History of Australian cricket from 1918–19 to 1930 facts for kids
This article is all about the exciting history of Australian cricket from the 1918–19 season up to 1930. This was a really important time for cricket in Australia, as the sport grew a lot after World War I. You'll learn about the famous players and the big matches that happened during these years.
Some of the most well-known Australian cricketers from this period include Warwick Armstrong, Charlie Macartney, Warren Bardsley, Jack Gregory, Ted McDonald, Arthur Mailey, Jack Ryder, Herbie Collins, Bert Oldfield, Clarrie Grimmett, Bill Woodfull, Bill Ponsford, and of course, the legendary Don Bradman. Bradman's amazing career began in the 1920s, and he became one of the greatest players ever!
Contents
Australian Cricket at Home
Sheffield Shield Champions
The Sheffield Shield is Australia's top domestic cricket competition. Teams from different states play against each other to win this prestigious trophy. Here are the champions during this period:
- 1919–20 – New South Wales
- 1920–21 – New South Wales
- 1921–22 – Victoria
- 1922–23 – New South Wales
- 1923–24 – Victoria
- 1924–25 – Victoria
- 1925–26 – New South Wales
- 1926–27 – South Australia
- 1927–28 – Victoria
- 1928–29 – New South Wales
- 1929–30 – Victoria
International Cricket Tours to Australia
During this time, several international cricket teams visited Australia to play matches, including the exciting Test series. A Test match is the longest form of cricket, played over several days between two national teams.
England Tour 1920–21
This was a very special tour because it was the first time Test matches were played after the First World War. The Australian team, led by their new captain Warwick Armstrong, played incredibly well. They won every single match against England! This was the first time in the history of the Ashes series (the famous cricket rivalry between Australia and England) that one team won all five Test matches. This amazing achievement wasn't repeated until the 2006–07 series.
Here are the results of the matches:
- 1st Test at Sydney Cricket Ground – Australia won by 377 runs
- 2nd Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground – Australia won by an innings and 91 runs
- 3rd Test at Adelaide Oval – Australia won by 119 runs
- 4th Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground – Australia won by 8 wickets
- 5th Test at Sydney Cricket Ground – Australia won by 9 wickets
The Australian team featured stars like Charlie Macartney, Herbie Collins, Warren Bardsley, Jack Gregory, Jack Ryder, Bert Oldfield, Ted McDonald, and Arthur Mailey. The English team was captained by Johnny Douglas and included famous players like Jack Hobbs and Frank Woolley.
MCC Tour 1922–23
The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) from England sent a team to Australia and New Zealand. This team played seven "first-class" matches in Australia. First-class matches are high-level games, usually between states or touring teams, but they are not Test matches. The MCC team was led by Archie MacLaren.
England Tour 1924–25
England returned for another Test series. Australia continued their strong performance, winning the series 4-1. This showed how dominant Australian cricket was becoming after the war.
- 1st Test at Sydney Cricket Ground – Australia won by 195 runs
- 2nd Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground – Australia won by 81 runs
- 3rd Test at Adelaide Oval – Australia won by 11 runs
- 4th Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground – England won by an innings and 29 runs
- 5th Test at Sydney Cricket Ground – Australia won by 307 runs
New Zealand Tour 1925–26
The New Zealand national cricket team visited Australia for the third time. They played four first-class matches against Australian state teams. New Zealand lost their first match to Queensland but managed to draw the other three games against Victoria, South Australia, and New South Wales.
New Zealand Tour 1927–28
The New Zealand team, after a tour of England, stopped in Australia to play one first-class match against New South Wales. This was an important time for New Zealand cricket because the Imperial Cricket Conference (the world cricket body) had decided in 1926 to allow more countries to play Test cricket. New Zealand was keen to gain more international experience.
The match in Sydney was tough for New Zealand. New South Wales scored a massive 571 runs! Even though New Zealand's bowler Bill Merritt took five wickets, they cost a lot of runs. For New South Wales, Jack Gregory, Tommy Andrews, Alan Kippax, and Archie Jackson all scored centuries (100 runs or more). New Zealand scored 286 and 292 in their two innings. This game was also the first-class debut for the legendary Australian bowler Bill O'Reilly, who took three wickets.
England Tour 1928–29
This series saw England turn the tables on Australia, winning the Ashes 4-1. It was a strong performance from the English team.
- 1st Test at Brisbane Exhibition Ground – England won by 675 runs
- 2nd Test at Sydney Cricket Ground – England won by 8 wickets
- 3rd Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground – England won by 3 wickets
- 4th Test at Adelaide Oval – England won by 12 runs
- 5th Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground – Australia won by 5 wickets
MCC Tour 1929–30
The MCC team came to Australia before heading to New Zealand for a four-match Test series. In Australia, they played first-class matches against the state teams of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, and Western Australia. The team was captained by Arthur Gilligan and included players like Frank Woolley.
External sources
- CricketArchive — itinerary of Australian cricket
