The English cricket team in Australia in 1907–08 lost the Test

Test cricket

Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...

 series, and with it 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...

, 4-1. They were handicapped by Arthur Jones

Arthur Jones (cricketer)

Arthur Owen Jones , was a cricketer, noted as an all-rounder.He was born in Shelton, Nottinghamshire, and educated at Bedford Modern School and Jesus College, Cambridge. He played for Cambridge University, Nottinghamshire, London County and England...

, their captain, having to miss the first three Tests through illness. Frederick Fane

Frederick Fane

Frederick Luther Fane was born in Ireland, but played cricket for the England cricket team in 14 Test matches...

 led the side during Jones' absence.

George Gunn

George Gunn

George Gunn was an English cricketer who played in 15 Tests from 1907 to 1930. Along with other notable batsmen such as Jack Hobbs, Frank Woolley and Phil Mead, he was one of a group who, beginning their first-class careers in the Edwardian Era, seemed to go on for ever...

, in Australia for the good of his health, was called into the touring party to bolster the batting and was a great success, scoring two hundreds including one on his Test debut, and scoring 462 runs at an average of 51.33. Nevertheless, England’s batting was fragile throughout the series, with only Kenneth Hutchings

Kenneth Hutchings

Kenneth Lotherington Hutchings was a cricketer who played for Kent and England....

 scoring a hundred in addition to Gunn. Jack Hobbs

Jack Hobbs

Sir John Berry "Jack" Hobbs was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey from 1905 to 1934 and for England in 61 Test matches from 1908 to 1930....

 made his England debut in the second Test, the only one which England won, scoring 83 and 28, and he had the next best average to Gunn. The bowling relied on Jack Crawford

Jack Crawford (cricketer)

John Neville Crawford was an English first-class cricketer who played mainly for Surrey. An amateur, he played as an all-rounder and was highly regarded from an unusually early age before a disagreement with his county curtailed his career. A right-handed batsman, Crawford had a reputation for...

, Arthur Fielder

Arthur Fielder

Arthur Fielder was the leading fast bowler in English cricket for the decade before World War I and one of the key contributors to Kent's four County Championship successes between 1906 and 1913.In some ways the founder of modern fast bowling, Fielder was the first fast bowler to rely on swing...

 and Sydney Barnes

Sydney Barnes

Sydney Francis Barnes was an English professional cricketer who is generally regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the sport's history...

, who took 79 wickets between them.

Australia's batting was much superior to England's, with eight players averaging over 30 to England's three. Warwick Armstrong

Warwick Armstrong

Warwick Windridge Armstrong was an Australian cricketer who played 50 Test matches between 1902 and 1921. An all-rounder, he captained Australia in ten Test matches between 1920 and 1921 and was undefeated, winning eight Tests and drawing two...

 topped their batting averages, with 410 runs at 45.55. Jack Saunders

Jack Saunders

John Victor Saunders was an Australian cricketer who played in 14 Tests from 1902 to 1908....

 took 31 wickets at 23.09, and five other bowlers contributed usefully, with between 10 and 14 wickets at an average of between 25 and 31.

England lost the first Test by only two wickets, and ought to have won the third. In the latter match, Clem Hill

Clem Hill

Clement "Clem" Hill was an Australian cricketer who played 49 Test matches as a specialist batsman between 1896 and 1912. He captained the Australian team in ten Tests, winning five and losing five...

 - coming in at number 9 in Australia's second innings because of an attack of influenza - made 160. He added 243 for the eighth wicket with "Roger" Hartigan

Roger Hartigan

Michael Joseph 'Roger' Hartigan was an Australian Test cricketer and Administrator....

 (116), their partnership turning the match.

The tour was organised by 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...

 and matches outside the Tests were played under the MCC name.

Test Matches

Match length: Timeless. Balls per over: 6. Series result: Australia won 4-1.

No.	Date	Home captain	Away captain	Venue	Result
96	13,14,16,17,18,19 Dec 1907	Monty Noble Monty Noble Montague Alfred Noble was an Australian cricketer who played for New South Wales and Australia. A right-hand batsman, right-handed bowler who could deliver both medium pace and off-break bowling, capable fieldsman and tactically sound captain, Noble is considered as one of the great Australian...	Frederick Fane Frederick Fane Frederick Luther Fane was born in Ireland, but played cricket for the England cricket team in 14 Test matches...	Sydney Cricket Ground 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...	AUS by 2 wkts
97	1,2,3,4,6,7 Jan 1908	Monty Noble Monty Noble Montague Alfred Noble was an Australian cricketer who played for New South Wales and Australia. A right-hand batsman, right-handed bowler who could deliver both medium pace and off-break bowling, capable fieldsman and tactically sound captain, Noble is considered as one of the great Australian...	Frederick Fane Frederick Fane Frederick Luther Fane was born in Ireland, but played cricket for the England cricket team in 14 Test matches...	Melbourne Cricket Ground 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...	ENG by 1 wkt
98	10,11,13,14,15,16 Jan 1908	Monty Noble Monty Noble Montague Alfred Noble was an Australian cricketer who played for New South Wales and Australia. A right-hand batsman, right-handed bowler who could deliver both medium pace and off-break bowling, capable fieldsman and tactically sound captain, Noble is considered as one of the great Australian...	Frederick Fane Frederick Fane Frederick Luther Fane was born in Ireland, but played cricket for the England cricket team in 14 Test matches...	Adelaide Oval 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...	AUS by 245 runs
99	7,8,10,11 Feb 1908	Monty Noble Monty Noble Montague Alfred Noble was an Australian cricketer who played for New South Wales and Australia. A right-hand batsman, right-handed bowler who could deliver both medium pace and off-break bowling, capable fieldsman and tactically sound captain, Noble is considered as one of the great Australian...	Arthur Jones Arthur Jones (cricketer) Arthur Owen Jones , was a cricketer, noted as an all-rounder.He was born in Shelton, Nottinghamshire, and educated at Bedford Modern School and Jesus College, Cambridge. He played for Cambridge University, Nottinghamshire, London County and England...	Melbourne Cricket Ground 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...	AUS by 308 runs
100	21,22,24,25,26,27 Feb 1908	Monty Noble Monty Noble Montague Alfred Noble was an Australian cricketer who played for New South Wales and Australia. A right-hand batsman, right-handed bowler who could deliver both medium pace and off-break bowling, capable fieldsman and tactically sound captain, Noble is considered as one of the great Australian...	Arthur Jones Arthur Jones (cricketer) Arthur Owen Jones , was a cricketer, noted as an all-rounder.He was born in Shelton, Nottinghamshire, and educated at Bedford Modern School and Jesus College, Cambridge. He played for Cambridge University, Nottinghamshire, London County and England...	Sydney Cricket Ground 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...	AUS by 49 runs