Double Headers

82 4: Other instances involving British teams MCC on tour The special nature and role of the Marylebone Cricket Club mean that it should come as no surprise to find that all the instances of double-headers in this chapter involve, one way or another, MCC teams. Between 1903/04 and 1976/77, England’s overseas Test tours were arranged and managed under the auspices of the MCC, and apart from in the Tests themselves the sides played all their tour matches under the ‘MCC’ label. In addition to the Test tours, between 1905 and 2000 a number of other touring sides have also played (or been scheduled to play) first-class matches under the MCC banner – some of them more, some less, representative of the Marylebone club proper rather than of English cricket as a whole. The latter tours were generally either to ‘emerging’ cricketing countries, or else were goodwill tours arranged to plug a lengthy gap between scheduled Test tours. Since 1903/04 there have been four occasions when one MCC tour of each type was undertaken in the same ‘winter’ season, and two others when two MCC tours of the same type were undertaken. The details are as follows: Simultaneous first-class tours by MCC sides Season Test tours and dates Other first-class tours and dates 1911/12 Australia 10 Nov - 1 Mar Argentina 18 Feb - 3 Mar 1922/23 South Africa 10 Nov - 6 Mar Australia/NZ 3 Nov - 17 Mar 1926/27 -- -- India etc Argentina 19 Oct - 27 Feb 31 Dec - 22 Jan 1929/30 New Zealand West Indies 31 Oct - 24 Feb 1 Jan - 12 Apr -- -- 1963/64 India 3 Jan - 24 Feb East Africa 2 Nov - 4 Nov 1973/74 West Indies 18 Jan - 5 Apr East Africa 18 Jan - 20 Jan The destinations given are those where Test matches (in the left-hand columns) or first-class matches (in the right-hand columns) were played. In some cases, matches were also played in some other countries. The dates are those of the first and last days’ play in first-class matches. As the table shows, the dates of the tours in each season overlapped, except in the case of 1963/64. And sure enough, in each of the other five seasons matches in the different tours were arranged to be played on exactly the same dates, or on overlapping dates. In all, 13 pairs of simultaneous or overlapping matches were arranged in which both MCC sides were due to play under that name: Season Play dates Fixture Venue Result 1911/12 16-17-19-20 Feb New South Wales v MCC Sydney W 18-19-20 Feb Argentina v MCC BA (Hurlingham) L 1922/23 10-11-13 Nov South Australia v MCC Adelaide L