Grace Opens with Century
Wales' First Test Match, and the 100th Test Venue as England play Australia Ashes 2009
On this day in 1880, Test Cricket was born in England, with WG Grace opening up and achieving several firsts.
September 6th marked Grace’s Test debut, his scoring of England’s first Test century, and the occasion also marked the first instance of three brothers playing Test Cricket together.
It seems fitting that England’s first century should be scored by WG, the first icon of Cricket. Opening the batting with his brother EM (Edward), Grace’s 152 was the mainstay of England’s total of 410 for 8 at close of play on Day One at The Oval, in what was scheduled as a 3-Day match.
The Grace brothers, WG, EM (Edward), and GF (Fred), all made their Test debuts, with GF (Fred) making a ‘pair’ in the match.
Australia’s Captain WL Murdoch, (who went on to play for London County with his great friend WG Grace), scored 153 not out in the second innings, but couldn’t prevent England from winning by 5 wickets after making Australia follow on.
Grace’s Test debut at The Oval on September 6th 1880, was because he did not tour Australia with England in 1877, and therefore did not play in the first ever Test Match in March of that year, at The Melbourne Cricket Ground. Charles Bannerman, (an Englishman playing for Australia), set a number of records in the inaugural Test match. He faced the first ball in Test cricket, scored the first run, the first four, and the first century. He scored 165 not out in Australia’s 245 all out. Of all the records he set in that match, one record still holds – his 165 constituted 67.34% of Australia’s total (245) – the highest percentage by a batsman in a completed Test innings.
Charles Bannerman (Australia), Dave Houghton (Zimbabwe) and Aminul Islam (Bangladesh) are the only cricketers to score centuries on their own and their country’s Test debut.
Zimbabwe's David Houghton pictured at a London County Player Development Workshop at Lord's in 2008 with International Ambassador Monty Panesar and talented young cricketers as part of the London County Youth Programme
When Grace scored his first Test century, he must have had no idea of the drama which would follow between England and Australia for over 120 years since. His influence over Cricket’s most iconic Test series is immense.
WG watches over England's Ashes win at Lord's in 2009 from the walls of The Long Room as hero Andrew Flintoff walks by amidst rapturous applause from MCC members
