by Tim Harry

Created on: July 03, 2009   Last Updated: November 16, 2009

The Ashes are arguably the highlight of the cricket calendar, anticipated by fans of both England and Australia cricket, as well as cricket enthusiasts from other parts of the globe. Cricket developed as a game between the Gentleman and the Players, and yet the sporting notion of the sport is said by many to have been lost once the hostility of the Ashes begins. Hostility may seem like a strong word, but the Ashes are unlike any other cricket series, and are an age old war between the Old Country and the Colony, as far removed from the Gentlemen and Players as it possible to envisage.

England, as with the case of many sports, came up with the idea of the game of cricket, and liked to believe that they were unbeatable. As with many things though from the Victorian Era, cricket was export to areas of the Empire, including Australia, who enthusiastically took up the sport. As such in 1877 a team from the colony of Australia first took up the challenge of facing the English team, and promptly lost. It seemed like the unbeatable title was worthy of the English team. This reputation though was short-lived.

Unlike the present five match series of five day tests played for the modern Ashes, the original series were often just of a one off game. This was the case in 1882 when the Australians visited, and the one off test match was played between the two teams at the Oval. A very low scoring match meant that England only required eight five runs in which to win the test but feel short by seven runs. England cricket was shocked to find it was not unbeatable as it had presumed.

Obituaries for English cricket were published in a number of newspapers, although it is one line from that written by Reginald Brooks that has stuck in people's minds. Written in the Sporting Times, it stated The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.

It was an obituary that Ivo Bligh, who was to be captain of the touring England side latched onto. Promising to the English press that the ashes would be regained, and the reputation of English cricket restored. In the tour of 1883 to 1883, it was a promise that Bligh was able to keep, as the series played in Australia was won by two tests to one.

The name of the Ashes is not as symbolic as it might first appear though, and whilst an urn said to contain the ashes of bail from the lost match, there is no evidence to support it. The urn said to contain the ashes was given to the captain of the touring England cricket team, Ivo Bligh, in 1883. The presentation though was done by a committee of Australian women with no connection the original game. In fact the ashes in the urn are actually said to be a random bail, although some people still insist that it is one of Australian women's veils. The second misconception is that the urn is giving to the captain of the winning team in the Ashes series, and whilst a crystal replica is now presented, the original urn has always remained at Lords, and has never been presented as a trophy for the series. The urn itself may only be six inches tall but is highly symbolic.

Although the term the Ashes received a lot of publicity from the English and Australian presses in 1882 and 1883, it was a name that died out for the test series until the 1920s when another English captain, Pelham Warner, once again promised to regain the Ashes. Again a promise that was kept in 1903, and ever since that date it is a name that has stuck.

Today the series is played every other year, alternating between Australia and English grounds. The Ashes, have produced some of the most memorable tests of all time, including Botham's Ashes of the 1980s, and especially the Headingley test of 1981.

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