The English XI led by Edward James Sanders left from Boston for their homeland on October 5th, 1885 feeling good about their many victories in the preceding month across USA.

English Tour of 1885 - Philadelphia defeats an English XI at home

By Venu Palaparthi - DreamCricket.com

The English XI led by Edward James Sanders left from Boston for their homeland on October 5th, 1885 feeling good about their many victories in the preceding month across USA. But the series was not all one-sided - in fact, the series marked yet another high-watermark for USA cricket, the Gentlemen of Philadelphia XI defeated the English XI by a wide margin in the first of two games they played.

The Philadelphians proved once and for all, if there were any doubters, that they were the best cricketers in America. They made 150 runs on average in each innings against the English bowling - a very strong performance by any standard. What was also interesting was that the Philadelphia team was all American-born amateurs whereas Boston and New York fielded some imported English born professionals. And the Philadelphians proved that they were level with the English born.


As the amount of playing between the English and Americans increased in the 1880s, the American batsmen developed greater confidence when facing the English first class cricketers. And the British born professionals playing in USA also had a positive impact on the quality of the game played by the American cricketers. "They have learned how to play the game at the highest level," NY Times noted cheerfully adding that the Americans were learning from observing the British born among them. Of course, the previous year's tour of England also was a learning experience.

Handicapping of England's opponents was common but Americans wanted to wean themselves away from that practice. On this tour, although New England (comprising mostly Bostonians) and Peninsular (Detroit) fielded teams of fifteen against the English eleven, the other teams - Philadelphia, Staten Island and the All New York - all played eleven players.

As New York Times wrote, "Clearly, nobody expects a local team to challenge the formidable English eleven comprising their best batsmen from all over that motherland of cricket." However, Philadelphia proved that more could be achieved by just playing a good and strong eleven than a fifteen or an eighteen. "Firstly, the overfull field always leads to confusion when the players are fielding - each assuming that the other is going to catch it," NY Times wrote. Adding that, "In the end, spectators enjoy a fair and full display of the strengths of their best eleven than a perfectly matched up handicapped eighteen."

"Fielding too improved considerably. The Americans arranged the field so that every fielder was made familiar with the exact reliance placed on everyone on the field - every fielder was familiar with the others' strengths," Times observed.

Match Reports

The English tour was organized and led by Edward Sanders and his side featured several first class players from Oxford, Surrey, Sussex, MCC and Kent. The tour commenced with a two-day match on September 1, 1885 against Staten Island at the Staten Island Cricket Club ground (Livingston Field).

The Staten Islanders successfully played out for a draw - a historical first for Staten Island against an England first class outfit. After dismissing the English XI cheaply for just 91 runs, the Staten Islanders were bowled out for 62 giving England a 29 run lead. In their second innings, England reached 244 after a 93-run 7th wicket partnership between AR Cobb (48) and AE Newton (50). But if the Englishmen thought they could win this match easily, they were proved wrong. Staten Islanders held on remarkably for 47 overs losing just 3 wickets. They finished the day at 72 for 3 to draw the game. (Scorecard below).

The English XI played a two day match in Detroit that began September 5th against Peninsular Cricket Club where they handily beat the hosts (scorecard below). Following that victory, the English XI made their way back to the East Coast playing a three-day match against Gentlemen of Philadelphia at the Germantown Cricket Club ground on 17th, 18th and 19th of September 1885. This match was one for the history books as the Gentlemen of Philadelphia defeated the EJ Sanders Englishmen for 109 runs.

Batting first, the Philadelphians scored an impressive 200 on the first day thanks mainly to spectacular efforts including a career-high knock by EW Clark (42) and DS Newhall scoring 43 n.o. That set the stage for what was to be a remarkable contest. When it was their turn to bowl, WC Lowry bowled his heart out to get a five wicket haul (23.2 overs, 55 runs) helping to send England back to the pavilion for just 147 despite some good early scoring by the English opener AJ Thornton (55) and TR Hine Hancock (33). In their second innings, the Phildelphia side lost the openers without any resistance (34 for 3) but Robert Newhall (33) and EW Clark (30) put on 64 runs for the fourth wicket resurrecting their side from the bring of a collapse. In the end, Philadelphia posted a healthy 178 setting the Englishmen a target of 231 runs. Although AJ Thornton once again played a good knock (41) and RT Thornton contributed with a stubborn 31 at the fall of the fifth wicket, the Philadelphia bowlers were unrelenting (Charles Newhall and WC Lowry took 3 wickets each with David Newhall taking 4). In the end, EJ Sanders' Englishmen collapsed for 122, 109 shy of their target giving Philadelphia a well deserved win. (Scorecard below).

