Скачать или смотреть The Bizarre Origins of Ashes Cricket Rivalry between England and Australia

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On 29 August 1882, at Kennington Oval, Australian pacer Fred "The Demon" Spofforth took 14 wickets, leading Australia to a historic seven-run victory over England. It was Australia's first win against a full-strength English team on English soil. The next day, Reginald Shirley Brooks, a young English journalist, published a satirical "obituary" for English cricket in the Sporting Times, sparking the idea of "the Ashes."

Shortly after, an English team led by Hon Ivo Bligh toured Australia, determined to reclaim "the Ashes," while Australian captain WL Murdoch vowed to defend them. England won the series 2-1, metaphorically "bringing back the Ashes." During the tour, a small urn, believed to contain the ashes of a bail from the third match, was presented to Bligh by a group of women, one of whom would later become his wife. However, in 1998, Bligh’s daughter-in-law suggested the urn contained her mother-in-law's veil, with others claiming it held a burnt ball cover.

The urn itself is not the official Ashes trophy, but replicas are awarded to the series winners. The original urn, donated by Bligh’s widow in 1928, resides at the MCC Museum at Lord’s. To date, 73 Ashes series have been played, with the most recent in 2021-22, where Australia won 4-0.

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