The Grand Match

Martin Chandler | 9:53am GMT 31 December 2023

Published: 2016
Pages: 50
Author: Smith, Rick
Publisher: Apple Books
Rating: 3.5 stars

If ever a game of cricket warranted the use of the adjective ‘Grand’ it must surely be the first First Class match to have taken place in Australia. The game took place as long ago as 1851, and there are no prizes for guessing that Victoria were one of the sides involved. The other one will cause more trouble though. I should imagine that the overwhelming majority of cricket lovers will, as did I, assume that New South Wales at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was the rest of the sub-title. It comes as a great surprise to learn that the other side involved were Tasmania, and the venue Launceston.

Of course much like the first ever Test match of just over a quarter of a century later the inaugural First Class match in Australia wasn’t recognised as such at the time, and for as many as six of the combatants it was their only First Class appearance. One of the Tasmanians played in five First Class fixtures, and another in four, but that apart all appeared only two or three times. It is testament to the breadth of cricket literature that despite that one of the players, Victorian William Philpott, is the subject of a biography.

Rick Smith is a noted cricket historian with an impressive collection of previous titles to his name. Amongst others he has written biographies of Sid Barnes, ‘Ranji’ Hordern, Arthur Coningham and the brothers Trott as well as a number of historical books, several with the equally accomplished South African historian, the late Brian Bassano.

The match in question was played between two sides of gentlemen amateurs and Smith tells the story of how the game was arranged, and of the Victorians’ journey across the Bass Strait. There is a look at the sort of town Launceston was in 1851, and a small place it was, with few amenities even for the time. Contemporary records also allow Smith to make a pretty good job of reconstructing a game which, surprise time again, was won by the Tasmanians by three wickets.

Approximately half of the book is taken up with a series of pen pictures of the players and the two umpires, and it is remarkable in many ways that Smith has found out as much as he has about the twenty four men involved. I suspect most readers will find, as I did, that this is the most satisfying part of the narrative and as testament to the depth of Smith’s research he has been able to produce images of as many as eleven of those men, albeit unsurprisingly dating from some years after their cricket careers ended.

I much enjoyed reading The Grand Match. I have to concede it is a bit ‘niche’, but nonetheless it is an interesting and well told story. As with so many of Rick Smith’s books this one is a limited edition, but there were 125 copies so, with the assistance of Roger Page or Ken Piesse I would not expect sourcing a copy to be too difficult.