In the fourth match, a two-day contest played at Livingston, an All New York XI batted on a sticky wicket in the first innings and in rain and bad light throughout most of the second innings. But the English side restored their lost pride by winning convincingly by an innings and 125 runs. H Bruen inflicted heavy damage on New York in their first innings by getting a 7 wicket haul under miserable conditions. His 7 wickets came from 32.1 overs giving away just 25 runs. His spell included 15 maiden overs (they still played 4-ball overs on this tour). Although JL Pool bowled a 6 for 53 spell for All New York, the damage was done when AE Newton scored 129 for the English, taking his side to an unbeatable 267 in the process and deflating any remnant hopes of achieving a draw on the part of New York. (Scorecard below)

Returning to Germantown for their fifth game of the tour, EJ Sanders XI, it was payback time. In the three-day match, RT Thornton was in devastating form in both innings helping himself to scores of 43 n.o. in the first innings and 107 in the second surpassing his previous highest first-class score of 79 in the process. After scoring 193 in their first essay, the English bowlers sent the Philadelphia XI for 147 securing a lead of 46 runs. The lid came off in the second innings and the Englishmen scored a massive 317 in the second innings after the aforementioned century by RT Thornton. H Bruen confounded the Americans getting a 6 wicket haul as the Americans, chasing an impossible target of 363 runs, were bundled out for 120.

The Englishmen played a New England side in the final match at Longwood Cricket Club where the English side were behind in the first innings and turned it around only after some magnificent bowling and fielding in the second innings.

The overall tally in the series for the English side was 4 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw.

Match 1 Scorecard: EJ Sanders' English XI vs Staten Island Cricket Club

Venue: Livingston Field, Staten Island on 1st, 2nd September 1885 (2-day match)
Result: Match drawn

EJ Sanders' XI first innings

AJ Thornton b Pool 7
TR Hine-Haycock c Pim b Pool 7
JA Turner c Wilson b Butler 3
WE Roller c Walker b Pool 14
*RT Thornton b Pool 0
WET Bolitho b Pool 2
AR Cobb b Butler 17
+AE Newton not out 30
EJ Sanders b Pool 4
H Bruen b Pool 0
CE Horner b Butler 1
HO Whitby b Butler 2
Extras (2 b, 2 lb) 4
Total (all out, 73.3 overs) 91

Fall of wickets:
1-17, 2-20, 3-20, 4-23, 5-27, 6-40, 7-71, 8-78, 9-86, 10-87, 11-91 (73.3 ov)

Staten Island bowling

Pool 37 9 44 7
Butler 36.3 15 43 4

Staten Island first innings

CJP Wilson c AJ Thornton b Horner 2
JR Moore st Newton b Bruen 4
R McGregor c Roller b Horner 8
F Butler st Newton b Bruen 0
FN Saunders c Sanders b Horner 7
JH Lambkin st Newton b Bruen 1
E Kessler not out 25
NS Walker b Bruen 2
JL Pool c Newton b Bruen 0
RS Hill b Bruen 0
G Hyder Clarke st Newton b Bruen 0
JL Pim st Newton b Bruen 0
Extras (4 b) 4
Total (all out, 49.1 overs) 62

Fall of wickets:
1-6, 2-8, 3-8, 4-16, 5-17, 6-33, 7-46, 8-46, 9-62, 10-62, 11-62 (49.1 ov)

EJ Sanders' XI bowling

Horner 24 12 31 3
Bruen 24.1 19 27 8
Roller 1 1 0 0

EJ Sanders' XI second innings

AJ Thornton b Lambkin 42
TR Hine-Haycock b Butler 0
JA Turner b Lambkin 52
WE Roller hit wkt b Lambkin 14
*RT Thornton c Wilson b Butler 1
WET Bolitho b Butler 0
AR Cobb b Pool 48
+AE Newton c Butler b Pool 50
EJ Sanders c Hill b Pool 15
H Bruen c and b Pim 3
CE Horner b Pim 0
HO Whitby not out 8
Extras (5 b, 4 lb, 1 nb, 1 w) 11
Total (all out, 165.2 overs) : 244

