Famous Cricketers No 67 - Ivo Bligh

For his fourth year at Cambridge, Bligh was appointed Cambridge captain. Owing to ill-health however he missed all the early matches and therefore did not play at all at Fenner’s. His three games were at Lord’s v MCC, at The Oval v Surrey and then the University match, which was lost. He did gain a crumb of satisfaction by making Cambridge’s highest score. After the University game he played for Kent and ended third in the batting table, behind Lord Harris and E.F.S.Tylecote. In addition to cricket Bligh represented Cambridge at racquets and tennis. It was during 1881 that he determined to take an England team to Australia; he explains how the concept was formed in an interview published in The Cricket Field in 1894. “It happened that several of the Cambridge team were leaving the University, Steel and the Studds and Alfred Lyttelton among them, and, as we knew that Lord Harris enjoyed his visit to Australia two years before, we thought it would be very good fun. As I was captain at the time, it was left to me to arrange matters, and I at once wrote off to Australia.” Talking of 1881, Bligh noted, “I was very ill all through the term and if I made about 15 runs I felt quite done up. I gave up fielding deep and used to stand at point, which I thought was a much less interesting position. But this was perhaps only because I was unable to enjoy fielding at all.” Now comes an odd curiosity - Bligh was leading England to Australia in the winter of 1882/83, but in the English summer of 1882 he played not a single first-class match due to ill-health. The proposed trip to Australia was not definitely settled until the latter part of July 1882. The magazine Cricket carried the following paragraph on July 13: “I see some of the newspapers are already giving particulars of the team which according to them is going to visit Australia in the autumn, under the care of the Hon Ivo Bligh. A reporter nowadays is nothing if he does not anticipate events. He is little if not imaginative, and in this case some one has certainly been drawing on his imagination of the facts. One of these zealous newshunters has found out that Mr Bligh, who, by the way, everyone is rejoiced to hear is regaining his health, will be accompanied by Messrs A.P.Lucas, G.F.Vernon, C.T.Studd, G.B.Studd, A.G.Steel, W.W.Read, C.F.Leslie, E.F.S.Tylecote, Barnes, Bates, Morley and Barlow. The team certainly does credit to the critic’s discrimination. I can fancy how some of them would score on the hard fast Australian wickets. But in reality such announcements are altogether premature. It is not by any means certain that the trip will ever come off. Indeed, from what I hear, there are now grave doubts.” One hopes that C.W.Alcock, editor of Cricket and probably the writer of the above, did not refer back to this paragraph later on - the team listed is exactly the team which went! The following week Alcock is forced to write: “I was perhaps a little too hasty last week in suggesting doubts as to the satisfactory completion of the negotiations for the visit of the Hon Ivo Bligh’s team to Australia in the autumn. As a matter of fact, there was a serious hitch, for which the movement of the Australian players now here were in some degree responsible. Fortunately what obstacle there was soon disappeared and I am now able to state authoritatively that the arrangements for the tour are now definitely completed.” The team left Gravesend at 12.30pm on September 14, 1882 aboard the P. & O. steamer Peshawur . Among those who waved them bon voyage were Lord Darnley (Ivo Bligh’s father) and C.W.Alcock. The Sportsman newspaper dispatched their special correspondent, Martin Cobbett, with the players. This delighted C.W.Alcock who commented “It is certain that in Mr Corbett’s hands we shall not have to ponder over such odd statements as that in which Mr W.W.Read is represented as a Lancashire player.” A week or two later C.W.Alcock is worried about his fellow reporters and notes: “There seems to be in certain newspapers a rather hazy idea as to the identity of some members of the team.” Alcock then prints the list again. The tour remains prominent in cricket history because of the presentation to Ivo Bligh of the famous Urn, which does, or does not contain ‘The Ashes’. The current cricketers’ bible gives the series as two matches to England and two to Australia, but adds a footnote: The Ashes were awarded in 1882/83 5