Date-stamped : 29 Jan95 - 10:29
THE TEST THAT STARTED "THE ASHES", ENGLAND v AUSTRALIA, 1882.
Source:  The Wisden Illustrated History of Cricket.
     When  in  1882  Peate  and  Barlow  combined  to   bowl
Australia  out  for  63  on  a  tricky  wicket  at the Oval,
England's supremacy must have  seemed  secure.  However,  on
this occasion, Spofforth was not injured. Bowling unchanged,
he took 7 for 46  as  he  kept  Australian  hopes  alive  by
dismissing  England for 101. On the second morning there was
a heavy downpour and, according  to  the  Langcastrian  all-
rounder, Barlow, the state of the wicket was unfit when play
began, with the footholds slippery and the ball  like  soap.
The  Australian  openers, Bannerman and Massie, siezed their
chance, quickly overhauling the  deficit  before  conditions
improved for the bowlers. England were losing control of the
match, and a measure of their desperation can be seen in the
run  out  of the Australian, Jones, when in partnership with
Murdoch. Not for the last time there was a  little  `needle'
evident  in  an  England  v Australia match. Inevitably W.G.
(Grace)  was  involved.  Wisden   faithfully   records   the
incident:
"At 114  Jones  was  run  out  in  a  way  which  gave  much
dissatisfaction   to  Murdoch  and  the  other  Australians.
Murdoch played a ball to leg, for which Lyttleton  ran.  The
ball  was  returned,  and  Jones, having completed the first
run, and thinking wrongly, but very naturally, that the ball
was dead, went out of his ground. Grace put his wicket down,
and the umpire gave him  out.  Several  of  the  team  spoke
angrily of Grace's action."
    Our chronicler adds that a  gentleman  in  the  pavilion
remarked  that  `Jones  ought  to  thank  the  champion  for
teaching him something'. I doubt whether he did though.
    England required 85  to  win  and  it  is  recorded  how
Spofforth, during the ten minutes' interval, declared to his
compatriots that `this thing can be done'. However, with the
score  at  51 for 2 and Grace still at the wicket, it looked
unlikely. But when Grace was caught at mid-off for  32,  the
tempo  of  the  game  changed. Spofforth and Boyle delivered
twelve successive maiden overs  and  England's  target  grew
more  and  more  elusive.  We  can  imagine  the cheers when
Lyttleton finally scored a single,  but  four  more  maidens
followed.  Spofforth  was not to be denied. England's last 5
wickets could manage only 7 runs and in his final  11  overs
the  Demon  had  conceded 2 runs and taken 4 wickets. One of
the Australian players, Horan, recalled the tension  of  the
last  half  hour.  In  the excitement one spectator `dropped
down dead' and another gnawed out pieces from  his  umbrella
handle.  The  lips of one English batsman as he made his way
to the wicket were`ashen grey' and `his throat so parched he
could  hardly speak'. Clearly the `pressure' of a close Test
match finish is not something restricted to the modern  era.
Spofforth, having taken 14 wickets in the match, was carried
shoulder-high to the pavilion.
    At the end of the week The Sporting Times published  the
famous obituary notice.

              In Affectionate Remembrance
                          Of
                    ENGLISH CRICKET
                 WHICH DIED AT THE OVAL
                          On
                   29th August, 1882,
     Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing
                friends and acquaintances
                       R. I. P.
       N.B. - The body will be cremated and the
                ashes taken to Australia.

England and Australia have played for the `Ashes' ever since.

<END> Contributed by Uday Rajan (urajan@*Stanford.EDU)