The first Test match between England and Australia had been played in 1877, but the Ashes legend dates back only to their ninth Test match, played in 1882.
On the 1882 tour, the Australians played only one Test, at The Oval in London. It was a low-scoring game on a difficult pitch. Australia made only 63 runs in their first innings, and England, led by A N Hornby, took a 38-run lead with a total of 101. In the second innings, Australia made 122, leaving England to score only 85 runs to win. Australian bowler Fred Spofforth refused to give in, declaring, "This thing can be done." He devastated the English batting, taking the final four wickets while conceding only two runs, to leave England a mere seven runs short of victory in one of the closest and most nail-biting finishes in cricket history.
When England's last batsman went in, the team needed only 10 runs to win, but the final batsman Ted Peate scored only 2 before being bowled by Boyle. The astonished crowd fell silent, not believing that England could possibly have lost by 7 runs. When what had happened had sunk in, the crowd cheered the Australians.
When Peate returned to the Pavilion he was reprimanded by W G Grace for not allowing his partner at the wicket Charles Studd to get the runs. Despite Studd being one of the best batsman in England, Peate replied, "I had no confidence in Mr Studd, sir, so thought I had better do my best."
The defeat was widely recorded in the English press. The following poem appeared in Punch:
Well done, Cornstalks, whipt us
Fair and square.
Was it luck that tripped us?
Was it scare?
Kangaroo land's 'Demon', or our own
Want of devil, coolness, nerve, backbone?
('Demon' was Spofforth's nickname.)
In the 31st August edition of a magazine called "Cricket: A Weekly Record of The Game" there appeared a now obscure mock obituary to "English Supremacy in the Cricket Field which expired on the 29th day of August at the Oval". Two days later, September 2, 1882 a second mock obituary, written by Reginald Brooks, appeared in The Sporting Times. This notice read as follows:
"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."
The English media fastened on to this notice and dubbed the English tour to Australia of 1882-83 as the quest to regain The Ashes of English Cricket. The three match series resulted in a 2-1 win to England, notwithstanding a fourth match, won by an Australian XI whose status remains a matter of dispute.
The term "The Ashes" then largely disappears from public use for the next twenty years; certainly, there is no suggestion that this was the accepted name for the series, at least in England. The term seemingly became popular in Australia before it did in England, George Giffen in his memoirs (With Bat and Ball, 1899) using the term as if it was well known. Then following the successful English tour of 1903-04 the English captain, Pelham Warner published a book called "How We Recovered The Ashes". Even though the legend is not referred to in the text, the title was enough to revive public interest in the legend. The first mention of "The Ashes" in the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack occurs in 1905 and the first Wisden account of the legend was included in the 1922 edition.
2006-12-19 02:11:19
·
answer #1
·
answered by Harmony Ginger 4
·
0⤊
1⤋
The Ashes series is given so much importance as the Ashes Test series played between England and Australia is the oldest and most celebrated rivalry of International cricket dating back to 1882.
2006-12-19 15:30:13
·
answer #2
·
answered by vakayil k 7
·
1⤊
1⤋
i in my opinion desire my physique to be donated, any areas of it which could be utilized in any thank you to learn the residing. The remains, if there are any, are to be cremated and scattered . there will be a occasion of my life, if the kin needs one. after i'm ineffective i will't impose my will on everyone, nor might I prefer to. i've got faith the magnificent determination could be own, and it would possibly be stated with the kin or spouse and young ones. a minimal of they could comprehend what the plans are, after all, a provider isn't for the deceased, it extremely is for the residing. A memorial of a few variety or occasion facilitates with the grieving technique and ingredients closure. No amenities is a private determination. It relies upon on how the guy feels approximately his life and no remember if or not he's gentle with the belief-approximately human beings watching his physique interior the casket. It does not charm to me in any respect, that's not how i prefer to be remembered, and that i've got been to a great variety of funerals, and generally times that photograph supercedes in my memory, the photos of them nevertheless alive. those i got here upon maximum comforting have been the celebrations of life, such as a video of moments from the persons previous, or a board of photos of the guy's life. In all of those situations, there became not a physique present.
2016-12-30 15:44:47
·
answer #3
·
answered by valaria 4
·
0⤊
0⤋
Cause it still smacks of the colonialism and old rivalry between British Colonials and colonists. Also because it is one of the oldest existing cricket rivalries .....
But then given the present state of English cricket and Australian supremacy as well as the dominance of cricket finance moving over India, the Ashes seems true to its name .....
2006-12-19 02:06:31
·
answer #4
·
answered by AniC 1
·
0⤊
2⤋
It is such a fantastic contest and there is so much rivalry between the teams. Also it is one of the longest-standing competitions in any sport, and has so much tradition associated with it.
2006-12-19 05:15:22
·
answer #5
·
answered by bazz2202 3
·
1⤊
1⤋
longest rivalry in game of cricket
2006-12-19 17:27:41
·
answer #6
·
answered by john 7
·
0⤊
1⤋
i agree with Ani C...
2006-12-19 02:10:31
·
answer #7
·
answered by Anonymous
·
0⤊
3⤋