The Ashes

The Ashes is the nickname given to a biennial series of test cricket matches played between England and Australia. The very first cricket test match was played between England and Australia in 1877, but the idea of "playing for the Ashes" dates from some five years later after England had lost the ninth test match played between the two countries.



On their 1882 tour to England just one test match was played at The Oval in August. The ground was almost impossible to play on and Australia, who batted first, made only 63 runs. England, in reply, played a little better but by scoring 101, did accomplish a first innings lead of 38 runs.



In Australia’s second innings Hugh Massie’s 55, struck at a run a minute, enabled the tourists to make 122 runs . This had the effect that England required a mere 85 runs for victory. But they had not allowed for Fred Spofforth, nicknamed "The Demon Bowler" who refused to acknowledge defeat.



"This thing can be done" he declared and swiftly succeeded in destroying the England batting. He took his final four wickets for only two runs and England lost the match by just seven runs.



This defeat sent shock waves right through the English sporting institution and a number of fake obituaries were published in the sporting press, including the most well-known one which appeared in "The Sporting Times" on 2 September. It went 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.



So this was the first reference in print to "The Ashes". The England tour of Australia later that year was captained by Ivo Bligh who was later to be the Earl of Darnley. Bligh said that he would "regain the ashes" and this he proceeded to do with England winning the three match series by two games to one.



However the expression "the Ashes" did not actually catch on until 1903 when Pelham (or "Plum") Warner led a team out to Australia with the same promise of recapturing the ashes. This England achieved by winning the series 3 -2 . The Australian press latched on to the phrase and this time it stuck.



An "urn" to contain the ashes was produced and presented to Bligh during the 1882-83 tour. It is rumoured to hold the ashes of a cricket bail. It was presented to Bligh by a group of Victorian ladies which included Bligh’s future wife.



The urn is a small terracotta vase roughly six inches high and might originally have contained perfume. It is so delicate that it is now kept permanently at the MCC headquarters at Lords.



There is a widespread conviction that the urn and its contents represent the official trophy played for by England and Australia, but it is in fact a private memento owned by the Darnley family and is just on loan to the MCC.



The trophy actually played for is a larger Waterford glass replica, but the original "Ashes urn" still remains one of the most famous sporting icons in the world.



Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on numerous topics, but is currently involved with Tickets for London Olympics. Click a link if you are interested in the 2012 London Olympics Volunteers.