1861-62 England Eleven Cricket Team Tour to Australia

1861-62 The First English Tour, the England Eleven Photographed Previous to Their Departure For Australia', carte-de-visite, albumen print by McLean, Melhuish & Co. Photographers, 26, Haymarket S.W., mounted on card, with team players listed on reverse including H.H. Stephenson (Captain of Surrey), Hearne, Caffyn & Lawrence, overall 11 x 7.5 cm. The image is of the England team prior to their departure from Liverpool to Australia on Isambard Kingdom Brunel's steam ship the 'S.S. Great Britain', which departed on 20th October 1861 and arrived in Australia on December 24th. The first match between a team from England and one from Australia took place at the M.C.G. on New Year's Day, 1862. Somewhere between 15 and 25 thousand spectators turned up on a very hot day to watch the historic encounter. The English tour had been sponsored by Melbourne hoteliers, Felix Spiers and Christopher Pond. Spiers & Pond had decided to attract a team of leading cricketers to Australia having noted the success of the 1859 tour to North America. They despatched their representative in England, Mr Mallam, to Birmingham in September 1861 to watch the North v South game at Villa Park. During the game, Mr Mallam met the cricketers at the nearby Hen & Chicken Hotel to make a business proposal of £150 per man plus expenses to tour Australia. 12 players accepted including captain H.H.Stephenson. They played 12 matches winning 6 and losing 2 with 4 drawn. The team arrived back in England on 12th May 1862.