By Cricket Australia
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander audiences are warned that the following exhibit may contain images and voices of people who have died.
The 1868 Aboriginal cricket tour of England is an incredible story of hardship, race relations and colonial attitudes. Arguably even more remarkable is how few Australians know the tale of the nation's first sporting team to tour overseas, 150 years ago.
1868 Indigenous Cricket Team (1868) by Cricket AustraliaCricket Australia
The 1868 Aboriginal cricket tour of England is an incredible story of hardship, race relations and colonial attitudes.
Arguably even more remarkable is how few Australians know the tale of the nation's first sporting team to tour overseas some 150 years ago.
English cricketer turned Sydney publican Charles Lawrence took the Jardwadjali, Gunditjmara and Wotjobaluk men - who learned how to bat and bowl on farms - from western Victoria to Sydney then onto a wool-carrying boat.
An arduous journey at sea was followed by a taxing schedule of 47 games. Bripumyarrumin, given the anglicised name of King Cole, died from tuberculosis while in England.
The team was on the field for 99 of 126 possible days, with hastily-arranged matches often requiring them to cross England on short notice.
They won 14 games and lost 14, with the London Times describing the tourists as "a travestie (sic) upon cricketing at Lord's."
2018 Team Black & White (2018) by Cricket AustraliaCricket Australia
To mark the 150th anniversary of this memorable tour, Cricket Australia assembled an indigenous squad to follow in the 1868 team's footsteps.
Male and female Aboriginal XIs played a series of games, including a clash with Surrey at The Oval that doubled as a rematch of the 1868 tour opener.
Ashleigh Gardner and Dan Christian lead the respective sides, and the schedule included matches against Surrey, Sussex, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull meets 2018 Aboriginal Cricket Captains (2018) by Cricket AustraliaCricket Australia
Dan Christian and Ash Gardner met Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Federal opposition leader Bill Shorten at Parliament House in Canberra before the tour of England.
Reflecting on the celebrated 1868 Aboriginal cricketers - the first Australian sporting team to tour overseas - the team captains also met with Minister for Sport Bridget McKenzie, Minister for Indigenous Health Ken Wyatt and Western Australian senator Pat Dodson.
Home of the 1868 Aboriginal XI (21st Century) by Cricket AustraliaCricket Australia
Members of the 2018 Aboriginal XI squads prepare to travel to the UK to commemorate 150 years since an Aboriginal cricket team became the nation's first sporting team to tour Internationally.
Here's the scene of where it all began; Wotjobaluk country in the West Wimmera region of Victoria.
1868 Indigenous Team (1868) by Cricket AustraliaCricket Australia
The original tour squad from 1868:
Johnny Mullagh – traditional name: Unaarrimin
Bullocky – traditional name: Bullchanach
Sundown – traditional name: Ballrin
Dick-a-Dick – traditional name: Jungunjinanuke
Johnny Cuzens – traditional name: Zellanach
King Cole – traditional name: Bripumyarrimin
Red Cap – traditional name: Brimbunyah
Twopenny – traditional name: Murrumgunarriman
Charley Dumas – traditional name: Pripumuarraman
Jimmy Mosquito – traditional name: Grougarrong
Tiger – traditional name: Boninbarngeet
Peter – traditional name: Arrahmunijarrimun
Jim Crow – traditional name: Jallachniurrimin
Indigineous Team 150 Years Men Colour (2018) by Cricket AustraliaCricket Australia
The 2018 Men's team recreate the painting from 1868.
In a special tribute to those pioneering cricketers, each member of the 2018 men's team was linked to a 1868 player; sporting the name of that player on the back of their uniform.
Men's (1868 player represented in brackets):
Dan Christian (c) (Unaarrimin/Johnny Mullagh)
Nick Boland (Grongarrong/Mosquito)
Scott Boland (Yellanach/Johnny Cuzens)
Brendan Doggett (Murrumgunarriman/Twopenny)
Sam Doggett (Pripumuarraman/Charley Dumas)
Damon Egan (Jumgumjenanuke/Dick-A-Dick)
Tyran Liddiard (Bullchanach/Bullocky)
Jonte Pattison (Brimbunyah/Redcap)
Nathan Price (Arrahmunyarrimun/Peter)
D’arcy Short (Bonnibarngeet/Tiger)
Brendan Smith (Lytejerbillijun/Jim Crow)
Rex Strickland (Ballrinjarrimin/Sundown)
Dane Ugle (Bripumyarrimin/King Cole)
Coach: Jeffrey Cook
Indigenous Team 150 Years Women Colour (2018) by Cricket AustraliaCricket Australia
The 2018 Women's team recreate the painting from 1868.
The female squad wore their own names on their back, being pioneers as the first female Indigenous team to tour the UK.
Ashleigh Gardner (c)
Jemma Astley
Dharmini Chauhan
Christina Coulson
Hannah Darlington
Sara Darney
Zoe Fleming
Haylee Hoffmeister
Emma Manix-Geeves
Sally Moylan
Natalie Plane
Roxanne Van Veen
Naomi Woods
Coach: Shelley Nitschke
Indigenous Kit (2018) by Cricket AustraliaCricket Australia
Ash Gardner & Scott Boland model the 2018 Tour Kit
The kit incorporates the artwork 'Walkabout Wickets' by Fiona Clarke, the Great Great Grand Daughter of Mosquito from the 1868 team.
The stumps used as the middle stump in the Tour matches also featured this artwork and were awarded to the two players voted as player of the series.
