The Ashes The Ashes is the name 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 only one test match was played at The Oval in August. The wicket proved almost impossible to play on and Australia, who batted first, made only 63 runs. England, in reply, played little better but by scoring 101, did achieve 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 reach 122 . This meant that England needed a mere 85 runs for victory. But they had not allowed for “Fred Spofforth”, nicknamed “The Demon Bowler” who refused to admit defeat. “This thing can be done” he declared and promptly 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 throughout the English sporting establishment and a number of mock obituaries appear in the sporting press, including the most famous which appeared in “The Sporting Times” on 2 September. It read : “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 become the Earl of Darnley. Bligh stated that he would “regain the ashes” and this he proceeded to do with England taking the three match series by two games to one. However the term “the Ashes” did not really catch on until 1903 when Pelham ( or “Plum”) Warner took a team out to Australia with the same promise of regaining the ashes. This England achieved by winning the series 3 –2 . The Australian press latched on to the expression and this time it stuck.
An “urn” to contain the ashes was created and presented to Bligh during the 188283 tour. It is said to contain the ashes of a cricket bail. It was presented to Bligh by a group of Victorian ladies including Bligh’s future wife. The urn is a small terracotta vase about six inches high and may originally have contained perfume. It is so fragile that it is now kept permanently at the MCC headquarters at Lords. There is a widespread belief 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 only 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 author of this article, writes on numerous topics, but is currently concerned with Tickets for London Olympics. Click a link if you are interested in the 2012 London Olympics Volunteers.