Tour of England & South Africa 1921Captain: Warwick Armstrong
Fourteenth Australian Test tour
14th Test-playing tour of England by Australia
Second Test-playing tour of South Africa by Australia
(April - September 1921)
This was Australia's first tour for nine years and the last for five more years.
Armstrong, incensed at his exclusion from the Victoria-MCC match, and being sacked as Victoria’s captain for not attending a practice session, would not confirm that he would tour nor sign a contract until he knew he was to be captain.
Armstrong was “one of the best captains ever sent to England from Australia” according to Frank Foster, but a fearless and confrontational man, constantly arguing with his manager, Sydney Smith.He was involved in some controversial incidents, particularly a dispute over England's right to declare her innings closed at Old Trafford, which led to his mistakenly bowling two consecutive overs, and reading a newspaper while fielding at long leg during the final Test at The Oval. In January 1922 Lord Hawke criticised him for an interview he gave in England.
1921 had the earliest starting date yet for any first-class tour match. The Australians met Leicestershire on 30 April.The players tried to change the demanding tour itinerary but only two counties would oblige them.
The 1921 touring team lost only two matches - as had the 1902 side
Both Armstrong and Jack Gregory achieved the 'double' of 1000 runs and 100 wickets in an English season, the only time that two tourists have achieved the feat.
Sydney Smith was the Australian Board of Control secretary. He wrote a detailed account of the tour, recounting the team's progress through a journey of more than 32 000 miles.
Selectors
Ernest E Bean, Herbie Collins and D R A ‘Algy’ Gehrs.
Selection
UnavailableRoy L Park (Victoria).
The selectors named the first 8 players by 5 January (Armstrong, Bardsley, Collins, Gregory, Macartney, Mailey, Pellew and Taylor) Macartney being selected subject to a fitness test.Oldfield's name was announced on 12 January; and the remainder on 12 February, with Armstrong confirmed as captain “by the narrowest possible margin” [Pollard].
Tour Party Announced 18 February
Not selected:all-rounders Arthur Liddicut (Victoria), Arthur Richardson (South Australia)
Pellew accepted his place on condition that he could leave Australia a fortnight later than the rest of the team to allow him to complete his business arrangements.
WithdrawalOn 22 February Charlie Kelleway declined his invitation for business reasons, so Hendry was included.
Time between selection and departure from Australia
32 days
(18 February - 22 March)
Travel
FremantleTNice
‘Osterley’
ParistVictoria, London
Manager Sidney Smith and the ten players from New South Wales sailed from Sydney on the RMS 'Osterley' to Melbourne where they were joined by Armstrong, Mayne, McDonald and Ryder.They took the trans-continental train to Western Australia. South Australian Pellew met his colleagues at Riverton, SA, but did not travel with them.He followed two weeks later, sailing on the 'Mantua'.
The Australians played two matches in Western Australia.
The party, minus Pellew, left Fremantleon 22 March in the same ship, the 'Osterley', as the 1920-21 MCC touring party. The Ceylon match was cancelled.Passing through the Suez Canal on 10 April, they disembarked at Nice and travelled overland by rail to Paris
The team arrived at Victoria Station, London, on Friday 22 April. The team's London headquarters was the Hotel Cecil in Victoria.
None.Herbie Collins damaged a thumb in the first Test and thus missed playing for the month of June.
There was some discontent from Mayne and Ryder about not being selected and Ernie Mayne asked to be omitted from the remaining tour matches on 5 September.
Malaria and a leg injury prevented Armstrong from playing on the South African leg of the tour, and he had to spend some time in a Durban hospital; Collins took over from him.
