All Ten: The Ultimate Bowling Feat

36 Edward Barratt already made a Test century, two more who would do so (Billy Murdoch and the County Cork-born Tom Horan), plus a powerful hand of bowlers. Playing 15 first-class matches and 22 others (mainly against odds) the Australians were a great attraction, especially after famously beating a strong MCC side (Grace and all) early in the tour. Their team at The Oval was a strong one, which is more than could be said for the Players XI, which was unrepresentative of English professional cricket, as most of the top players refused to play because they were not being paid enough. In the circumstances the Players did well to lose by only eight runs. Barratt had come late to first-class cricket. Aged 34, having taken 92 wickets in 1877, this was only his second full season. The Australians already knew him well. Earlier in the year, for Surrey at The Oval, he had taken 11 wickets against them. The Players match involved a number of spectacular collapses. Play began at half past 12 in pleasant early autumn weather before a crowd of some 10,000, most of whom would have paid one shilling (5p) admission. Facilities at The Oval were still limited and it is doubtful whether all of those ringing the ground in a compact circle had a decent view of play when the Bannerman brothers went out to bat, James Lillywhite the Players’ captain having decided to field first. Alick, born in Australia, unlike older brother Charles who was from south-east London, went quickly, caught at mid on by William McIntyre, brother of Shaw’s penultimate all-ten victim four years before. He was soon followed by Horan, caught at slip by Scot Alec Watson who would play successfully for Lancashire for over 20 years, and Murdoch who was stumped. They both made ducks. They would not be alone in their failure in the innings, or the match. Fred Spofforth, the first great Australian bowler, came in next. Born in Australia but dying in England Spofforth would reverse the journey made by a number of his contemporaries. He put on 34 with Bannerman before Barratt had him stumped. At 50 for three on a slow pitch the tourists were well placed; but once Spofforth went and Barratt took three more wickets in his next over, at 50 for seven they weren’t. Wisden quaintly described this as ‘an awful smash up of Australian wickets’. There was no recovery, although Harry Boyle resisted for a while before being caught at cover point just before lunch with the score 64 for eight. Opener Charles Bannerman was last out, caught at point by Lancashire’s Dick Barlow for 51, a fine effort and more than double any other score in the match. He was easily the Australians’ most successful batsman, making four of the tourists’ eight first-class fifties (no centuries). For the first time in an all-ten nobody had been bowled or leg-before. Barratt had had particular help from the Sussex Hastings-born brothers Phillips, wicketkeeper Henry stumping three batsmen and younger brother James holding two catches at cover point. Whilst he had bowled unchanged from the Vauxhall End, three bowlers who would eventually garner well over 3,000 wickets between them went empty-handed at the Pavilion End: Watson, Lillywhite, who of course had already claimed an all-ten, and Kent’s George Hearne, a member of the famous clan which included his uncle, the much-aforementioned Thomas.