What is the England v Australia Ashes Origin Story?

What is the England v Australia Ashes Origin Story?

As we all know, the England v Australia rivalry in cricket goes back a long way but do you know the details of the Ashes Origin Story?  The first test match between the two countries was in 1877 when James Lillywhite led an England team on a tour to Australia and New Zealand. England and Australian teams then took it in turns to tour and play in each other’s country. In 1882 the Australian team came to England and events took a fateful turn.

The Ashes Origin story began on the 29th August 1882 at the Oval when Australia had its first Test win on English soil. England lost by a nailbiting, heartbreaking 7 runs. A journalist in the Sporting Times wrote a witty ‘obituary’ for English cricket, saying, “…in affectionate remembrance of English cricket, which died at the Oval on the 29th August 1882.” He went on to say that ‘its body will be cremated and the Ashes taken to Australia’, where England was due to play Australia again a few weeks later.

England captain, the Hon. Ivo Bligh, immediately took up the cudgel. He vowed to regain those ashes and the media dubbed the subsequent tour as the ‘Quest to Regain the Ashes’. When England won 2 out of the 3 Tests, some women presented him with a tiny urn, labelled, ‘The Ashes of Australian Cricket’ with some ashes inside. The original urn is  now in the MCC museum at Lord’s

You can read more about the  origin of the Ashes and Hon Ivo Bligh’s Campaign to reclaim them in the great book, ‘St Ivo and the Ashes’. The next Ashes campaign was in England in 1884 and England won again. The 1884 Ashes included the inaugural Test at Lord’s. England won there with some spectacular batting from AG Steel and a catch for England…by the Australian captain! Weirdly he was standing in for his friend, WG Grace, who was off the pitch at the time – a time of more fluid cricket match rules!

Australia and England have won almost the same number of Ashes contests since they began. There have been 73 Ashes campaigns since 1882. Australia have won 34 and retained the Ashes 6 times from draws. England has won the Ashes 32 times and retained them once from a draw. Let’s hope England get’s closer to evening up the score this time.