Australian cricket team The Australia men's national cricket team represents Australia in international cricket. Along with England, it is the joint oldest team in Test cricket history, playing and winning the first ever Test match in 1877; the team also plays One ...

toured

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

from February to April 1921 to play nine

first-class matches First class (or 1st class, Firstclass) generally implies a high level of service, importance or quality. Specific uses of the term include: Books and comics * ''First Class'', a comic strip in ''The Dandy'' (1983-1998) * ''X-Men: First Class' ...

including two against

. The Australians also played the main provincial teams.

The touring team

The Australian team, with ages at the start of the tour, was: *

Vernon Ransford Vernon Seymour Ransford OBE (20 March 1885 – 19 March 1958) was an Australian cricketer who played in 20 Test matches between 1907 and 1912. Ransford was a smooth and stylish left-handed batsman who could score with ease all round the wicke ...

(captain, 35) * Oswald Asher (29) *

James Bogle James Bogle (born 1959) is an Australian director and writer of films and TV.

(28) * Ted Forssberg (25) *

Percy Hornibrook Percival Mitchell Hornibrook (27 July 1899 – 25 August 1976) was an Australian cricketer who played in six Test matches from 1929 to 1930. He played first-class cricket for Queensland from 1919–20 to 1933–34. Early life Hornibrook was ...

(21) *

Bert Ironmonger Herbert Ironmonger (7 April 1882 – 31 May 1971) was an Australian cricketer. He played Test cricket from 1928 to 1933, playing his last Test at the age of 50. He is the second-oldest Test cricketer. Life and career Before World War I Ironmon ...

(38) *

Alan Kippax Alan Falconer Kippax (25 May 1897 – 5 September 1972) was a cricketer for New South Wales cricket team, New South Wales (NSW) and Australian cricket team, Australia. Regarded as one of the great stylists of Australian cricket during the era ...

(23) * Allie Lampard (35) *

Arthur Liddicut Arthur Edward Liddicut (17 October 1891 – 8 April 1983) was an Australian cricketer. He played first-class cricket for Victoria between 1912 and 1933. A lower-middle-order batsman and fast-medium bowler, Liddicut toured New Zealand with ...

(29) * Lance Pellew (21) * Andrew Ratcliffe (29) *

Vic Richardson Victor York "Yorker" Richardson (7 September 189430 October 1969), nicknamed The Guardsman, was a leading Australian sportsman of the 1920s and 1930s, captaining the Australia cricket team and the South Australia Australian rules football te ...

(26) * Gar Waddy (42) The manager was Tom Howard of New South Wales. As the

Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film) ...

series against

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

was still in progress when the tour began, the team for New Zealand was virtually an Australian second eleven. None of the players had taken part in the Test series. The only player with Test experience was Ransford, who played 20 Tests before

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. John Ellis, Hunter Hendry,

Johnny Moyes Alban George "Johnny" Moyes (2 January 1893 – 18 January 1963) was a cricketer who played for South Australia and Victoria. Following his brief playing career, Moyes, a professional journalist, later gained greater fame as a writer and comme ...

, Arthur Richardson,

Donald Steele Donald Macdonald Steele (17 August 1892 – 13 July 1962) was a cricketer who played first-class cricket for South Australia cricket team, South Australia from 1912 to 1921. He was later a prominent doctor in South Australia. Family and early ...

(named as captain) and Carl Willis were selected but were unavailable. They were replaced by Bogle, Forssberg, Hornibrook, Kippax and Waddy.

The tour

The Australians arrived in

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

on the SS ''Manuka'' on 7 February. They were given a civic reception on 8 February at the

Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

, with speeches of welcome from the mayor, John Luke, and Sir Francis Bell, president of the Wellington Cricket Association. First-class matches are indicated in bold. *Wellington v Australians,

Basin Reserve The Basin Reserve, also known as the Cello Basin Reserve for sponsorship reasons, and commonly referred to as the Basin, is a cricket ground in Wellington, New Zealand. It is used for Test cricket, Test matches, and is the main home ground of t ...

, 11, 12, 14 February 1921.

218 and 158; Australians 293 and 86 for 2; Australians won by 8 wickets. *Manawatu v Australians, Sportsground, Palmerston North, 15, 16 February 1921. Manawatu 172 and 69; Australians 314. Australians won by an innings and 73 runs. *Auckland v Australians,

Eden Park Eden Park is a sports venue in Auckland, New Zealand. It is located three kilometres southwest of the Auckland CBD, on the boundary between the suburbs of Mount Eden and Kingsland. The main stadium has a nominal capacity of 50,000, and is s ...

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, 18, 19 February 1921.

120 and 148; Australians 285. Australians won by an innings and 17 runs. *Waikato v Australians,

Seddon Park Seddon Park is a cricket ground in Hamilton, New Zealand. It is the fourth-largest cricket ground in the country, and is renowned for its "village green" setting, affording a picnic atmosphere for spectators. History Seddon Park was named aft ...

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

, 22, 23 February 1921.

Waikato The Waikato () is a region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipā District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the nort ...

XV 173 and 49; Australians 318 for 8 declared. Australians won by an innings and 96 runs. *Hawke's Bay v Australians, Nelson Park, Napier, 25, 26 February 1921.

Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay () is a region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region is named for Hawke Bay, which was named in honour of Edward Hawke. The region's main centres are the cities of Napier and Hastings, while the more rural ...

