There are not many rivalries on the planet that have the same weight, history and emotional turmoil like England vs Australia in the Ashes. The competition seems immortal today and it’s source is even more dramatic, almost theatrical, based on one memorable game that took place in 1882.
The Oval Test of 1882: The spark that started the fire
The story starts at The Oval in London in 1882 when Australia visited the country to play England in a one-off Test. The English press and folk were of the opinion that defeat at home is practically impossible. But cricket, ever a sport that loves an upset!
Billy Murdoch led Australia to an inauspicious target. England appeared to be headed to an easy victory, when the hot-blooded fast bowler Fred “The Demon” Spofford delivered one of the most aggressive bursts in Test cricket history. England collapsed horribly, losing by seven runs. This was the first time Australia vs England ended with England losing in their own territory.
This disgraceful defeat brought a response never experienced before in cricket.
(Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
The Fake Obituary That got It All Going
On the day following the defeat, The Sporting Times was filled with a sarcastic, cutting, now-famous notice. The mock obituary read:
“In affectionate remembrance of English cricket, which died at the Oval on 29th August,1882..The body will be cremated and ashes taken to Australia.”
No one knew at the time that one sarcastic verse will lead to the birth of one of the most famous traditions in cricket. The phrase “the Ashes”, immediately became a symbol of hurt of national pride of England and their will to restore honour.
The Bligh Urn: Birth of the Trophy
After a couple of months, the England captain, Ivo Bligh, went on a return trip to Australia, publicly giving an undertaking to retrieve those “Ashes”. On that journey a small terracotta urn, which was thought to hold the remains of a burnt bail, was given to Bligh by a group of Melbourne women. This relic went on to become the renowned Bligh urn which is now globally identified as the symbolic Ashes trophy.
The original to this day remains safely in the MCC Museum at Lord’s and a replica is given to the winning team at the end of every series.
A Rivalry That Refuses to Die
From controversies to brilliance, sledging to sporting respect, the origins of the Ashes formed a rivalry that has been in existence for almost 150 years. What started as a joke in a newspaper grew to be the most valued battle in the history of cricket; a fight that continues to make blood boil in both countries, each and every time.