Fall of wickets:
1-0, 2-84, 3-106, 4-109, 5-113, 6-125, 7-218, 8-218, 9-223, 10-223, 11-244 (165.2 ov)

Staten Island bowling

Pool 53 26 78 3
Butler 41 20 56 3
Walker 18 6 32 0
Lambkin 36 18 39 3
McGregor 9 6 8 0
Pim 8.2 2 20 2

Staten Island second innings

CJP Wilson st Newton b Bruen 8
JR Moore c Newton b Roller 5
F Butler not out 44
FN Saunders not out 10
JL Pim b Roller 0
R McGregor did not bat
JH Lambkin did not bat
E Kessler did not bat
NS Walker did not bat
JL Pool did not bat
RS Hill did not bat
G Hyder Clarke did not bat
Extras (5 lb) 5
Total (3 wickets, 47 overs) 72

Fall of wickets:
1-7, 2-7, 3-39

EJ Sanders' XI bowling

Bruen 17 8 19 1
Roller 9 4 8 2
AJ Thornton 7 2 18 0
Turner 6 2 10 0
Whitby 3 1 6 0
Horner 5 3 6 0

Scorecard for Match 2: EJ Sanders' English XI vs Peninsular Cricket Club XV of Detroit

Venue: Detroit Athletic Club Ground on 5th, 7th September 1885 (2-day match)
Result: EJ Sanders' XI won by an innings and 165 runs

EJ Sanders' XI first innings

WE Roller b Dale 40
TR Hine-Haycock c Dodds b Ross 29
AJ Thornton c FG Bamford b Dale 29
JA Turner run out 33
RT Thornton c Ridgley b Dale 1
AR Cobb c Calvert b Ridgley 47
+AE Newton lbw b Armstrong 0
*EJ Sanders b Dale 37
WET Bolitho b Dale 43
H Bruen b Dale 0
CE Horner c TD Bamford b Dale 0
HO Whitby not out 4
Extras 12
Total (all out, 226 overs) 283

Peninsular Cricket Club bowling

Dale 133���51 86 7
Pannell 33 10 53 0
FG Bamford 27 8 54 0
Ross 8 0 24 1
Armstrong 20 10 38 1
Ridgley 3 0 9 1
Davies 2�0 7 0

Peninsular Cricket Club first innings

FG Bamford b Horner 14
T Davies c Cobb b Horner 5
CB Calvert st Newton b Bruen 1
JJ Dodds c Whitby b Bruen 2
H Pannell c Turner b Horner 8
A Bartlett b Horner 1
T Dale b Horner 0
W Armstrong b Bruen 1
FDC Hinchman b Horner 11
TD Bamford b Bruen 2
Ross b Horner 8
RB Ridgley not out 8
WS Rathbone b Bruen 0
RH Roberts b Bruen 3
HS Miller b Horner 4
Extras (1 b) 1
Total (all out, 52 overs) 69

EJ Sanders' XI bowling

Bruen 26 9 39 6
Horner 26 8 28 8

Peninsular Cricket Club second innings (following on)

FG Bamford b AJ Thornton 21
T Davies b AJ Thornton 0
CB Calvert b AJ Thornton 0
JJ Dodds b Sanders 3
H Pannell b Whitby 9
A Bartlett b Whitby 1
T Dale b AJ Thornton 2
W Armstrong b Turner 15
FDC Hinchman b Whitby 1
TD Bamford b Turner 1
Ross b AJ Thornton 7
RB Ridgley b Whitby 1
WS Rathbone c Turner b Sanders 0
RH Roberts c Bolitho b Whitby 0
HS Miller not out 0
Extras 7
Total (all out, 37 overs) 49

EJ Sanders' XI bowling

AJ Thornton 13 5 19 5
Whitby 16 8 11 5
Roller 3 0 5 0
Sanders 3 0 6 2
Turner 2 1 1 2

Scorecard for Match 3: EJ Sanders' English XI vs Gentlemen of Philadelphia

Venue: Germantown Cricket Club Ground, Nicetown, Philadelphia on 17th, 18th, 19th September 1885 (3-day match)
Result: Gentlemen of Philadelphia won by 109 runs

