History of Intercolonial cricket in Australia

The first-class matches played in between different colonies before 1901 in Australia were known as Intercolonial cricket matches. After federation in 1901, they began to be called Interstate matches. The Intercolonial matches till the 1880s were played with serious and dense rivalries on regular intervals. The spectators also equally enjoyed seeing the local teams battling against touring Englishmen.

Early in 1850, the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) sent out a challenge to the Launceston Cricket Club for a match but following a delay in acceptance, the MCC sent out the challenge again and that got accepted for the 1850-51 season. The first game of the Intercolonial matches took place on 11th February, 1851 at the Launceston Racecourse. The ground was later renamed as Northern Tasmania Cricket Association Ground. The locals won the historic match in front of an audience of 3,500 people. Later, in 1853, the MCC shifted to the current Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) where the Victorians won the first match in the same year by 61 runs.

New South Wales and the MCG

New South Wales (NSW) played their first ever challenge at the MCG in 1856 when Victoria dared them for a match. Before a crowd of 5000 people, the NSW recorded their first ever victory with 3 wickets. The match is also remembered for a small dispute that took place just after toss between the umpires. Although Victoria had won the toss, NSW persevered that they being the visiting team should be allowed to choose whether to bat or field. Later, Victoria gave in and were sent in first.

England

England first toured Australia in 1861 which mostly consisted of players from the Surrey County Cricket Club. In 1863-64, another tour followed which included amateur player, E. M. Grace and was led by George Parr. In 1877, the visiting England team played an eternal match at the MGC which was later designated as the first ever Test Match in cricket history. NSW, Victoria and Tasmania regularly fixed matched against each other’s and spectators witnessed fierce rivalry at these matches.

The newly created Adelaide Oval saw an attendance of 1,870 people when first-timers South Australia played against Tasmania. At the end of the 2 day match, the South Australia won by an innings and 13 runs. The next season saw the infamous Sydney Riot of 1879 which was caused due to the rivalry between NSW and Victoria.

Sheffield Shield

In 1891-92, the Earl of Sheffield came to Australia along with the English team captained by W. G. Grace to promote the team. 3 test matches were played in Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne as part of the tour. Sheffield’s departure left behind a debate amongst colonial teams as he had left 150 pounds to fund a trophy. Serious discussions were held to decide upon how to distribute and utilize the money appropriately. Later, the Sheffield Shield was introduced as a tournament fixture in the honor of its benefactor. The tournament became a regular fixture and is held until today.