3/41), honouring his contract with Gloucestershire against the Australians, proved to be the thorns in the side for the tourists.

The home team posted a relatively brisk 191 all out in the 115th over, EM Grace (65) and Walter Gilbert (48*) being the main scorers. GF Grace contributed 25 runs. For the visitors, right-arm off-break-cum-medium-pace bowler George ‘Joey’ Palmer captured 6/77, while Fred Spofforth had 4/76. Midwinter’s contribution with the bat amounted to 11 runs. The Australian 2nd innings looked healthier at 246 all out, with McDonnell (79) again top scoring for his side. ‘Keeper Blackham (30) and George Bonnor (35) contributed significantly from the middle order, Extras helping with 15 runs. The bowling was again carried by WG (5/90) and Midwinter (3/75), and there were 2 run outs.

Spofforth (7/54) and Palmer (2/25) then bowled Gloucestershire out for 97 in the 2nd innings to bring the Australians victory by 68 runs. EM Grace (41) again top scored for the home side. WG Grace reached the important personal landmark of 1,400 first-class wickets in this match.

The 1980 edition of Wisden begins an eulogy of Charles Alcock by referring to his contribution in arranging for the first ever Test in England: “In the year that marks the centenary of Test cricket in England, it is only just that tribute be paid to the man who made it possible. It would be fair to say that without the work and diplomacy of Charles William Alcock, the historic first meeting between England and Australia on English soil at Kennington Oval on September 6, 7, 8, 1880 would not have taken place.” In fact, Gavin Mortimer, author of the book A History of Cricket in 100 Objects, quotes John Major, former Prime Minister of England and a life-long aficionado of Surrey cricket, as saying: “Alcock deserves a higher place in the mythology of the game than history has yet given him.”

The Man of Cricket

Charles Alcock was born on 2 Dec 1842 in county Durham, and was the second of 5 sons of his parents, Charles and Elizabeth. Initially known simply as Charles, he incorporated the name of his brother William into his own when the latter passed away at the young age of 11 years. He worked in his father’s ship broking business for a time, later becoming a noted journalist and administrator. In his youth, he made his mark as a soccer player of extraordinary talent. Indeed, according to a pamphlet of England Football Online, Alcock was “one of the fathers of modern football” in England. He is known to have been largely involved in the gradual development of the Association code of British football. He also held the post of Secretary of the Surrey County Cricket Club from 1872 onwards till his demise on 26 Feb/1907.

WG Grace and Charles William Alcock at The Oval, circa 1900

The 1880 Australians had not been given a game at Lord’s and would have missed an appearance at The Oval had it not been for the persuasive tongue of the Surrey Secretary. His first duty was to convince his own Surrey Committee of the advisability of allotting a game for the visitors towards the end of the season. That mission having been accomplished, there still remained two other formidable hurdles for Alcock to cross: the tricky business of appeasing Lord Harris, one of the pillars of the English cricket establishment at the time, and one who had been through the horrifying experience of the Sydney Riot of 1879 on his last visit to Australia, and finding a suitable date at the end of the season.

Surprisingly, Lord Harris proved to be quite amenable to reason and was rather easily mollified. The date proved to be a trickier proposition as the only available slot appeared to be 6, 7, and 8 Sep 1880, the scheduled window for the game between Sussex and the Australians at Hove. The diplomatic skills of Alcock were put to a severe test when Lord Harris and he were invited to a meeting in the Hove pavilion with Lord Sheffield, the President of the Sussex County Cricket Club. To his credit, and aided by sympathetic support from Lord Harris, Alcock was able to prevail upon the good graces of Lord Sheffield to the extent that the Sussex mandarin not only agreed to vacate the slot but to also reschedule the match between Sussex and the tourists for a date later in the month of September, a veritable diplomatic triumph for Charles William Alcock, the Surrey Secretary.

The word is that not only had Lord Harris become sufficiently mellow in his attitude towards the Australians by now but that he had very graciously agreed to lead the England team for what was to become the very first Test match played on English soil. It was also reported in the British media of the times that WG Grace had agreed to forgo a week’s shooting to take his rightful place at the top of the England batting order.

As things turned out, however, with all the protracted discussions and meeting involving various influential persons that ultimately made the match possible, much time had been lost. In the end, it turned out to be a hastily arranged game right towards the end of the English summer. Even so, the English contingent was fairly representative of the available talent, and there were 8 English debutants in the Test, including all 3 Grace brothers, this being the first instance in history of 3 brothers playing together in the same Test. Australia included 7 debutants in their team for this Test.

The Oval Test

There was a blow for the Australians even before the historically significant match between the All-England and All-Australia teams, the fourth Test match in history, began at the Kennington Oval on Monday, 6 Sep 1880, a contest that would later be celebrated by generations of cricket historians as the first Test match ever played on English soil. The visitors were without the services of their star bowler Fred Spofforth, who had reportedly broken a finger in the game against XVIII of Scarborough between 19 and 21 Aug/1880. Spofforth’s non-availability was to have a significant impact on the result of the match.

Quoting from cablegrams received from London, The Burrowa News (NSW) of 17 Sep 1880 carried a short report beginning:

“London, September 6 (evening)

The match between the Australian Eleven and Eleven of All England was commenced today on Kennington Oval in the presence of 30,000 people. The weather was splendid during the play….” In the updated Davis Test Match Database Online, however, Charles Davis quotes a first day crowd of 20,814, a figure that seems to be more probable and is supported by contemporary data. Having won the toss, Lord Harris sent WG Grace and his elder brother EM out to open the England batting. WG Grace, the outstanding pillar of English cricket of the time, made the memorable day his own.

