Cricket / England
New cricket exhibition opens at SS Great Britain
A commemorative souvenir Victorian handkerchief featuring portraits of England cricketers is among the items on display in a new exhibition at the SS Great Britain which remembers when the ship transported the team to their first tour of Australia.
That tour in 1861 was also the first time the terms ‘test match’ and ‘hat-trick’ were used, as well as being the first commercially sponsored sporting tour.
The SS Great Britain’s association with cricket is celebrated in the exhibition within the Dockyard Museum – accessed through the popular dressing up area.
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The mini exhibition officialy opens on Thursday – photo: Martin Booth
The newly acquired embroidered handkerchief measuring 35 by 33 inches shows the ‘All England’ team in their whites.
Alongside the handkerchief is a commemorative cricket ball which was presented to EM Grace, the older brother of WG, for excellent wicketkeeping during England’s second tour of Australia in 1863.
Players on the 1863 tour also travelled on the SS Great Britain, with Grace’s diary describing life on board ship (it took two months to travel to Austarlia) and the various exercises the players took part in to remain fit including long jump, small games of cricket and running races.
The 1861 tour was the brainchild of two Melbourne-based businessmen, Felix William Spiers and Christopher Pond.
Originally the pair had tried and failed to convince Charles Dickens to conduct a lecture tour of Australia, before turning their focus to cricket.
Players representing ‘the XI of All England’ each received an all-expenses paid first-class ticket and £150 for taking part, worth about £7,000 in today’s money.
EM Grace’s commemorative ball for his skills behind the stumps on tour – photo: SS Great Britain Trust
Main photo: Martin Booth
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