On Friday, five Australians travelled to Exeter for the day, representing the Harrow Cultural Centre. They visited as part of a UK-wide trip to visit sites of the 1868 Australian Aboriginal cricket tour, which almost became a forgotten episode in sporting history.  

Among the visitors were two descendants of the original team: Ian Friend is related to Captain Charles Lawrence, and Aunty Fiona Clarke is the great-great-granddaughter of Yellanach (Johnny Cuzens) and Grongarrong (Mosquito/ James Cousins). 

Our visitors were also in the UK to promote the fourth edition of a book they worked on, Cricket Walkabout: The First Australian Cricketers to Tour England. It has recently been updated with new information. 

Connections to Devon

RAMM is also relevant to this story: William Reginald Hayman was the cricket tour manager. He donated Aboriginal artefacts to the Museum, including a variety of items such as a boomerang, throwing clubs, spears and spear throwers. 

Hayman was a Devonian with strong family ties to Axminster. His father lived in Woodbury and as a young man he emigrated to Australia to make his fortune. His attempt to become a pastoralist in western Victoria failed, but he persuaded local Aboriginal workers at the Lake Wallace station to play cricket, and he had them professionally coached. They played to a high standard and upheld a sporting attitude. Hayman wanted to bring them to the UK to play against the best teams. 

Hayman believed the tour would be profitable. Against the advice given to him, the Aboriginal players travelled on a fast vessel. The sailing ship Parramatta brought them to Gravesend, in Kent. 

The Aboriginal First XI Team

This First XI team played their first game against Surrey at the Oval on the 25 May 1868. Over 7000 spectators attended. The tour lasted five months and included the grounds at Lord’s and Trent Bridge. This Australian team was popular. It’s the longest tour in cricketing history. It’s also a lesson in not what to do. 

The players were to play a series of cricket games. They were expected to provide regular athletics demonstrations. This involved displays of boomerang and spear throwing, high jump, and running. The athletics proved more interesting with the public than the matches themselves. 

There were days when poor British weather affected public attendance. Hayman lost his chance of making any money. Despite the generally positive reception, the players experienced racism. There was also tragedy. 

After the Lord’s match in June, Bripumyarrumin (King Cole) died of tuberculosis and pneumonia. None of the other players were informed until sometime after his burial. Other players suffered bad chests. When the players headed north, they were already overworked. Reception in the north was positive. But, the tight schedule didn’t permit any practice sessions. They won 14 out of 47 matches, with 19 drawn! 

Aboriginal cricket players were visible to British audiences for the very first time. The tour failed financially. In fact, upon their return to Australia, the players were not paid. The tour could be best described as a risky business opportunity. But, given the colonial context of the time, the tour was an example of unethical entertainment. The Aboriginal players had been exploited for personal gain. Their future was additionally affected by new colonial policies. 

Figure 1 The Aboriginal team at Trent Bridge, Nottingham in August 1868. Photo courtesy of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. 

Current Work

In 2018, RAMM loaned the tour artefacts to the Marylebone Cricket Club. They had organised a 150th anniversary exhibition. The Aboriginal First XI team had arrived from Australia to mark the anniversary. They wanted to follow in their ancestor’s footsteps. They also visited the exhibition, and with the artefacts recreated the 1868 UK tour poster. 

Our 5 visitors had two reasons for their visit. The first was to view the tour artefacts for the first time. They also want to organise an engagement project with RAMM. It’s important for Aboriginal communities to directly engage with ancestral artefacts in RAMM’s care.  

Figure 2 Australian cricketer Damon Egan (Gunditjmara) recreated the original tour poster photograph of Yanggendyinanyuk (Dick-a-Dick). In his right hand he holds a hooked-shaped leangle, in his left a spear thrower. Damon plays for the Aboriginal First XI. The players’ uniform was designed by Aunty Fiona Clarke.