Story The Re-History of International Cricket

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Australia vs England
12 Dec 1884
Adelaide Oval

Lineups:
- William Scotton, George Ulyett, Lord Harris, Billy Barnes, Billy Bates, Wilf Flowers, Maurice Read, Johnny Briggs, Dick Attewell, Alfred Shaw, Joseph Hunter
- Alick Bannerman, Percy McDonnell, Billy Murdoch, Tup Scott, Jack Blackham, George Giffen, George Bonnor, George Alexander, Joey Palmer, Harry Boyle, William Cooper
Debuts: Briggs, Attewell, Hunter; Cooper

England won the toss and batted against an Australian team without Fred Spofforth. It mattered nought; Giffen and Boyle ran straight through the top order, leaving England at 7/45. It took Johnny Briggs getting in at eight to stop the rot, and to be fair, he did, stonewalling 33 off 152 balls and allowing Dick Attewell and Alfred Shaw to add some runs until they were all out for 142. Boyle's 5/30 was the star turn for the Aussies, as he returned to claim Shaw, while Giffen had three of the top seven.

Australia's batting reply was led by Billy Murdoch's 71. That got them into the lead as otherwise, there were only a pair of 25s from Scott and McDonnell. Wilf Flowers took 3/16, and Australia took a 46-run lead after being bowled out for 188.

Again, Briggs and Attewell had to stand up for England, but they had more support further up thanks to 20s from Harris, Barnes and Read. 162 all out left England defending 116. William Cooper took 3/31, while Giffen had three more albeit with double the runs.

Australia's top four got them most of the way there. Unfortunately, while England started taking wickets - getting four cheaply after Australia reached 100 - it was too late. Murdoch's 39 had got Australia to the win.

142 (Briggs 33*, Boyle 5/30, Giffen 3/43) and 162 (Briggs 31, Cooper 3/31, Giffen 3/62) lost to 188 (Murdoch 71, Flowers 3/16) and 6/119 (Murdoch 39, Bates 2/15)
MOTM: Harry Boyle

 

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Australia vs England
1 Jan 1885
MCG

Lineups:
- William Scotton, George Ulyett, Lord Harris, Billy Barnes, Billy Bates, Wilf Flowers, Maurice Read, Johnny Briggs, Dick Attewell, Alfred Shaw, Joseph Hunter
- Charles Bannerman, Hugh Massie, Sammy Jones, Tom Horan, John Trumble, Affie Jarvis, George McShane, Billy Bruce, Sam Morris, Edwin Evans, Digger Robertson
Debuts - Trumble, Jarvis, McShane, Bruce, Morris, Robertson

In between the first two Tests of this series, the entire Australian XI went on strike for better pay. Australia was able to call up a new XI featuring six debutants and five recalled players, led by Tom Horan. The batting looked fairly similar to the first XI, actually, potentially barring Billy Murdoch, but the bowling was the question - which England decided to put to the test right away. The only bowler with experience in Tests, Edwin Evans, promptly stood up; 7/44 were the best figures in any Test to that point; but he didn't get enough support. George Ulyett made an attacking 73 opening the batting, then Barnes made 50, Bates 40 and Flowers 35. Morris took two wickets, but John Trumble was awful, conceding 95 from 21 overs.

Australia's batting, though, couldn't handle ANY of the British bowling, as, from a decent position at 2/60, Australia lost 5/13 as batsman after batsman was dismissed. Bruce though was resolute, and he allowed first Sam Morris to add 17, then Edwin Evans to attack. The bowler added 48 vital runs to drag the Aussies to 186. Evans dented Wilf Flower's figures a bit but he still took 3/57.

England made 335 in reply, the greatest score in a Test in Australia, despite nobody making it over 52. That's because Attewell and Maurice Read both scored 50s, while Ulyett, Harris, Barnes and Flowers made 35 or more. Evans got a bit of tap this time, but Digger Robertson took 3/52 off 28 overs, a fine performance.