Commemorating King Cole (2018-07-23) by Cricket AustraliaCricket Australia
The Aboriginal XI squads paid their respects to Bripumyarrimin in London as the women’s squad joined the men’s side on the commemorative tour of the United Kingdom.
Bripumyarrimin, also known as King Cole, was a member of the historic Aboriginal XI that toured the UK in 1868.
King Cole played seven matches on tour in 1868 before tragically falling ill and passing away during tour. He was laid to rest in Victoria Park Cemetery which, years later, became Meath Gardens.
Following the remembrance ceremony in Meath Gardens – where a new information panel was unveiled – the Aboriginal XI squads joined the Australia men’s ODI team at Lord’s, where Tim Paine’s team had been preparing for their five-match one-day series against England.
2018 Aboriginal Teams and Australia ODI Team Photo (2018) by Cricket AustraliaCricket Australia
There, the players from all three teams shared lunch before gathering in the change rooms, where women’s captain Ashleigh Gardner and ODI squad member D’Arcy Short – who was due to be part of the indigenous tour before being called into the Australian squad – shared stories about their culture and the significance of commemorating the 1868 team.
Aboriginal Team batting against the MCC (2018-06-05) by Cricket AustraliaCricket Australia
The Aboriginal XI made the perfect start to their 150-year anniversary commemorations with back-to-back wins over the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in their double-header on Tuesday at Arundel Castle.
5 June Results
Aboriginal XI Tour of England - Men's, Match 1
Arundel Castle, Arundel
MCC - 129 (19.3)
AXI - 8-150 (20.0)
Aboriginal XI Tour of England - Men's, Match 2
Arundel Castle, Arundel
MCC - 3-147 (20.0)
AXI - 4-148 (19.2)
Cricket Ceremony Australia v Surrey 1 (2018-06-07) by Cricket AustraliaCricket Australia
The Aboriginal XI squads had mixed results at The Oval on Thursday, with the women’s squad going down to Surrey by 36 runs before the men’s squad survived a late fightback to claim a five-run win.
7 June Results
Aboriginal XI Tour of England - Women's, Match 1
The Oval, London
SRY - 6-149 (20.0)
AXI - 113 (20.0)
Aboriginal XI Tour of England - Men's, Match 3
The Oval, London
SRY - 5-171 (20.0)
AXI - 8-176 (20.0)
Men's Aboriginal Team in Changing Room (2018-06-08) by Cricket AustraliaCricket Australia
Two Sussex teams stacked with international experience proved too strong for both the women's and men's Aboriginal squads in Hove, with comfortable victories in both matches on the Friday.
The loss for the Aboriginal men was their first on tour, ending a three-game winning streak as Dan Christian's side fell 99 runs short of the host's 5-188.
In the women's fixture, Sussex won the toss and sent the Aboriginal XI into bat and immediately set about building an intimidating total.
8 June Results
Aboriginal XI Tour of England - Women's, Match 2
The County Ground, Hove
SSX - 4-182 (20.0)
AXI - 8-103 (20.0)
Aboriginal XI Tour of England - Men's, Match 4
The County Ground, Hove
SSX - 5-188 (20.0)
AXI - 89 (15.4)
Ash Gardiner walking off field (2018-06-10) by Cricket AustraliaCricket Australia
It was two wins from two for the Aboriginal XI squads at the County Ground in Derby on the Sunday, with women's captain Ashleigh Gardner stealing the show courtesy of a spectacular unbeaten hundred.
In the men's match against Derbyshire the Aboriginal XI won the toss and sent the hosts in to bat. This decision backfired early as Derbyshire openers Thomas Wood and Chesney Hughes exploded out of the blocks, racing to 0-96 off 10 overs.
Just when the game was slipping away from the Aboriginal XI squad, Nick Boland claimed the key wickets of Wood and Hughes, and young spinner Brock Larance clean bowled Dan Birch to inflict a collapse of 3-9.
10 June Results
Aboriginal XI Tour of England - Women's, Match 3
County Ground, Derby
NCC - 5-62 (20.0)
AXI - 4-199 (20.0)
Aboriginal XI Tour of England - Men's, Match 5
County Ground, Derby
DER - 6-156 (20.0)
AXI - 3-160 (17.2)
Aboriginal XI Tour of EnglandCricket Australia
A powerful 61 off 25 balls from Dan Christian led the men’s Aboriginal XI to victory over Nottinghamshire in their final match of the 1868 commemoration tour.
In a double-header at Trent Bridge, the men’s Aboriginal XI claimed their fifth victory of the tour while the women’s XI were unable to finish on a winning note, losing to a star-studded ECB Academy team.
12 June Results
Aboriginal XI Tour of England - Women's, Match 4
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
ECW - 5-228 (20.0)
AXI - 9-112 (20.0)
Aboriginal XI Tour of England - Men's, Match 5
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
NOT - 121 (17.4)
AXI - 6-182 (20.0)
Ashleigh Gardner on Aboriginal XI Tour of EnglandCricket Australia
Gardener was celebrated for her impressive performance, by collecting the player of the series award; the middle Stump from the series. The Stumps were designed by Fiona Margaret Clarke, an Aboriginal Artist of the Kirrae Whurrong Clan, South West Victoria.
The top section of the stumps represents the past present and future Indigenous stars of cricket.
The top mid sections represent the land and sea over which the First Aboriginal XI travelled to play in England.
The low mid section represents the waterhole area where some of them lived and practiced playing cricket.
The lower section represents the rivers which are like the Rainbow Serpent that guided them on their way and in their great games of cricket.
Highlights - 1868 Indigenous Commemoration Tour of the UK (2018-07-23) by Cricket AustraliaCricket Australia
