Lives in Cricket No 29 - AN Hornby

63 Voyage of discovery 2 ground. Harris cancelled the return match at Sydney, which would have been only the fourth Test ever. In 1880, Murdoch led an Australia side to England, but such was the hostility among the cricketing hierarchy that they struggled to get any meaningful fixtures. Harris wrote: ‘They asked no-one’s goodwill in the matter, and it was felt this was a discourteous way of bursting in on our arrangements; and the result was they played scarcely any counties and were not generally recognised. We felt we had to make a protest against too frequent visits.’ It was only at the end of that summer that Harris was approached by Surrey to raise an England side for a Test. He agreed, although three of his selections who had been at Sydney – Hornby, Emmett and Ulyett – refused to play. It was, nevertheless, to be the first Test played in England. Prior to the Test, Australia did meet some of the counties, including Yorkshire (three times) and Gloucestershire (twice) but for most of the time they had to make do with taking on teams of the calibre of Crewe, Bradford, Burnley and District, Malton, Sunderland and Stockport. It certainly seemed like payback time even though Lord Harris tried to heal the rift between the two great cricketing powers when he spoke at a farewell dinner given in honour of the tourists at London’s Mansion House. George Coulthard was almost certainly the youngest umpire to stand in a Test match. He retired from umpiring just three years later and played some first-class cricket, including for Victoria against New South Wales. He appeared in the sixth-ever Test, Australia against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground in February 1882, batting at No.11 (six not out in his only innings) and he didn’t bowl. Murdoch captained Australia in that match and some believed that Coulthard’s lack of involvement in what was his only Test appearance was down to Murdoch still smarting from the run-out decision. It was Coulthard’s last game as a player although he did umpire the eighth Test match on record between Australia and England at Melbourne in March 1882. He was also a top-class Australian Rules player with the Carlton club in Victoria. Three times – in 1876, 1877 and 1879 – he was the club’s leading goal kicker. Tragically, he died from tuberculosis in October 1883 at the age of 27. He was inducted into the Australian Football League Hall of Fame in 1996.