In prosaic terms, WG Grace played an innings of 152 runs in just over 4 hours, replete with 12 boundaries, off 294 balls faced. Jon Surtees, author of the book Wisden at The Oval, appends the additional information that, in addition to his 12 fours, WG’s innings had also contained “ten threes, 14 twos, and 46 singles.” WG was the 4th man dismissed in the innings, the total then reading 281, WG having scored about 54 % of England’s runs while he had been at the wicket.

Several other English batsmen contributed in the 1st innings: EM (36), “Bunny” Lucas (55), Billy Barnes (28), skipper Lord Harris (52), Frank Penn (28), and Allan Steel (42). The 1st day’s play ended with the fall of Steel, the total at stumps reading 410/8, the runs coming off 199 overs and 1 delivery. Wicketkeeper Alfred Lyttelton was left batting on 4*. How the Australians must have been missing Spofforth from their bowling arsenal that day! The England 1st innings ended at 420 all out on the second day in front of 19,863 spectators, all in eager anticipation of another eventful day’s cricket. Australia deployed 6 bowlers, with Alec Bannerman and debutant William Moule capturing 3 wickets each. Surprisingly, Boyle went wicketless despite bowling 44 overs.

The Australian 1st innings was a relatively brisk affair, amounting to a total of 149 all out in the 76th over, and compiled in just over 2 ½ hours. The main contributors were opener Alec Bannerman (32), Percy McDonnell (27), and Harry Boyle (36*, the top score). For England, the top wicket-takers were Fred Morley (5/56) and Allan Steel (3/58). Inevitably, the Australians were required to follow on, and ended the second day at 170/6, scored off 85 overs. This score included a 4th wicket partnership of 83 runs between Percy McDonnell (43) and skipper Murdoch, who remained not out on 79* at the close of play. The other not out batsman was the gentle giant George Bonnor (13*).

England v Australia, the Kennington Oval, circa 1880s

The cablegram from The Sydney Morning Herald describing the 3rd day’s play said:

“London, September 8

The match was resumed this morning, the weather being dull. The attendance was small at the outset, but the number of spectators rapidly increased upon the news spreading that the Australians were making a stand (a final figure of 3,751 was later quoted). When the team had tied the score of the All England Eleven, Murdoch received a perfect ovation…” It seems that Murdoch had been severely injured just short of his century, “but after resting a few minutes he resumed batting amidst tremendous applause.”

Murdoch finally reached his coveted century to a tremendous ovation from the assembled spectators, the landmark arriving during the course of a 52-run 9th wicket partnership with George Alexander (33). The largest partnership of the innings turned out to be for the last wicket, with Murdoch and William Moule (34) adding 88 valuable runs. Of the last 88 runs, Murdoch’s share was 52 unbeaten runs. Steven Lynch, author of the book Wisden of the Ashes: The Authoritative Story of Cricket’s Greatest Rivalry, says: “Murdoch’s magnificent innings of 153 not out was made without a chance, and contained one five, 18 fours, three threes, 13 twos, and 41 singles.” The innings ended at 327 all out, Murdoch remaining unconquered on 153, topping the great WG Grace by 1 run.

That left England a winning target of a mere 57 runs. The Australians were not about to give up without a fight, however. The fall of wickets column for England’s 2nd innings was as follows: 1/2 (GF Grace collecting a pair in his only Test match), 2/10 (Lucas dismissed for 2), 3/22 (Lyttelton dismissed for 13), 4/31 (Barnes out for 5), 5/31 (EM Grace becoming the second Grace to be dismissed for a duck). Media reports stated: “Great excitement existed amongst the spectators during the second innings of the English team, when five wickets had fallen for only 31 runs, and the crowd today was perfectly enthusiastic towards the Australians, all animosity being laid aside.”

WG would have been watching all this from the pavilion with an increasing sense of alarm. He made his appearance at the fall of EM’s wicket, scored 9* himself, and carried England home by 5 wickets in the company of Frank Penn (27*, the top score of the innings). A slice of history had then been played out for the first time on English soil, and England had carried the day. Let us spare a thought for the inured Spofforth as he sat in the pavilion looking on at a situation that must have seemed to him to be tailor-made for his talents. It was not to be, however.

The cablegrams were full of stories of how “The Chairman of the Surrey Cricket Club presented Murdoch with a bat, for his magnificent display at the wicket, and the team were entertained at luncheon for their grand innings. Lord Harris, at the conclusion of the match, called for three cheers for the Australians, which was heartily responded to, and His Lordship wished the Eleven a good voyage. The general impression is that if Spofforth had been able to play, the Australians might have won (the bold letters have been inserted by the narrator) …”

There is an oft-repeated story involving the two centurions of the game that is inextricably linked with this match. It seems that prior to the commencement of the match there had been a friendly wager between the two friends, WG Grace and Billy Murdoch, as to who would have the higher score in the game. The prize, apparently, was to be a golden guinea. After the England 1st innings, WG had been very confident about the outcome of the wager, the feeling being strengthened by Australia’s under-par effort of their 1st innings. Murdoch’s 153* in the second innings had, however, exceeded WG’s score by 1 run. As the story goes, WG had duly handed over the golden guinea to Murdoch, who had reportedly taken it to a jeweller and had it drilled. Legend has it that Murdoch had subsequently worn it on his watch-chain as a perpetual token of his friendship with the legend, WG Grace.