Home
AUSTRALIA
BANGLADESH
ENGLAND
INDIA
NEW ZEALAND
PAKISTAN
SOUTH AFRICA
SRI LANKA
WEST INDIES
ZIMBABWE
Contact Us

Test Cricket Tours - England to Australia (S) 1887-88

 

 

Tour of Australia 1887-88                  Captain : Charles Smith              

 

 

                         (Shrewsbury’s Team)

 

 

 

 

England’s seventh Test tour.

(September 1887–May 1888)

 

 

Seventh Test-playing tour of Australia by an English side

     (previous tour 1886-87)

       

 

 

 

 

 

Shrewsbury, Shaw and Lillywhite decided to press ahead with their fourth tour despite their knowledge of a simultaneous English cricket tour to Australia, led by Lord Hawke. The latter, known as Vernon's team, was under the auspices of the Melbourne Club while Shrewsbury's team was promoted by the Sydney Ground authorities in New South Wales.  Melbourne, which had wisely backed down from bringing a second English touring party the winter before, was not to be discouraged again now but both ventures suffered a financial calamity.

The rival touring teams combined to play a Test Match against Australia at Sydney in mid-February 1888. This match, which was won, was played under a compromise leader, Mr W.W.Read. Afterwards each team played separate matches against the Australian side that would be touring England in 1888.

In the Test match Australia was dismissed on a drying wicket for 42, its lowest innings score.

Shrewsbury's tour made a heavy loss, thought to be £2400.  Shaw and Shrewsbury were critical of Lillywhite and his failure to meet his share of the deficit.  Wrote Shaw: "…so ended our Australian cricket tours. At the finish we were much worse off financially than when we had begun."  Now Shrewsbury joined with Andrew Stoddart to promote the first overseas tour by a rugby union side, playing 35 matches in Australia and New Zealand in 1888.

 

 

All England tours

 

Previous Test tour

Australia 1886-87(Shaw & Shrewsbury’s team)

 

Simultaneous Test tour

Australia 1887-88(Vernon’s team)

 

Next Test tour

South Africa1888-89(Major Warton’s team)

 

 

Next tour of  Australia

1891-92(Lord Sheffield’s)

 

 

 

 

Members of the Test tour party (12)

 

 

Opening batsmen:   Arthur Shrewsbury, George Ulyett

Middle-order batsmen Maurice Read, George Brann, Ludford Docker, Billy Newham

Wicket-keeper:Dick Pilling

Slow bowlers:Johnny Briggs, Joseph Preston

Fast bowlers: George Lohmann, Dick Pougher, Charles Smith.

 

 

 

Mr  G Brann

Sx

22

RHB

 

Briggs,  J

La

25

RHB       SLA

 

Mr  L C Docker

Wk

27

RHB               deputy captain

 

Lohmann,  G A

Sy

22

RHB        RMF

 

Mr  W Newham

Sx

27

RHB

 

Pilling,  R

La

32

WK

 

Pougher,  A D

Le

22

RFM

 

Preston,  J M

Yo

23

OB

 

Read,  J M

Sy

29

RHB

 

Shrewsbury,  A

Nt

31

RHB  opener

 

Mr  C A Smith

Sx

24

RHB         RFM        captain

 

Ulyett,  G

Yo

36

RHB         (RFM)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

County representation:

 

La  -  Lancashire (2)

Le  -  Leicestershire (1)

Nt - Nottinghamshire (1)

Sy  -  Surrey (2)

Sx - Sussex (3)

Wk - Warwickshire (1)

Yo  -  Yorkshire (2)

 

Mr Docker played no first-class cricket in 1887

 

 

 

Average age of  team at time of first Test match

(10 February 1888) :

  27 yrs 0 months

 

 

 

 

 

Test Appearances made before the tour

 

Ulyett 19,  Shrewsbury 17,  Briggs 10,  Read 8,  Pilling 6,   Lohmann 5,  Mr Brann 0,  Mr Docker 0,  Mr Newham 0,  Pougher 0,  Preston 0,  Mr Smith 0.

