The initial T20 World Cup match's two sides have an odd and lengthy history together, and they both claim to be part of a historic athletic event.
The 11 best cricket players in Toronto traveled south across the border to play a two-day match against the 11 best cricket players in the US. This was back in the day, before basketball was even conceived, before the Ashes and beyond, and even before Twenty20 was invented.
September of 1844 saw us seven years ahead of the first America's Cup, sixteen before the inaugural Open tournament, and thirty-three before the inaugural Test match. Thus, not only is the inaugural World Cup match between Canada and the United States the oldest in this sport, but historians think it's the oldest in all sports as well.
The most bizarre aspect of this already intriguing tale is that it began as a practical prank and has continued for 180 years, intermittently, depending on the status of ties between the two countries.
A guy named George Phillpotts, who claimed to be a Canadian player, challenged the St George's Club in New York to a match against his own Toronto CC in the summer of 1840. From all accounts, St George's was a stuffy group of gloating English expatriates who believed they were the greatest club in the nation. After traveling for almost a week, their team arrived in the north only to discover that the invitation had been a fake.
Regardless of his identity, Phillpotts was not the person keeping wicket for TCC, who hadn't visited New York during that week and was unaware of the proposition. Actually, the Toronto players had an away game that weekend previously. Since the New Yorkers had traveled so far to participate, they nonetheless consented to a match against the visitors.
Even though Toronto was defeated, the players reportedly had a great time and raised "nine times nine toasts to the sons of St George, St Patrick, St David, and St Andrew." The two teams decided at some point during this to make the game an annual one.
After Toronto prevailed in the rematch, St. George's took three Philadelphian ringers with them on their next trip north. The Canadians demanded that only players from the two teams were eligible, therefore they declined to participate. In the aftermath of this controversy, St George's suggested that the game be changed to a legitimate representative contest with the top players available from all teams on both sides of the border. They issued a press challenge. The Torontonians agreed, and they headed south to play for a $1,000 stake in September 1844.
They were an unusual group, captained by its all-around hero, David Winckworth, who was regarded as a "quick hitter" and a "quick round-arm bowler." John Wilson, who had just arrived from England, was regarded as one of the "greatest longstop fielders in the nation" because to his proficiency in creating a lengthy barrier with his right shin. Wilson was his opener.
They also selected an underarm bowler called Harry Maddock, who was reportedly "scarcely taller than the wicket" and "always wore a black beaver hat"; John Beverly Robinson, who would go on to become the mayor of Toronto; George Barber, who had nine fingers as well as played a single-wicket match in which he batted for two whole days without first letting his opponent get to the crease; as well as their club professional, Fred French, who served as their cook, groundskeeper, and groundskeeper. It seems that French was well-known for his "chops with tomato sauce" meal.
Leading the Americans was Robert Tinson, a carpet-selling merchant; he also included James Turner, who hit the first century on the continent when he reached 120 against St George's, and Sheffield-born professional player Sam Wright. Harry and George, Wright's sons, played professional cricket as well, although they became more well-known for their baseball with the Cincinnati Red Stockings. Harry is still referred to as the "Father of the Professional Game," and both men were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The game took place in St. George's Manhattan residence on Bloomingdale Road, and based on the news reports at the time, it was the talk of the town for everyone who was anyone in New York. Just over 5,000 people attended, which is almost as many as are anticipated in Grand Prairie, Texas, for the World Cup's first match.
Gaining the toss, Canada batted through to mid-afternoon for 82; Winckworth, George Sharpe, who was a crack hitter, and a man simply known as "Freeling" each made 12 runs. With a total score of 64, Tinson led the USA with 14. Since the play on the second day was a washout, everyone decided to return and complete the task 24 hours later.
Things began to get odd during the wait. Both George Wheatcroft, the No. 3 batsman for the USA, and one of the umpires who had called a contentious leg before wicket against the Americans vanished. The Weekly Herald said that "ugly rumors were afloat to account for this gentleman's absence at such a crucial time," citing that about $100,000 had been staked on the game.
After scoring 63 in their second innings, with Winckworth leading the way once again with a solid 14, the Canadians bowled the Americans out for 58 runs to win by a margin of 23 runs. The very following day, the American players issued a challenge to "a double or quits" game. Refusing, the Canadians went home wealthier, feeling proud of themselves for outlasting their neighbors. They had no idea, I suppose, that their grandchildren would be doing the same thing over 200 years later.
No comments:
Post a Comment