History of Australian cricket to 1850
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This article describes the History of Australian cricket to 1850. It was in March 1850 that the Melbourne Cricket Club issued a challenge to the Launceston Cricket Club for a match that was eventually played in the 1850-51 season.
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[edit] Beginnings
Cricket was already established in England by the time Willem Jansz and Abel Tasman made their voyages of discovery in the 17th century. But their expeditions came to nothing and it was not until 1766, which is about when the Hambledon Club was founded, that the Australian story really begins. It was in 1766 that the Royal Society commissioned Captain James Cook (1728 – 1779) to lead an astronomical expedition to the Pacific Ocean for the primary purpose of charting a transit of Venus. He had a second purpose which was to search for a southern continent called Terra Australis, and to establish if this had a connection with the lands visited by Tasman. In April 1770, Cook's expedition became the first Europeans to reach the east coast of Australia at a place called Point Hicks on the coast of Victoria.
Cook’s voyages were a highly significant precursor to the worldwide spread of cricket. It was not until 1788 that colonisation of Australia began but cricket soon arrived there too and we have our first definite references to the sport in Australia in 1804, when the January edition of The Sydney Gazette recorded that recent weather had been favourable to cricketers.
[edit] Early developments
[edit] Beginning of first-class cricket
In 1851, on 11 & 12 February, Tasmania v Victoria at Launceston Racecourse was the initial first class match in Australia. Tasmania won by 3 wickets.
For cricket in Australia from 1850 see : Intercolonial cricket in Australia
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History of Australian cricket to 1850 |
[edit] References
- Cricketarchive list of first class seasons
- A History of Australian Cricket by Chris Harte