Gentlemen of Philadelphia first innings

FE Brewster b Bruen 11
+WC Morgan c Sanders b Horner 19
EW Clark c Newton b Horner 42
RS Newhall b Horner 7
JA Scott c Cobb b Horner 0
H MacNutt run out 26
WW Noble run out 13
*DS Newhall not out 43
GS Patterson c Sanders b Horner 4
CA Newhall lbw b Sanders 24
WC Lowry c and b Horner 1
Extras (7 b, 3 lb) 10
Total (all out, 97.3 overs) 200

Fall of wickets:
1-22, 2-52, 3-62, 4-68, 5-97, 6-126, 7-126, 8-134, 9-191, 10-200 (97.3 ov)

EJ Sanders' XI bowling

Bruen 32 13 48 1
Whitby 13 2 39 0
Horner 34.3 13 61 6
AJ Thornton 12 2 24 0
Turner 4 0 14 0
Sanders 2 1 4 1

EJ Sanders' XI first innings

AJ Thornton c CA Newhall b Lowry 55
*RT Thornton c Morgan b CA Newhall 0
TR Hine-Haycock c Morgan b CA Newhall 33
JA Turner c Scott b Lowry 27
WET Bolitho st Morgan b Lowry 11
AR Cobb b Noble 2
+AE Newton c Morgan b Noble 5
EJ Sanders b Noble 2
H Bruen not out 4
CE Horner b Lowry 0
HO Whitby c Morgan b Lowry 4
Extras (4 b) 4
Total (all out, 86.2 overs) 147

Fall of wickets:
1-4, 2-57, 3-99, 4-120, 5-127, 6-133, 7-139, 8-139, 9-139, 10-147 (86.2 ov)

Gentlemen of Philadelphia bowling

Lowry 23.2 7 55 5
CA Newhall 23 11 32 2
MacNutt 19 10 28 0
Clark 5 2 13 0
Noble 16 9 15 3

Gentlemen of Philadelphia second innings

FE Brewster b Horner 0
GS Patterson b Bruen 18
JA Scott b Whitby 15
RS Newhall b Turner 33
EW Clark c sub b AJ Thornton 30
+WC Morgan b Turner 17
*DS Newhall not out 37
H MacNutt c and b Horner 0
CA Newhall c Newton b Horner 8
WW Noble b Turner 1
WC Lowry c RT Thornton b Horner 10
Extras (5 b, 4 lb) 9
Total (all out, 112.3 overs) 178

Fall of wickets:
1-0, 2-34, 3-34, 4-98, 5-99, 6-105, 7-138, 8-148, 9-?, 10-178 (112.3 ov)

EJ Sanders' XI bowling

Bruen 15 5 22 1
Whitby 21 11 24 1
Horner 36.3 11 51 4
AJ Thornton 14 3 25 1
Turner 23 8 37 3
RT Thornton 3 0 10 0

EJ Sanders' XI second innings

AJ Thornton b CA Newhall 41
TR Hine-Haycock c Clark b Lowry 9
JA Turner st Morgan b Lowry 0
WET Bolitho b Noble 8
AR Cobb b Noble 10
+AE Newton b Noble 1
*RT Thornton b CA Newhall 31
EJ Sanders st Morgan b Lowry 1
H Bruen not out 13
CE Horner c Morgan b CA Newhall 1
HO Whitby b DS Newhall 3
Extras (2 b, 1 lb, 1 w) 4
Total (all out, 129.1 overs) 122

Fall of wickets:
1-24, 2-24, 3-35, 4-45, 5-47, 6-94, 7-95, 8-111, 9-113, 10-122 (129.1 ov)

Gentlemen of Philadelphia bowling

Lowry 38 21 42 3
CA Newhall 32 18 32 3
MacNutt 21 15 12 0
Clark 14 10 12 0
Noble 16 9 14 3
DS Newhall 3.1 2 4 1
Patterson 5 4 2 0

Scorecard for Match 4: EJ Sanders' English XI vs All New York XI

Venue: Livingston Field, Staten Island on 21st, 22nd September 1885 (2-day match)
Result: EJ Sanders' XI won by an innings and 125 runs