 

 

 

 

 

Tour Officials

 

James Lillywhite

Manager

 

Scorer - baggage

 

 

 

 

 

Selectors

 

The team was picked by James Lillywhite, Alfred Shaw  and Arthur Shrewsbury.

 

 

 

 

Selection

 

Unavailable:  Mordecai Sherwin.

Shaw, Shrewsbury and Lillywhite, knowing of the Melbourne club’s rival tour, quickly signed up Briggs, Lohmann. Read, Shrewsbury and Sherwin (who didn't tour).  For the first time they included amateur players, and 'poached' Mr Charles (Aubrey) Smith from Hawke's team for captain. Mr L C Docker took the final place.

Tour Party Announced  :   ?

 

 

Time between selection and departure from England

   x days

 ( ? - 17 September)

 

 

 

 

Travel

Plymouth T    Adelaide

                ‘Iberia’

 

 

Alfred Shaw was a tour organiser but he remained in England.

The team sailed from Plymouth on 17 September 1887. They joined Mr Newham and Mr Smith who were already on the 'Iberia', as were members of the Melbourne Club side.  All arrived in Port Adelaide on 25 October, where Shaw & Shrewsbury's team stayed for two nights before travelling by train to Sydney

Unlike Mr Vernon's side, Shaw’s eleven (as it was usually known) did not include matches in Tasmania, but it played in New Zealand. The team (except Mr Docker who stayed in Australia) left for New Zealand on the ss 'Hauroto' on 17 March and after a violent sea crossing arrived in Wellington on 22 March to play three odds matches.


 

Time spent in Australia

    144 days

(25 October -  17 March)

 

 

 

Reinforcements

 

The tourists managed without any assistance until the New Zealand leg of the tour where Docker was not with the team and Pilling was unable to play in the two matches against Canterbury after injuring his hand. Two local players, McCormick and Charleston, were called upon to make up the numbers.

 

 

 

 

 

Fixtures/Results

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Combined English XI

 

 

 

a

Parramatta

Parramatta 18

Drawn

b

Sydney

New South Wales

Lost 10 w

c

Brisbane

Queensland 18

Won 10 w

d

Maryborough

Maryborough 22

Won inns 21 r

e

Gympie

Gympie 22

Won inns 145

f

Brisbane

 (exhibition match)

 -

g

Brisbane

Queensland 18

Won 100 r

h

Sydney

New South Wales

Won 10 w

i

Melbourne

Victoria

Won inns 456

j

Ballarat

Ballarat 22

Won 8 w

k

Ballarat

Ballarat 22  (fill-up match)

Drawn

l

Sandhurst

Bendigo 18

Drawn

m

Melbourne

Melbourne Juniors 18

Drawn

n

Bowral

Bowral 22

Won inns 27

o

Sydney

New South Wales

Lost 153 r

p

Bourke

Bourke 22

Drawn

q

Orange

Orange 22

Won inns 80

r

Sydney

Combined Australia

Won 5 w

s

SYDNEY

AUSTRALIA : Test Match

‡ WON 126 r

t

Newcastle

Newcastle 18

Drawn

u

Tamworth

Tamworth 22

Won 9 w

v

Sydney

1888 Australians

Won inns 42

w

Sydney

Sydney Juniors 18

Drawn

x

Bathurst

Bathurst 18

Won 8 w

y

Sydney

1888 Australians

Won 158 r

 

 

 

 

z

Wellington

Wellington (22)

Drawn

a’

Christchurch

Canterbury  (18)

Drawn

b’

†Christchurch

Canterbury  (18)

Drawn

 

 

 

† not first-class

 

Time spent in Australia before the Test match:

  108 days

(25 October - 10 February)

 

 

 

 

Test appearances on tour

   (v Australia 1887-88)

 

 

1 -  Briggs,  Lohmann,  Newham,  Pilling,  Read,  Shrewsbury,  Ulyett.

