History behind Ashes Cup

Ashes urn/cup

We enjoy watching cricket matches as it is a spiritual and a gentle-man’s game. The cricket fans from all over the globe watch the Ashes series but many wonder why it’s known as Ashes Cup or from where it all started. So here sports nerdy is presenting the answer to all your questions. There is a dramatic history behind our favourite Ashes series.

The Ashes cup is a series of test matches played between England and Australia only. Ashes series consists of 5 test matches played between England and Australia as per the regular rules and guidance of regular test cricket both for men and women’s team. If a series is drawn  then the team currently holding Ashes cup will take away the cup with them. The history behind the name Ashes started earlier back in the year 1882. Back from those days till today it is the most famous cup similar to ICC world cup and is known for  compassion and aggression between the playing teams.   

The Ashes series or cup got his name from that one incident which took place back in year 1882.The incident was nothing but the winning moment for Australian team in test cricket played against England. Australia beated the England team in their own ground at the Oval for the first time in test cricket ever.For this the English newspaper Sporting Times quoted “English cricket had died and the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia”. A snippet of that newspaper is given below.

Later on after that on the England’s tour to Australia in between 1882-1883 English newspaper quoted “Ashes will be regained”. This is from where it all started and it became soo famous and the name Ashes Cup was emerged meaning to regain the ashes.

During the England’s tour to Australia in which England won first two test matches a urn was given to English captain Ivo Bligh by a group of Melbourne women.The urn is assumed to be contain the contents of ashes of cricket equipment like bail,stumps or ball. From this the Ashes cup was created or came into existence and replicas of urn was given to the winning team as a symbol of their victory.

The urn is pasted with a label containing a six line verse ashes song.

Full scene behind Australia’s first ever victory in English ground

The match of 1882 mentioned above was not the first test match played between both the teams ever. The first test cricket between English team anda Australian team was played in 1877 in Melbourne, Australia. Though the the Ashes series started after the first test cricket win for Australia in England’s soil in 1882.

In the second innings of match of 1882, Australia was in mere pressure as the England needed only 85 runs to win. On the other side England was in a position to win and gaining steps towards victory. It seemed to be a one sided match for all the people watching the game.But that one man who created history for Australia, Fred Spofforth an Australian fast bowler. He said “This thing can be done” and marched towards English batsman by taking his final four wickets only for two runs leaving behind England short for only eight runs to win. At this moment fans watching match came towards field cheering for Fred Spofforth while on the other side England’s fans completely loose hope in the English team for beaten up so badly just by eight runs.

This defeat was made viral by the press and news-papers cheering Australia for their first ever victory. It was so in dramatic that many famous poem writers and writers of magazine wrote about that incident.

One such magazine editor Charles Alcock wrote ,

SACRED TO THE MEMORY

OF

ENGLAND’S SUPREMACY IN THE

CRICKET-FIELD

WHICH EXPIRED

ON THE 29^TH OF AUGUST, AT THE OVAL

“ITS END WAS PEATE”