Australia were never chasing 415. They may or may not have taken 161, although George McShane affirmed his case with a fifty, and Sammy Jones proved that he too could stand up when needed. Attewell bowled well for his 3/22.

265 (Ulyett 73, Barnes 51, Evans 7/44) and 335 (Attewell 52, Read 51, Robertson 3/52) beat 186 (Evans 48, Flowers 3/57) and 161 (McShane 52, Attewell 3/22)
MOTM: Edwin Evans

 

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Australia vs England
20 Feb 1885
Sydney

Lineups:
- William Scotton, George Ulyett, Lord Harris, Billy Barnes, Billy Bates, Wilf Flowers, Maurice Read, Johnny Briggs, Dick Attewell, Bobby Peel, Joseph Hunter
- Alick Bannerman, Hugh Massie, Sammy Jones, Tup Scott, George Bonnor, Affie Jarvis, George McShane, Tom Garrett, Fred Spofforth, Edwin Evans, Harry Boyle
Debuts: Peel

Australia didn't return Murdoch, Giffen or McDonnell for this game, but they had most of their first choice bowlers back. Not that this helped them. England won the toss and three of their top five scored 50s. The best was Lord Harris, who made 83, while Scotton and Bates only just got there. As much as the innings fell away afterwards, England still came away with 279, a hefty total. Boyle and Evans both took four wickets each.

Australia were in a good position at 2/131, as Sammy Jones ground out 45 runs while Hugh Massie and Tup Scott attacked. However, Australia then lost 8/50. McShane attacked but couldn't hit Australia above 181. Barnes and Flowers had three each.

England's batters also got a good start before giving the Aussies just a little sniff by collapsing. The top three all made it to 20, with Ulyett making 49, but nobody else passed 13 and England lost 9/64 to fall away to 163 and set 262 to win. Boyle took 4/30, but this time he was joined in taking four by Garrett.

Australia... got nowhere near. With the George's top scoring with 22 each, they didn't even meet England's total, all out for 145. The domination was down to one man. Billy Barnes ripped Australia's heart out, taking Edwin Evans' record from the last match by taking 7/25.

279 (Harris 83, Evans 4/51, Boyle 4/62) and 136 (Ulyett 49, Boyle 4/30, Garrett 4/35) beat 181 (Jones 45, Massie 39, Barnes 3/22, Flowers 3/27) and 145 (Bonnor 22, Barnes 7/25)
MOTM: Billy Barnes

 

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Australia vs England
14 Mar 1885
Sydney

Lineups:
- William Scotton, George Ulyett, Lord Harris, Billy Barnes, Billy Bates, Wilf Flowers, Maurice Read, Johnny Briggs, Dick Attewell, Bobby Peel, Joseph Hunter
- Alick Bannerman, Percy McDonnell, Sammy Jones, Tup Scott, George Bonnor, George Giffen, Jack Blackham, Joey Palmer, Fred Spofforth, Edwin Evans, Harry Boyle

Australia recalled all their stars other than Billy Murdoch (and an unavailable Midwinter), while England were again unchanged. England won the toss and bowled, but found a little frustration as despite Australia making no fifties, they got to 200 for the first time all series. Their 214 was propped up by 43 for Sammy Jones, 37 for Tup Scott, and 36 for George Ulyett. Billy Barnes bowled the best with 3/26.

England ended up just taking the first innings lead, putting up 217, three more than the Aussies. The key was William Scotton, who scored 84, with just three other twenties in the lineup. Maurice Read, the best of those, hit 27 with the tail. Edwin Evans and George Giffen took three wickets each.

Australia collapsed in their reply and at 6/57, it looked like the same story as the last two games. But the tail wagged. 33 for Palmer, 35 for Spofforth and 40 for Evans gave them something to bowl at. 193 all out set England 190 to win, which would be an interesting chase. Peel and Bates had three wickets each.