Fixtures/Results
Kalgoorlie
Goldfields Association
Drawn
Perth
Western Australia
Drawn
Colombo
Ceylon
Cancelled
Leicester
Leicestershire
Won inns 152 r
Attleborough
L Robinson's XI
Drawn
Kennington Oval
Surrey
Won inns 55 r
Bradford
Yorkshire
Drawn
Portsmouth
Combined Services
Won 198 r
Leyton
Essex
Won inns 75 r
Lord's
M C C and Ground
Won 3 w
Oxford
Oxford University
Drawn
TRENT BRIDGE
ENGLANDFirst Test
WON 10 w
Cambridge
Cambridge University
Won inns 14 r
Lord's
Middlesex
Won 8 w
Bristol
Gloucestershire
Drawn
LORD'S
ENGLANDSecond Test
WON8 w
Southampton
Hampshire
Drawn
Kennington Oval
Surrey
Won 78 r
Northampton
Northamptonshire
Won inns 484 r
Trent Bridge
Nottinghamshire
Won inns 517 r
Edgbaston
Warwickshire
Drawn
HEADINGLEY
ENGLANDThird Test
WON 219 r
Old Trafford
Lancashire
Won inns 8 r
� Glasgow
West of Scotland
Drawn
� Perth
Scotland
Drawn
� Edinburgh
Scotland
Drawn
� Sunderland
Durham
Won 10 w
Sheffield
Yorkshire
Won 175 r
OLD TRAFFORD
ENGLANDFourth Test
DRAWN
Southend
Essex
Won inns 88 r
Swansea
Glamorgan
Drawn
Liverpool
Lancashire
Drawn
Edgbaston
Warwickshire ¬
Won inns 61 r
Canterbury
Kent
Drawn
KENNINGTON OVAL
ENGLANDFifth Test
DRAWN
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire
Won inns 136 r
Taunton
Somerset
Won inns 58 r
Eastbourne
An England XI
Lost 28 r
Hove
Sussex
Won 197 r
Hastings
South of England
Won inns 46 r
Scarborough
C I Thornton's XI
Lost 33 r
� Whitehaven
Cumberland
Won 5 w
Johannesburg
Transvaal
Won 9 w
Durban
Natal
Won 193 r
DURBAN
SOUTH AFRICAFirst Test
DRAWN
JOHANNESBURG
SOUTH AFRICASecond Test
DRAWN
Cape Town
Western Province
Won 8 w
CAPE TOWN
SOUTH AFRICAThird Test
WON 10 w
� not first-class
Time spent in England before First Test:
36 days
(22 April - 28 May)
¬The match against Midland Counties was replaced with a match against Warwickshire
Test appearances on tour
Against England: 5 -Andrews,Armstrong,Bardsley,Gregory,McDonald,Macartney,Pellew,Taylor,
•Jack Gregory took three English wickets in four balls at Trent Bridge.The Australian opening bowling was intimidating and shared the wickets among Gregory (19) and McDonald (27)
•Macartney scored the only century of the series (115 at Headingley)
•Australia recorded a record run of eight consecutive victories which was not equalled until 1984 (by West Indies)
•In the consecutive matches against Northamptonshire and Notts, the Australians scored 617 and 675 and dismissed the two counties for totals of 69, 68; 58 and 100, thus exceeding their opponents by 1000 runs.
•Armstrong achieved the “double” of 1000 runs and 100 wickets in an English season for the third time
Tour Summary
P
W
L
D
Aban
Test Matches
8
4
0
4
-
Other first-class matches
32
21
2
9
-
Minor matches
4
1
0
3
-
All Matches
44
26
2
16
-
Return to Australia
Southampton TCape Town
‘Balmoral Castle’
Cape TownTAdelaide
‘’Ascanius’
The team left England on the 'Balmoral Castle'from Southampton on 30 September 1921, and arrived in Cape Town on 17 October. Armstrong remained on board until Durban, as he was unwell with a recurrence of malaria, and could not play.The team proceeded by rail to Johannesburg, a two-day journey.
They finally left Cape Town for Australia on the Blue Funnel Line steamer ss 'Ascanius' on 4 December and arrived back in Adelaide on 23 December, nine months after leaving home. With the exception of Pellew, the only South Australian player, the team left by train for Melbourne later in the afternoon, Macartney, Oldfield and the manager staying on to Sydney.
Time away from Australia
276 days
(22 March to 23 December)
Finances
Players would receive £400 plus a share of £1000 for the South African tour.
The tour surplus was £17 000 and the players received a bonus of £300.
Written accounts of the tour
"With the 15th Australian XI" (1921) by Sydney Smith - the tour manager’s account tracks the team's progress through a journey of more than 32 000 miles.
“Warwick Armstrong's Australians”(1971)by Ronald Mason(Epworth Press)