In Memoriam: English Cricket

On August 29th, 1882, England were defeated by Australia at the Oval in south London, with the "Demon Bowler" Fred Spofforth taking seven for 46 and seven for 44. It was the first time the Aussies had beaten the English.

Such was the surprise that greeted this result, a few days later the Sporting Times was moved to publish an obituary for English cricket. The piece, at once hubristic and satirical, noted that the game was "deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances", while the final lines read:

"The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia."

Next year, when the English took off for the southern hemisphere for the return leg, the press dubbed it "the quest to regain the ashes", and the eponymous Test series was born.

Had it survived, the Sporting Times would have had ample opportunities over the next 130 years to fine-tune its obituary for the English game.

From The Archive:

Changing Ends: The History of Cricket

Mike Marqusee revisits S.M. Toyne’s article, The Early History of Cricket, on the origins and growth of the game, first published in History Today in June 1955.