Recalling the first Test match in England on its 135th anniversary - WG Grace's 152 on debut & a thrilling finale

Illustrations of the first ever Test match played in England, that started exactly 135 years ago.

September 6, 2015, marks the 135^th anniversary of the first ever Test match played in England at the Kennington Oval, reports ESPNCricinfo. The three-day match pitted an England XI side against the visiting Australians and marked the debut of the legendary WG Grace along with his two brothers Edward Grace and Fred Grace and turned out to be a memorable & exciting affair.

In all, 15 players made their debut in the match which England went on to win by five wickets.

The first three Tests in the history of the game had been contested between the same two teams with Australia winning two of the games and England the other. The visitors were dealt a major blow ahead of the match with their trump card Fred Spofforth missing out with a hand injury.

Spofforth’s absence or even the authorities dismissive approach to the match didn’t deter the crowd however who flocked in to witness the first Test to be played in their country. William Grace had already established himself as one of the best players in the domestic circuit and he showed the whole world his potential with his impressive debut performance.

The England XI was captained by Lord Harris who won the toss and decided to bat first. The hosts scored 420 in their first innings, but could have scored much more had they not lost their final six wickets for just 16 runs. Grace top-scored with a knock of 152 while Bunny Lucas and Lord Harris scored half-centuries.

Fred Morley picked up five wickets as Australia were dismissed for just 179 runs in their first innings, but fared much better in the second innings with Australian skipper’s fantastic unbeaten knock of 153 helping them notch up 327 in the second innings after being asked to follow-on.

The brilliant fightback notwithstanding, England were clearly in a commanding position and the 3751-strong crowd reflected that many expected the hosts to achieve the target of 57 easily. They were in for a shock however as England were reduced for 31/5 before Grace once again stepped up steadying the ship for the hosts. He might have scored only 9, but his 26 run partnership with Frank Penn, who top scored with 27, helped England to victory without the loss of any further wickets.