English cricket team in Australia in 1903–04

The English cricket team's tour to Australia in 1903–04 was the first time the Marylebone Cricket Club

Marylebone Cricket Club

Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...

(MCC) took over responsibility for sponsoring and arranging an overseas tour representing England. England

English cricket team

The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...

had not won the Ashes

The Ashes

The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...

since the 1896 series in England. The MCC appointed Plum Warner

Plum Warner

Sir Pelham Francis Warner MBE , affectionately and better known as Plum Warner, or even "the Grand Old Man" of English cricket was a Test cricketer....

to put together and captain a team, which was very much seen as the underdogs against Australia

Australian cricket team

The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...

. Warner and his team, however, pulled off the upset the English were looking for and won the five-Test series 3–2. In the first Test at Sydney, R.E. "Tip" Foster

Tip Foster

Reginald Erskine Foster, nicknamed Tip Foster, commonly designated R. E. Foster in sporting literature was an English cricketer and football player...

scored 287 to set the world record for the highest individual Test innings; the innings remains the highest by a Test debutant.

South Australia v M.C.C.

7, 9, 10, 11 November 1903. Played at Adelaide

Adelaide Oval

The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...

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M.C.C. (483 for 8 declared) drew with South Australia (172 & 343 for 7)

Victoria v M.C.C.

13, 14, 16 November 1903. Played at Melbourne

Melbourne Cricket Ground

The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...

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Victoria (162 & 210) lost to M.C.C. (443 for 8 declared) by an innings and 71 runs

New South Wales v M.C.C.

20, 21, 23 November 1903. Played at Sydney

Sydney Cricket Ground

The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...

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New South Wales (108 & 201) lost to M.C.C. (319) by an innings and 10 runs

Queensland v M.C.C.

27, 28, 30 November 1903. Played at Brisbane

Brisbane Cricket Ground

The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as The Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. It is named after the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located....

Queensland (242 & 91) lost to M.C.C. (215 & 119 for 4) won by 6 wickets

Northern District XVIII v M.C.C.

2, 3 December 1903. Played at Maitland

Maitland, New South Wales

Maitland is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle...

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Northern District XVIII (283 & 241 for 6) drew with M.C.C. (453)

Newcastle XV v M.C.C.

4, 5 December 1903. Played at Newcastle

Newcastle, New South Wales

The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...

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M.C.C. (306 & 381 for 8) drew with Newcastle XV (203)

First Test: Australia v England

11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17 December 1903. Played at Sydney

Sydney Cricket Ground

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Australia (285 & 485) lost to England (577 & 194 for 5) by 5 wickets

Melbourne Colts XVIII v M.C.C.

December ? 1903. Played at Melbourne.
M.C.C. (416) beat the Juniors (124 & 193) by an innings and 99 runs

Bendigo and District XVIII v M.C.C.

26, 28 December 1903. Played at Bendigo.
Bendigo and District XVIII (94 & 64 for 7) drew with M.C.C. (273 for 5 declared)

Second Test: Australia v England

1, 2, 4, 5 January 1904. Played at Melbourne

Melbourne Cricket Ground

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England (315 and 103) beat Australia (122 and 111) by 185 runs.

Ballarat XVIII v M.C.C.

8, 9 January 1904. Played at Ballarat.
M.C.C. (326 and 226) drew with Ballarat XVIII (197)

Third Test: Australia v England

15, 16, 18, 19, 20 January 1904. Played at Adelaide

Adelaide Oval

The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...

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Australia (388 and 351) beat England (245 and 278) by 215 runs.

Tasmania v M.C.C.

25, 26 January 1904. Played at Hobart.
M.C.C. (185 and 354 for 4 declared) drew with Tasmania (191 and 63 for 1)

Tasmania v M.C.C.

29, 30 January 1904. Played at Launceston

Launceston, Tasmania

Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...

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Tasmania (141 and 259 for 2) drew with M.C.C. (353)

Victoria v M.C.C.

5 February, (6), 8, 9, 1904. Played at Melbourne

Melbourne Cricket Ground

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Victoria (299 and 15) lost to M.C.C. (248 and 68 for 2) by 8 wickets.

New South Wales v M.C.C.

12, 13, 15 February 1904. Played at Sydney

Sydney Cricket Ground

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M.C.C. (190 and 461) beat New South Wales (232 and 141) by 278 runs.

Western District XV v M.C.C.

19, 20 February 1904. Played at Bathurst

Bathurst, New South Wales

-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...

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Bathurst XV (248 and 151 for 3 declared) drew with M.C.C. (176 and 115 for 5)

Fourth Test: Australia v England

26, 27, 29 February, 1, 2, 3 March 1904. Played at Sydney

Sydney Cricket Ground

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England (249 and 210) beat Australia (131 and 171) by 157 runs.

Fifth Test: Australia v England

5, 7, 8 March 1904. Played at Melbourne

Melbourne Cricket Ground

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Australia (247 and 131) beat England (61 and 101) by 218 runs.

South Australia v M.C.C.

12, 14, 15 March 1904. Played at Adelaide

Adelaide Oval

The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...

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South Australia (259 and 77) lost to M.C.C. (154 and 184 for 1) by 9 wickets.

External sources

CricketArchive match lists

South Australia v M.C.C.

Victoria v M.C.C.

New South Wales v M.C.C.

Queensland v M.C.C.

Northern District XVIII v M.C.C.

Newcastle XV v M.C.C.

First Test: Australia v England

Melbourne Colts XVIII v M.C.C.

Bendigo and District XVIII v M.C.C.

Second Test: Australia v England

Ballarat XVIII v M.C.C.

Third Test: Australia v England

Tasmania v M.C.C.

Tasmania v M.C.C.

Victoria v M.C.C.

New South Wales v M.C.C.

Western District XV v M.C.C.

Fourth Test: Australia v England

Fifth Test: Australia v England

South Australia v M.C.C.

External sources

Further reading