England's top order struggled, with George Ulyett holding down the fort but watching Scotton, Harris, Barnes and Bates all fall within the first 10 overs. When Ulyett fell, England were 7/71, and then 8/75. Attewell and Peel tried to rally but couldn't get there and England were all out for 130. Harry Boyle had four wickets - Ulyett, Harris, Barnes and Bates.

214 (Jones 37, Barnes 3/26) and 193 (Evans 40, Bates 3/25, Peel 3/44) beat 217 (Scotton 84, Giffen 3/33, Evans 3/56) and 130 (Ulyett 34, Boyle 4/39)
MOTM: Edwin Evans

 

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Australia vs England
21 Mar 1885
Melbourne

Lineups:
- William Scotton, George Ulyett, Lord Harris, Billy Barnes, Billy Bates, Wilf Flowers, Maurice Read, Johnny Briggs, Dick Attewell, Bobby Peel, Joseph Hunter
- Alick Bannerman, Percy McDonnell, Sammy Jones, Tup Scott, John Trumble, George Giffen, Jack Blackham, Tom Garrett, Fred Spofforth, Edwin Evans, Harry Boyle

Australia won the toss, batted, and saw McDonnell hit a brutal fifty off just 76 balls. After his dismissal triggered a small collapse, George Giffen got everything back on track. Some late hitting from Boyle got Australia to 234. Billy Barnes' 3/20 was the best of the bowlers.

England's reply was in shreds at 4/20. But Wilf Flowers, of all people, scored 80 to at least give England a shot. He ended up one of four Edwin Evans victims - as he took 4/31 - with England making 175, 59 behind Australia.

The Aussie second innings was again led by McDonnell, who made 59 in a much more subdued innings from the top. He found little bits of support but Australia were all out for 189 in the end. Billy Barnes continued his scintillating form, taking 5/44.

England's chase actually started well - while Ulyett fell cheaply, Scotton (32), Harris (51) and Barnes (31) all made it to 30. But then the lineup got ran through. Only Briggs made it to double digits from there as Australia came back to win by 74 runs.

234 (McDonnell 56, Giffen 45, Barnes 3/20) and 189 (McDonnell 59, Barnes 5/44) beat :Eng: 175 (Flowers 80, Evans 4/31, Boyle 3/31) and 174 (Harris 51, Spofforth 3/24, Giffen 3/30)
MOTM: Percy McDonnell

 

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USA vs England
15 May 1885
Germantown

Lineups:
- William Morgan, Charles Newhall, Joseph Scott, Walter Clark, Sutherland Law, Henry Tyers, George Patterson, Howard MacNutt, Daniel Newhall, Francis Brewster, William Lowry
- William Scotton, George Ulyett, Lord Harris, Billy Barnes, Billy Bates, Wilf Flowers, Maurice Read, Dick Attewell, Charles Horner, Bobby Peel, Joseph Hunter
Debuts: Tyers, Patterson

Okay, so, I was a year out on the Newhall retirements. My bad. Either way, this is most certainly Daniel Newhall's farewell from Test cricket. It may well also be Charles'. John Thayer and Samuel Welsh were again surprise omissions, making way for the well-regarded New York City native Tyers, and a man regarded as Newhall's successor at just 17 in George Patterson. England, who swapped Briggs and Horner, batted first after winning the toss. England's innings relied hugely on a 108-run third wicket partnership between Lord Harris and Billy Barnes. Barnes' attacking 61 was the headline innings. However, after that, they lost 8/38 to be all out for 186. William Lowry was a key reason; he took 5/21, the best figures by an American in Test cricket.

Joseph Scott, the holder of the highest score by an American in Tests, threatened to break his own record today. However, he fell short, edging Peel to the keeper on 79. Nobody else really helped - Sutherland Law's 20 was the next best score - and America thusly were all out for 170. Charles Horner had a trio of wickets.

England's second innings was highlighted by Harris, who got his fifty this time. He also had a little more support - only Charles Horner passed 20, but apart from a trio of ducks (Barnes, Read and Hunter), everyone else made ten or more. England's 187 would have been greater without Walter Clark, who took 4/31.

