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.
