Boasting one of the oldest sporting traditions globally, the Ashes are one of the sport's most significant battles.
The birth of the Ashes has been passed down through families for generations, and it all started in 1882 when Australia defeated a full-strength England XI for the first time on English soil. As is a common trend in the 21st century, the English media condemned their chargers for such a catastrophic failure, publishing a satirical obituary in the Sporting Times.
'In affectionate remembrance of English cricket which died at The Oval, 29 August 1882'.
-N.B. The body will be cremated, and the Ashes taken to Australia'.
With the sudden death of English Cricket, one man was hell-bent on reclaiming the urn, and his name was The Hon. Ivo Bligh. Akin to King Arthur searching for the Holy Grail, Bligh embarked on the noblest sporting quest and captained England to the 1882/83 Ashes victory on down under.
As the story goes, Bligh was celebrating Christmas at the Rupertswood Manor, the elaborate home of Sir William Clarke, when he was presented the burnt bails of the Third Test in a tiny terracotta urn by his future wife, Florence Morphy.
Australian sports journalist Clarence Murphy revived the concept of 'The Ashes' in the 1890s. It became an integral part of the Australian/England rivalry when English captain Pelham Warner published a novel after his resounding 1903-04 Tour win titled 'How We Recovered the Ashes.'
Specific Tests have been played that will go down in the annals of the long history. Some have shocked us, some have enthralled us, some have devastated us. Let's look into the Top 10 Greatest Ashes Tests in History and dive into the players who created their own history.
5. 1894-95
First Test, SCG, 14-20 December (England won by 10 runs)
Australia 586 (172.3) 166 (68) & England 325 (140.3) 437 (181.4)
The first Test victory in history after the opposition asked them to follow on. Since 1877, it has happened three times, and Australia has lost each time. Remarkably, England won after a 261 first-innings deficit (this was a record for 108 years).
Struggling on day one at 3/21, all-rounder George Giffen with 161 and Syd Gregory 85 not out, powered the Australians to 5/346 at stumps. Australia then finished with a monster total of 586, Gregory ended up with 201, and captain-keeper Jack Blackman made 74 batting at number 10.
Fast-bowler Tom Richardson bowled himself to exhaustion with 5/181 off 55.3 overs. England replied with 325 and was asked to follow on. Batting more so for a draw, the English crawled their way to 437 from 181.4 overs as the pitch flattened out. Stumps on day five, and the Australians were cruising at 2/113, requiring only 63 runs for victory.
A few rowdy Englishmen decided the game was lost and went out for a couple of drinks. Magical left-arm spinner Bobby Peel arrived at the ground on the final morning, still drunk from the night before. Peel was quickly thrown under an ice-cold shower to sober up after captain Andrew Stoddart inspected a soaking wet pitch that had been rained on during the night.
After sobering up from his ice-cold shower, Bobby Peel uttered the most famous statement in Ashes history.
""Give me the ball, Mr. Stoddart, and I'll have the buggers out before lunch," he said.
After a slow start to the morning, Peel removed Joseph Darling with 3/130 on the board for the Australians. With two minutes to the Lunch break, Australia had one of the worst collapses in history, losing 8/36 to be bowled out for 166.
They became the first country in history to lose after making the opposition follow on, and Bobby Peel's 6/67 off 30 overs earned him a hard-earned beverage.
England's opening batter Archie McLaren won £200 after throwing £4 on England to win 50:1.