The Americans had to get 204 to win, and looked out of it at 6/86 despite a solid innings from Walter Clark. Howard MacNutt tried to get the tail to bat well enough with him to get them home - and he got close. But with 23 needed, he was out LBW to Flowers, and the remaining pair couldn't get there. Wilf Flowers' 4/18 was key, and he was given MOTM for it.

186 (Barnes 61, Lord Harris 47, Lowry 5/21) and 187 (Lord Harris 57, Clark 4/31) beat 170 (Scott 79, Horner 3/31) and 189 (MacNutt 51, Flowers 4/18)
MOTM: Wilf Flowers

 

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Canada vs USA
4 Jun 1885
Toronto

Lineups:
- William Morgan, Joseph Scott, John Thayer, Walter Clark, Sutherland Law, Henry Tyers, George Patterson, Howard MacNutt, Samuel Welsh, Francis Brewster, William Lowry
- William Vickers, Frank Harley, Mossie Boyd, Arthur Allan, George Jones, Russell Ogden, Dyce Saunders, Alexander Gillespie, Walter Wright, Wallace Jones, Robert Ferrie
Debuts: W Jones

Thayer and Welsh returned for America, while Canada debuted Wallace Jones. The Americans won the toss and batted, finding conditions mixed in a stop-start innings of 160. Patterson's 27 and MacNutt's 29 were the two best innings, while Scott and Clark both survived 80+ balls for 21s. Walter Wright was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets; Robert Ferrie had two cheap ones.

Canada's innings was quite stop start with nobody hitting 22 other than Dyce Saunders. Saunders hit 41 to eke out a first innings lead by nine runs with the help of the tail. Five Americans took two wickets each, but John Thayer was the clear standout; 2/9 off 11 overs.

America's reply went horribly. In what may end an international career or two, they were 4/18, 6/37, 7/52 and eventually 111 all out. However, the sole positive is George Patterson; the 17-year-old stood up with 41 when no teammate could pass 13 (and no other batsman made double figures). Robert Ferrie was again excellent with 3/17.

Canada did not make the chase look simple, lending some credence to theories that the pitch had disintegrated. But a brutal 23 from Frank Harley, off just 24 balls, and then a 37-run 7th wicket stand between Saunders and Gillespie got Canada home. Clark's 4/10 showed he had made a massive effort to save the game.

160 (MacNutt 29, Wright 3/32, Ferrie 2/20) and 111 (Patterson 41, Ferrie 3/17) lost to 169 (Saunders 41, Thayer 2/9) and 7/103 (Harley 23, Clark 4/10)
MOTM: Robert Ferrie

 

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England vs Scotland
1 July 1885
The Oval

Lineups:
- W.G. Grace, Billy Newham, Walter Read, Arthur Shrewsbury, George Ulyett, Billy Gunn, Dick Barlow, Billy Barnes, John Beaumont, George Lohmann, Ted Peate
- Leslie Balfour-Melville, Frederick Sanderson, Stewart Carrick, Joseph Cotterill, Walter Bettesworth, James Allan, Augustus Asher, Alexander Pearson, Charles Leggatt, Peter Thompson, Robert MacNair
Debuts: Gunn, Beaumont, Lohmann

England rested much of the touring squad to Australia at the counties' insistence; only George Ulyett and Billy Barnes, who were able to play mostly full seasons for them, were made available. That allowed debuts and recalls for some of the County Championship's finest (as well as the selection of WG Grace and Ted Peate, two famous non-tourists). The Scots elected not to change anything from their last game last year. (Definitely not because they played 0 games IRL this year...) This didn't help them at the toss, as England won it and batted. This innings could have gone pretty wrong for England, as just three batsmen made it past 25. But those three cashed in - WG Grace top scored with 128, Billy Gunn scored 84, and Billy Barnes could have joined them if he didn't run out of partners on 31. Peter Thompson and Augustus Asher found some success with three wickets each.