0 -  Brann,  Docker,  Pougher,  Preston,  Smith.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Match appearances

 

 

T  Test match

x other match 

  played for opposition

 

W won  L lost  D drawn  

N no result   A abandoned  

u unknown result

 

 

 

 

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

i

j

k

l

m

n

o

p

q

r

s

t

u

v

w

x

y

z

b’

a’

G Brann

x

x

x

x

x

x

 

 

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

 

x

x

 

x

x

x

x

x

x

Briggs

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

T

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

L C Docker

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

 

x

x

x

x

x

 

x

x

x

x

x

x

 

 

 

Lohmann

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

 

x

T

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

W Newham

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

 

x

 

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

T

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Pilling

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

 

x

x

T

 

x

x

x

x

x

x

 

 

Pougher

 

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

 

 

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Preston

x

x

x

 

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

 

x

x

x

x

 

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Read

x

x

 

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

T

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Shrewsbury

x

x

x

x

 

x

x

x

x

x

x

 

x

x

x

x

x

x

T

x

 

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

C A Smith

x

 

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

 

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Ulyett

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

 

x

x

x

T

x

x

x

 

 

 

x

x

x

Charleston

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

x

 

McCormick

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

x

 R E S U L T S

D

L

W

W

W

u

W

W

W

W

D

D

D

W

L

D

W

W

W

D

W

W

D

W

W

D

D

D

 

 

 

 

 

 

England’s six previous Test tour results:

 

 

in Australia 1886-87 (2 Tests)

 - won 2-0

in Australia 1884-85 (5 Tests)

 - won 3-2

in Australia 1882-83 (4 Tests)

 - drew 2-2

in Australia 1881-82 (4 Tests)

 - lost 0-2

in Australia 1878-79 (1 Test)

 - lost 0-1

in Australia 1876-77 (2 Tests)

 - drew 1-1

 

 

 

 

Highlights

 

 

   On a drying wicket in the Test match at Sydney Australia was dismissed for 42, its lowest innings score.

  Lohmann (5-17) and Peel (5-18) were the bowlers responsible, and each man took four more wickets in the second innings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tour Summary

 

Table excludes the exhibition match at Brisbane.

 

 

  P

 W

L

 D

Aban

Test Matches

  1

  1

0

  0

-

Other first-class matches

  7

  5

2

  0

-

Minor matches

19

  9

0

10

-

All Matches

27

15

2

10

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return to England

Sydney       T       Wellington

               ‘Hauroto’

 

Christchurch      T      Plymouth

                         ‘Coptic’

 

 

The Australian section of the tour ended in Sydney and the team departed on Saturday evening 17 March for New Zealand, again on the Hauroto , arriving in Wellington on the afternoon of 22 March

The team left Lyttelton Harbour, Christchurch, on the 'Coptic' on the last day of March 1888, sailing via Rio de Janeiro (23 April) and Tenerife (7 May), docking at Plymouth on the morning of 12 May, and travelling on to London by rail.

Brann and Smith were to be in the team for the football tour of Australia but had to return to England so Stoddart took their place, while Lillywhite and Shrewsbury also remained to guide the team round Australia.

 

Time away from England

  238 days  

(17 September -12 May)

 

 

 

 

Finances

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts of  the tour

 

“Football’s Forgotten Tour”  by John Williamson  (2003)  covers the Australian Rules tour that followed Shrewsbury’s cricket tour and rugby tour, and was available from him at PO Box 1553 in Applecross, 6953, Western Australia

“The First Lions of Rugby”  by Sean Fagan (Slattery Media Group, 2013)  covers Stoddart’s rugby union tour.

 

 

 

 

 

Postscript

 

 

 

 




Powered by Create