The third and final match of Australia’s 1884 tour against the full strength of England ended in a draw, though not for lack of drama. By the close, England still trailed by 120 runs to avert an innings defeat, with eight wickets in hand. Yet the match had already carved itself into cricket’s record books: for the first time in the game’s history, three batsmen reached centuries on the opening day.
When stumps were drawn on that first day at The Oval, Australia’s score stood at 363 for two. Billy Murdoch, commanding and assured, had reached 145, while Tup Scott remained undefeated on 101. The pair’s 205-run partnership, coming after the early losses of Bannerman at 15 and McDonnell at 158, was a feat of both resolve and artistry.
The Australian Innings: Mastery and Milestones
On the second morning, Scott fell quickly—adding just a single to his overnight score before being caught at the wicket. Murdoch, however, pressed on with unflinching concentration, finally dismissed for 211 as the sixth man out, with the total at 494. His innings, spanning a little over eight hours, contained 24 fours, 9 threes, 22 twos, and 44 singles. He survived three chances, all off Ulyett’s bowling, at scores of 46, 171, and 205.
McDonnell’s earlier 103 had been a more aggressive affair—fourteen boundaries among his strokes—while Scott’s 102, compiled over three and a half hours, was built with careful accumulation and only one clear opportunity offered to the fielders.
The final flourish came not from the bat but the ball. With Australia at 532 for six, Lyttelton was reintroduced to the attack. His underarm lobs, deceptively innocuous, claimed the last four wickets in eight overs for a mere eight runs—a late twist in a largely bat-dominated innings.
England’s Reply: Defence and Defiance
England’s batting reply was unremarkable until the scoreboard read 181 for eight. At that point, Walter Scotton and Walter Read came together in a partnership that would rescue the match. Scotton, already on 53, anchored the innings with a display of near-perfect defensive technique, batting for five hours and forty-five minutes without offering a chance. His 90 contained nine fours, five threes, nine twos, and 21 singles—a vigil that slowed Australia’s advance to a crawl.
In stark contrast, Read’s 117 was an exhibition of controlled aggression: twenty fours in two hours and a quarter, punctuated only by a single, difficult chance to Spofforth. Together, they added 151 for the ninth wicket, turning what had seemed inevitable defeat into a draw and preserving England’s pride.
Billy Murdoch: Architect of the Double Century
This match was more than a team achievement—it was a personal landmark for Australia’s captain. William Lloyd “Billy” Murdoch (18 October 1854 – 18 February 1911) became the first cricketer in Test history to score a double century, his 211 standing as a monument to endurance and skill. Born in Victoria but raised in Sydney, Murdoch began his first-class career in 1875 and was part of the second Test match ever played, in 1877.
Murdoch’s innings at The Oval was not just a record; it was a symbol of Australia’s growing stature in international cricket. Alongside Scott, he also forged the game’s first double-century partnership in Tests, adding 207 for the third wicket. Just a month earlier, in July 1884 at Lord’s, Murdoch had also become the first substitute fielder to take a catch in a Test—remarkably, while fielding for the opposition.
Initially renowned as a wicketkeeper—indeed, his place in the 1878 touring team was secured chiefly in that role—Murdoch’s career evolved into that of a commanding batsman and leader. Between 1880 and 1890, he captained Australia in 16 Tests, guiding the side on four tours of England, including the historic 1882 series that gave rise to The Ashes.
In 19 Tests, Murdoch scored 908 runs at an average of 31.31, including two centuries and a half-century. His first-class career was prolific: 16,953 runs in 391 matches, with 19 centuries and 85 fifties. His contribution to the sport was formally recognised in 2019, when he was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame.
Legacy
The 1884 Oval Test was a tapestry of contrasts—triple centuries on the first day, the eight-hour vigil of Murdoch, the impenetrable defence of Scotton, and the blazing counterattack of Read. Yet above all, it was a match that underscored cricket’s dual nature: a stage for both patient artistry and audacious strokeplay, and a reminder that the greatest contests are often those that end without a victor.