Scotland, on the other hand, couldn't handle the English bowlers. They did okay in getting in - the four best scores were 21, 20, 19 and 19, which shows just how badly nobody could go on from there. Finishing with the exact total they needed to not follow on was down to expensive bowling from WG Grace, but George Ulyett (3/28) and Billy Barnes (2/9) did better.

And the cricket fans worldwide loved that they didn't, because the next innings was the best display of batting in Test history. After a quick appetiser from Walter Read, who hit eight boundaries in 30 balls, the batsmen dominated. WG Grace became the first ever batsman to score two 100s in a game, Arthur Shrewsbury finally undid his tour of suffering in 1881 with 129, George Ulyett would have also made a ton if not for a declaration, and Billy Gunn's Test average is now 125. The only bowler to survive was Augustus Asher with 2/47.

Scotland had zero chance of chasing 600. In fact, nine of their batsmen didn't survive 16 balls. The two that did, Cotterill and Pearson, added 71 of the eventual 135 total for the seventh wicket. Both finished on 44, with Cotterill surviving from No.4 and Pearson's coming off just 65 balls. Barnes' 2/9 and Ulyett's 2/11 were the highlights.

334 (WG Grace 128, Gunn 84, Thompson 3/64, Asher 3/67) and 4/422 (Shrewsbury 129, WG Grace 105, Ulyett 87*, Asher 2/47) beat 134 (Ulyett 3/28, Barnes 2/9) and 135 (Cotterill 44*, Pearson 44, Barnes 2/9)
MOTM: W.G. Grace

Spoiler: Director's Cut

England's batsman got hella buffed for this game, because the 1885 season saw MUCH higher run scoring in their summer

 

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Scotland vs Ireland
15 May 1886
Dublin

Lineups:
- Charlie Mannes, Herbert Caldwell, Augustus Asher, Stewart Carrick, Joseph Cotterill, Patrick Smeaton, Hubert Johnston, Alexander Pearson, Peter Thompson, Robert Macnair, Bob Scott
- Jack Hynes, James Maxwell, Tim O'Brien, David Trotter, Dominic Cronin, Nathaniel Hone, John Bayly, Horace Hamilton, Walter Johnston, George Casey, Henry Hemsworth
Debuts: Mannes, Caldwell, Smeaton, Johnston, Scott

The Irish kept the same XI as their England game last year, while Scotland debuted five players. Scotland won the toss and bowled, and apart from one partnership, they did their job. That one partnership was the third wicket stand of 70 between O'Brien and Trotter, who both made 40s to stretch the Irish score to 182. Both Macnair and Thompson took 3/35.

Scotland, in return, opened well with 52 for debutant Charlie Mannes. But nobody else really stood up, including losing 3/0 and 5/1 at one point (Mannes, carrick, Cotterill, Smeaton, Johnston), and they were all out for 163 having been 2/121. Horace Hamilton's 4/34 was the key bowling performance.

Ireland's second innings was held together by David Trotter; he scored 68 not out off 240 balls, constantly lasting through. Walter Johnston's 40 added some extra runs, but few enough other contributions happened that they were all out for 200, setting Scotland 220. Pearson and Thompson took three apiece.

The Scots looked out of it after again losing 3/0 to be 8/132. But Thompson and Macnair rallied, adding 75 before, with 13 to go, Hemsworth had Thompson LBW. They needed 12... five runs later, Macnair was out too, sealing a nailbiting FIRST TEST WIN FOR IRELAND @Aislabie thanks to three wickets each for Hamilton and Casey.

182 (O'Brien 43, Trotter 40, Macnair 3/35, Thompson 3/35) and 200 (Trotter 68*, Johnston 40, Pearson 3/37) beat 163 (Mannes 52, Hamilton 4/34) and 214 (MacNair 41, Casey 3/54, Hamilton 3/56)
MOTM: Horace Hamilton