Famous Cricketers No 77 - W.L.Murdoch

1878 – Australians in England and U.S.A. Except for an innings of 93 against XXII of Wagga Wagga, Murdoch performed only moderately with the bat in a series of matches against odds in Australia and New Zealand beginning at Brisbane on November 9th 1877 and staged primarily to raise funds for the main tour. He did rather better behind the stumps catching 27 and stumping 14. Getting run out before he had scored on his debut in England and being bowled for another duck in the second innings can have done little for his confidence in an unfamiliarly cold, wet summer. There was to be another pair and eight ducks in all during the season (plus four in matches against odds) but his form improved as the tour progressed and with it came periodic elevation in the batting order. His best performance was late in the season against the Gentlemen of England at Scarborough but in a cold summer of low scores and wet wickets figures do not tell the whole story. His painfully acquired 9 against MCC at Lord’s steered his side to a vital first innings lead and was judged “invaluable” by his team mate Tom Horan. His highest in all matches was 73 against Eighteen of Hastings. Considered by the end of the tour second wicket-keeper to Blackham, Murdoch had good and bad days. In the famous MCC match at Lord’s finished in a single day he missed Grace off the first ball of the second innings but stumped A.Shaw and G.F.Vernon off successive balls to give Spofforth his first innings hat-trick. Two of his four stumpings in the Sussex match at Hove were from Spofforth. The tour gave Murdoch his first chance to bowl in first-class cricket and the most distinguished of his ten wickets – Alfred Lyttelton. Including matches in the USA and Canada and a final tour of Australia which ended at Inglewood on January 10th 1879, the team travelled more than 965,000 kilometres often under arduous conditions with frequent overnight rail journeys and early hours departures and arrivals. 78 games were staged, all but 19 against odds. Murdoch played a total of 109 innings. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct St Total Total 5. Australians v Nottinghamshire, Trent Bridge, May 20, 21, 22 (Nottinghamshire won by an innings and 14 runs) run out 0 63 153 1 b A.Shaw 0 76 6. Australians v MCC, Lord’s, May 27 (Australians won by nine wickets) † b A.Shaw 9 41 33 - 2 did not bat - 12-1 19 7. Australians v Yorkshire, Huddersfield, May 30, 31, June 1 (Australians won by six wickets) † not out 9 118 72 did not bat - 28-4 73 8. Australians v Surrey, Kennington Oval, June 3, 4 (Australians won by five wickets) c W.Lindsay b E.Barratt 22 110 107 not out 10 78-5 80 4 9. Australians v Gentlemen of England, Prince’s, June 17, 18 (Gentlemen of England won by an innings and 1 run) c A.N.Hornby b A.G.Steel 1 75 139 1 c J.A.Bush b A.G.Steel 7 63 10. Australians v Middlesex, Lord’s, June 20, 21, 22 (Australians won by 98 runs) c W.H.Hadow b R.Henderson 0 165 122 b S.W.Scott 13 240 185 1 11. Australians v Yorkshire, Bramall Lane, Sheffield, July 1, 2 (Yorkshire won by nine wickets) b G.Ulyett 2 88 167 1 b W.Bates 1 104 26-1 12. Australians v Orleans Club, Twickenham, July 8, 9 (Match drawn) † b A.Rylott 22 171 132 b E.Barratt 15 172 137-2 13. Australians v Cambridge University, Lord’s, July 22, 23 (Cambridge University won by an innings and 72 runs) b P.H.Morton 47 111 22 6 46 2 A.Lyttelton b 285 L.K.Jarvis b c H.Whitfeld b A.G.Steel 0 102 14. Australians v Lancashire, Old Trafford, August 15, 16, 17 (Match drawn) b W.McIntyre 4 140 97 1 did not bat - 47-0 162 12