As Australia took on South Africa in the ICC World Test Championship final at Lord’s, MCC was able to welcome visitors from the Harrow Discovery Centre, situated in Victoria, as part of a commemorative tour of the UK to celebrate the 1868 Aboriginal cricket team.

The Aboriginal team was the first Australian cricket team to tour the UK and the first visit by Indigenous Australians to gain widespread awareness in this country. This trip is the first time that some of the descendants have headed to the UK to retrace the steps of their trailblazing ancestors.

The 1868, the team played 47 matches, including one at Lord’s, between May and October of which they won 14, drew 19 and lost 14. They were on the field a staggering 99 days out of a possible 126 in 40 locations in 15 counties.

The group from the Discovery Centre visiting Lord’s this time consisted of Josie Sangster, Marcus Curnow, Ian Friend, descendant of Charles Lawrence, the captain and coach on the tour, and Aunty Fiona Clarke, descendant of James Cousins who was part of the team.

After attending the fourth day of the World Test Championship final and visiting the Barclays Media Centre, the group were welcomed back to the Ground shortly after the conclusion of the match for a dedicated visit to the MCC Museum, to share respective objects relating to the tour.

One of the objects was the Mullagh Medal, introduced by Cricket Australia in 2020, and is now awarded to the Player of the Match at the men’s Boxing Day Test, honouring Johnny Mullagh and their contribution to the game. The medal's design is based on the original belt buckle worn by members of the 1868 team and includes a photo of the team at Swansea CC in the centre. One of the original buckles now forms part of the MCC collection.

The other objects included a silver pocket watch, awarded to Mullagh for his performance during a match in Brighton, and Lawrence’s eulogy for King Cole, who passed away during the tour. He was buried at Meath Gardens, at that time a cemetery off Roman Road in East London, and the visiting group held a commemorative ceremony there during this latest visit.

The visit also includes trips to various grounds including the Oval, Swansea and Trent Bridge, as well as several sites in Bristol, Exeter and York that relate to the tour. At Trent Bridge, the group will launch the fourth edition of the book Cricket Walkabout during the Rothesay County Championship match between Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire.

Neil Robinson, Head of Heritage and Collections at MCC, said: “We were delighted to welcome the group from Harrow Discovery Centre on what is a very interesting tour of the UK. Back in 2018, we greeted the men’s and women’s Aboriginal XI teams at Lord’s who were touring to commemorate the 150^th anniversary of the original tour. With the 1868 group being the first Australian team to tour the UK, it forms a significant part of cricketing history.”  
 

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The Museum is open to the general public only on match days or to those enjoying a Lord’s Tour. 

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