W.G. Grace plays at Manly Oval

Manly Warringah District Cricket Club | September 12, 2024

One of the real turning points in the early days of the club’s history came with the securing of a match against Lord Sheffield's 1891-92 English touring team. A two-day match was played on Manly Oval on 11th and 12th February 1892, the English team being captained by the legendary Dr W.G. Grace, and the Manly team comprising 22 players, as was common in those days when touring test teams played local teams.

Even allowing for their numerical superiority, the performance of the Manly team was considered outstanding against such a seasoned group of professionals, and no doubt i weighed heavily in the Club's favour when its admission to grade cricket ranks was under consideration a year or 2 later.

See below scorecard from the match. 

 

 

An interesting aftermath of the 1891-92 tour was that Lord Sheffield donated sum of money to the Australian Cricket Council for the advancement of the game here. The Council invested the money in the purchase of a Shield measuring 46 inches by 30 inches bearing the Sheffield and Australian coast of arms. This of course is now commonly known as the Sheffield Shield, the winning of which signifies domestic supremacy in Australian cricket at State level.

Below is a photo of the entire 1891-92 touring team.