In Affectionate Rememberance of English Cricket Which Died At The Oval on 29th August 1882, Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances R.I.P.

The body will be cremated, and the ashes taken to Australia

This obituary was published in the "Sporting Times", after Australia beat England in England for the first time in a nail biting finish. When the Hon Ivo Bligh (later Lord Darnley) took an English touring team to Australia in 1882-3, this was said to be to recover the mythical "Ashes". At some point during the tour, an urn containing some ashes was presented to Bligh. The traditional story was that the contents of the urn were the ashes of a bail used in the Third Test, and that the urn was presented by a group of Melbourne women when England won two of the three Tests originally arranged (a fourth match was subsequently arranged, which Australia won). In 1982 evidence was brought forward suggesting that the Ashes were those of a ball and were presented to Bligh by Sir William Clarke in a ceremony BEFORE the Test series. After Lord Darnley`s death in 1927 the urn was given to MCC by his widow. It can be viewed in the museum at Lord`s (where it remains permanently, regardless of whether England or Australia holds The Ashes), together with the scorecard of the 1882 match.

The country that has most recently won an England-Australia Test series is said to hold The Ashes (drawn series meaning that The Ashes do not change hands.)

Contributed by John.Hall (john@jhall.demon.co.uk)