All New York first innings

J Mart c Newton b Horner 7
RS Hill st Newton b Bruen 2
F Butler b Bruen 17
H Tyers st Newton b Bruen 24
J Rogan c Hine-Haycock b Bruen 0
*CJP Wilson b Turner 3
JH Lambkin b Turner 3
TL White st Newton b Bruen 0
H Cleverley c and b Bruen 5
JL Pool b Bruen 1
CH McCall not out 0
Extras (2 lb, 2 w) 4
Total (all out, 64.1 overs) 66

Fall of wickets:
1-9, 2-9, 3-42, 4-42, 5-52, 6-60, 7-60, 8-64, 9-65, 10-66 (64.1 ov)

EJ Sanders' XI bowling

Bruen 32.1 15 25 7
Horner 16 10 18 1
Turner 16 6 19 2

EJ Sanders' XI first innings

JA Turner c Cleverley b Pool 19
TR Hine-Haycock c Wilson b Pool 11
WET Bolitho c Wilson b Pool 0
AR Cobb b Lambkin 20
*RT Thornton c Mart b Pool 10
+AE Newton b Cleverley 129 18
AJ Thornton c Mart b Pool 13
WE Roller c McCall b Tyers 10
H Bruen b Cleverley 4
CE Horner not out 19
HO Whitby c McCall b Pool 22
Extras (5 b, 2 lb, 3 w) 10
Total (all out, 121 overs) 267

Fall of wickets:
1-19, 2-21, 3-42, 4-58, 5-77, 6-141, 7-190, 8-213, 9-234, 10-267 (121 ov)

All New York bowling

Pool 37 15 53 6
Butler 16 5 32 0
Cleverley 15 3 45 2
McCall 13 7 29 0
Tyers 9 1 35 1
Lambkin 22 13 34 1
Mart 3 0 11 0
Hill 2 0 14 0
Rogan 4 1 4 0

All New York second innings

*CJP Wilson c Newton b Bruen 10
RS Hill c Bruen b Turner 9
F Butler b Turner 9
H Tyers not out 25
J Mart c Whitby b Bruen 0
TL White c Bolitho b Turner 1
JH Lambkin lbw b AJ Thornton 0
J Rogan b AJ Thornton 0
H Cleverley c Roller b Turner 3
JL Pool b AJ Thornton 5
CH McCall c Roller b AJ Thornton 3
Extras (7 b, 4 lb) 11
Total (all out, 44.3 overs) 76

Fall of wickets:
1-12, 2-29, 3-29, 4-29, 5-42, 6-44, 7-44, 8-51, 9-66, 10-76 (44.3 ov)

EJ Sanders' XI bowling

Bruen 14 5 21 2
Turner 22.3 12 32 4
AJ Thornton 8 4 12 4

Scorecard for Match 5: EJ Sanders' English XI vs Gentlemen of Philadelphia

Venue: Germantown Cricket Club Ground, Nicetown, Philadelphia on 24th, 25th, 26th September 1885 (3-day match)
Result: EJ Sanders' XI won by 243 runs

EJ Sanders' XI first innings

WE Roller c DS Newhall b Lowry 64
AJ Thornton c Morgan b Clark 17
TR Hine-Haycock st Morgan b Lowry 23
JA Turner c MacNutt b CA Newhall 4
*RT Thornton not out 43
+AE Newton c DS Newhall b Lowry 9
AR Cobb c Lowry b Clark 0
WET Bolitho c CA Newhall b Clark 3
H Bruen c MacNutt b Noble 19
CE Horner c Morgan b Noble 1
HO Whitby b CA Newhall 4
Extras (2 b, 4 lb) 6
Total (all out, 123.1 overs) 193

Fall of wickets:
1-31, 2-92, 3-99, 4-123, 5-135, 6-137, 7-141, 8-175, 9-180, 10-193 (123.1 ov)

Gentlemen of Philadelphia bowling

MacNutt 22 12 30 0
Lowry 35 11 57 3
Clark 22 11 28 3
CA Newhall 28.1 13 39 2
Noble 12 3 26 2
Thayer 4 1 7 0

