Aboriginal Cricketers are first Australian team to play at Lord's

The All-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.

The tour began in front of 7,000 people at the Oval and their displays of `traditional skills’, put on before or after cricket games, attracted huge crowds all over the country. These involved sham fights, boomerang and spear throwing and dodging cricket balls hurled at them by paying spectators. Despite initial reluctance from the MCC Committee, they even performed at Lord’s, losing to MCC by 55 runs. Jungunjinuke’s (Dick- a- Dick) feats during the traditional displays resulted in him being cheered from the field.

The team played 47 matches, from London to Liverpool, between May and October 1868 of which they won 14, drew 18 and lost 15. They were on the field a staggering 99 days out of a possible 126 in 40 locations in 15 counties. The players were often distinguished from spectators by coloured sashes, the colours for each player being indicated on scorecards. The 13 members of the team hailed mostly from the state of Victoria; two players returned before the end of the tour and one, Bripumyarrimin (King Cole), died in the UK and was buried at Meath Gardens, at that time a cemetery off Roman Road in East London.