167 and 135 for 6; Australians 405. Drawn. This was one of two scheduled two-day first-class matches in the tour. It was the last first-class match for Hawke's Bay, who played 53 first-class matches between 1884 and 1921. Their top scorer in each innings was Bob Bishop, who made 61 and 60. Ransford made 158, "

retired out In cricket, a batter may retire from an innings at any time when the ball is dead; they must then be replaced by a teammate who has not been dismissed. The most common reason for retirement is if the batter becomes injured or unwell, in which ...

". *Wairarapa v Australians, Park Oval, Masterton, 1, 2 March 1921.

Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service t ...

XV 81 and 217; Australians 293 and 8 for 0. Australians won by 10 wickets. *Wanganui v Australians, Cook’s Gardens,

Wanganui Whanganui, also spelt Wanganui, is a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest nav ...

, 4, 5 March 1921. Australians 286;

XII 68 and 185. Australians won by an innings and 33 runs. *New Zealand Minor Associations v Australians, Basin Reserve, Wellington, 8, 9 March 1921. Australians 271; New Zealand Minor Associations 124 and 141. Australians won by an innings and 6 runs. The match was scheduled for three days but completed in two. This match was the only first-class match ever played by the Minor Associations, and for six of their team it was their only first-class match. They included the Rev.

Tasman Drake The Rev. William Tasman Drake (2 December 1884 – 15 April 1946) was an Anglican clergyman and cricketer in New Zealand. Life and clerical career Tasman Drake was born in Hobart, Tasmania, but his family moved to New Zealand, and he was educa ...

, an Anglican minister who was serving in Gisborne at the time. *Canterbury v Australians,

Lancaster Park Lancaster Park, also known as Jade Stadium and AMI Stadium for sponsorship reasons, was a sports stadium in Waltham, a suburb of Christchurch in New Zealand. The stadium closed permanently due to damage sustained in the February 2011 earthqu ...

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

, 11, 12, 14 March 1921.

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

311 and 102; Australians 356 and 60 for 3. Australians won by seven wickets. *Southland v Australians,

Rugby Park Rugby Park, also known as The BBSP Stadium Rugby Park for sponsorship reasons, is a association football, football stadium which is the home of Scottish Premiership club Kilmarnock F.C. and is situated in the Scotland, Scottish town of Kilmarnoc ...

Invercargill Invercargill ( , ) is the southernmost and westernmost list of cities in New Zealand, city in New Zealand, and one of the Southernmost settlements, southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland Region, Southlan ...

, 16, 17 March 1921. Southland 122; Australians 195. Drawn. Rain prevented play on the second day. This was a two-day first-class match, and the last of the eight first-class matches Southland played between 1915 and 1921. *Otago v Australians,

Carisbrook Carisbrook (sometimes incorrectly referred to as Carisbrook Stadium) was a major sporting venue in Dunedin, New Zealand. The city's main domestic and international rugby union venue, it was also used for other sports such as cricket, football, ...

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

, 18, 19, 21 March 1921.

Otago Otago (, ; ) is a regions of New Zealand, region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island and administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local go ...

127 and 88; Australians 226. Australians won by an innings and 11 runs. Bogle was the match top-scorer with 69. Ironmonger took 6 for 34 in the second innings. For Otago, Dick Torrance took 5 for 68. *Ashburton County v Australians, Ashburton Domain, Ashburton, 23, 24 March 1921. Ashburton County XV 183 and 150; Australians 300 for 8 declared and 34 for no wicket. Australians won by 10 wickets. *New Zealand v Australia, Basin Reserve, Wellington, 26, 28, 29 March 1921. Australia 273 and 147 for 4 declared; New Zealand 204 and 106 for 4. Drawn. Most of the first day was lost to rain. Liddicut top-scored in each innings for Australia with 83 and 49 not out. The New Zealand captain Stan Brice took 7 for 80 in the first innings.

Don Neely Donald Owen Neely (21 December 1935 – 16 June 2022) was a New Zealand cricket historian, administrator and player. He served as president of New Zealand Cricket and wrote or co-wrote over 30 books on New Zealand cricket. Early life Neely wa ...

& Richard Payne, ''Men in White: The History of New Zealand International Cricket, 1894–1985'', Moa, Auckland, 1986, pp. 59–61. The gate takings of 925 pounds were a record for a match in New Zealand. *New Zealand v Australia, Eden Park, Auckland, 1, 2, 4 April 1921. Australia 663; New Zealand 259 and 177. Australians won by an innings and 227 runs. The Australians made their runs off 108 eight-ball overs in 430 minutes. Richardson made 112, Lampard 132, and Ransford 128. Lampard also took seven wickets and Ironmonger nine.

Sydney Smith Sydney Smith (3 June 1771 – 22 February 1845) was an English wit, writer, and Anglican cleric. Besides his energetic parochial work, he was known for his writing and philosophy, founding the ''Edinburgh Review'', lecturing at the Royal Inst ...

was New Zealand's top scorer with 89 in the first innings. *Rotorua v Australians, Government Gardens,

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. It is sited on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authorities of New Zea ...

, 6 April 1921. Rotorua XV 250; Australians 314. Australians won on the first innings. During a week of sightseeing and recreation in the central hot springs region of the

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

, the Australians also won a light-hearted one-day match against a team of locals in

Taupō Taupō (), sometimes written Taupo, is a town located in the central North Island of New Zealand. It is situated on the edge of Lake Taupō, which is the largest freshwater lake in New Zealand. Taupō was constituted as a borough in 1953. It h ...

on 9 April, for which no scores are available. They left Auckland for Sydney on the SS '' Maheno'' on 14 April.

Assessments

The tour was financially successful, leaving the New Zealand Cricket Council with a surplus of £1000.

The touring team

The tour

Assessments

References

Further reading