November 22, 1838. A week after the Melbourne Cricket Club was set up, the first cricket match was played. Arunabha Sengupta looks back at the day when the Civilians took on the Military men.
FC Powlett — The first president of the Melbourne Cricket Club. He played a leading role in the first ever match played by the MCC. Picture Courtesy: Keith Dunstan
It was a paddock on which the great Melbourne Cricket Club played its first ever cricket match. The site of this historic game later housed the Royal Mint in William Street. It was one of the few clear pieces of land in the swampy expanse that constituted the town of Melbourne.
It took the club just seven days to arrange the game. The club itself was set up on November 15, 1838, and on the same day the first ever meeting was held. The first game took place on November 22 — between the civilians and the military men.
Young, sports-loving surveyor Robert Russell, the man who drew up the rectangular plans of the great city, was one of the five founder-members of the club. He took part in the game and was hailed for his exploits by the solitary contemporary report that has survived. Russell lived till 1900, till the ripe old age of 92. However, as an old man he could not remember much about the match. The only information that could be gleaned from him was that no uniform was worn and the civilians won the game.
However, we do find a detailed report of the preparations and the game in the Port Phillip Gazette of December 1, 1838.
The report started with the following laudatory comments:
“Pleasure and recreation are absolutely necessary to relieve our mind sand bodies from too constant attention and labour with truly gratified feelings there. Did we not witness the gentlemen of the district assemble last Saturday week on the beautiful pleasure grounds around this fast rising town, to bring into practice one of the most elegant and manly sports that can be enjoyed?
“Yes, it was pleasurable to witness those whose mental and enterprising minds had turned this, but short time since wilderness, into a busy emporium of traffic, relinquishing for a time their occupations and writings.”
It went on to describe how the gentlemen civilians of the district had made arrangements to play a cricket match against the military. Captain George B Smyth, another of the founder members, took part and was joined by many of the military men. There were also those ‘who had retired from the Services but whose hearts are still with it.’
Camps were pitched, banners were arranged with taste and décor, people gathered to watch the encounter. ‘All the enlivening smiles of beauty that would have graced a far-famed tournament of other time, formed a scene which we trust often again to witness.’
At exactly 12 o’clock, a signal was made and players were called to their post. The game commenced with the Military batting first.
The Gazette reports, “After a duration of some hours, it concluded by a triumph on the part of the civilians. Mr FC Powlett, Mr DG McArthur’s bowling and Mr Russell’s batting attracted universal applause.
“On the whole, the game was played with an esprit de corps, a judgement and an activity that a first-rate club in England might be proud of.”
So, the Melbourne Cricket Club had won its first ever match.
Soon, however, the MCC members found a better place to play cricket. A cricket ground was set up west of Spencer Street, a site which later housed the Spencer Street Railway Station.