Gentlemen of Philadelphia first innings

EW Clark c Bruen b Horner 24
+WC Morgan c Newton b Turner 8
JB Thayer c Cobb b Horner 15
RS Newhall c RT Thornton b Turner 0
JA Scott not out 56
CA Newhall lbw b Turner 1
*DS Newhall b Bruen 16
WW Noble c and b Turner 0
H MacNutt b Bruen 1
FE Brewster b AJ Thornton 20
WC Lowry b AJ Thornton 0
Extras (1 b, 4 lb, 1 w) 6
Total (all out, 136.1 overs) 147

Fall of wickets:
1-30, 2-36, 3-36, 4-52, 5-57, 6-86, 7-93, 8-94, 9-147, 10-147 (136.1 ov)

EJ Sanders' XI bowling

Bruen 16 9 26 2
Whitby 15 8 13 0
Turner 50 15 46 4
Horner 50 9 48 2
AJ Thornton 5.1 1 8 2

EJ Sanders' XI second innings

WE Roller c Morgan b Noble 29
AJ Thornton b Clark 18
TR Hine-Haycock c Noble b DS Newhall 85
+AE Newton c Noble b MacNutt 24
*RT Thornton c and b MacNutt 107
AR Cobb c Thayer b DS Newhall 0
JA Turner not out 26
WET Bolitho c Noble b MacNutt 2
H Bruen c Thayer b MacNutt 3
CE Horner st Morgan b MacNutt 20
HO Whitby c Noble b MacNutt 0
Extras (1 b, 1 lb, 1 nb) 3
Total (all out, 146 overs) 317

Fall of wickets:
1-37, 2-56, 3-89, 4-251, 5-252, 6-278, 7-280, 8-284, 9-317, 10-317 (146 ov)

Gentlemen of Philadelphia bowling

MacNutt 44 14 82 6
Lowry 21 6 41 0
Clark 25 12 44 1
CA Newhall 22 5 57 0
Noble 13 3 32 1
Thayer 10 1 20 0
Brewster 4 0 17 0
DS Newhall 7 1 21 2

Gentlemen of Philadelphia second innings

CA Newhall c Roller b Bruen 19
+WC Morgan b AJ Thornton 4
JB Thayer c RT Thornton b Bruen 0
RS Newhall b Turner 18
EW Clark c and b Bruen 13
WW Noble st Newton b Bruen 0
JA Scott c Roller b Horner 40
*DS Newhall st Newton b Bruen 8
H MacNutt st Newton b Bruen 4
FE Brewster not out 9
WC Lowry c and b AJ Thornton 4
Extras (1 w) 1
Total (all out, 88.2 overs) 120

Fall of wickets:
1-24, 2-30, 3-30, 4-63, 5-76, 6-76, 7-90, 8-98, 9-113, 10-120 (88.2 ov)

EJ Sanders' XI bowling

Bruen 37 13 54 6
Turner 13 5 29 1
Horner 19 12 18 1
AJ Thornton 19.2 8 18 2

Pen Pix of the players who played for England

Edward J Sanders (Captain): Gentlemen of Devon (1872-1879)
William Bolito: Oxford University (1883-1885)
Richard Thornton: Marylebone Cricket Club (1881-1893); Kent (1881-1888); Dorset (1872) and Wiltshire (1875)
Albert James Thornton: Marylebone Cricket Club (1879); Sussex (1880-1881); Kent (1884-1891); Devon (1874-77), Gentlemen of Hampshire
William Eyton Roller: Surrey (1881-1890) Played over 120 first-class matches. Was part of the tour of America in 1885 and 1896
Trevitt Reginald Hine-Haycock: Oxford University (1882-1884); Kent (1885-1886); Marylebone Cricket Club (1886)
John Alfred Turner: Cambridge University (1883-1886); Marylebone Cricket Club (1887)
Arthur Rhodes Cobb: Oxford University (1884-1886)
Arthur Edward Newton: Oxford University (1885); Somerset (1891-1914)
Henry Bruen: Royal Artillery (1879); I Zingari (1884-1891)
Charles Edward Horner: Oxford University (1877-1880); Surrey (1882-1886)
Hugh Owen Whitby: Oxford University (1884-1887)

Other DreamCricket.com articles on the History of USA Cricket:

History of American cricket Part I - The 1700's

History of American Cricket Part II - 1800 to 1850

History of American Cricket Part III - 1850s

History of American Cricket Part IV - 1860s

History of American Cricket Part V - 1870s

Tour Report of America's first victorious tour of England in 1884