Worst trophy in sports?

On 29 August 1882 Australia defeated England in a cricket match played at Kennington Oval, London. There was a great deal of dismay felt by the English about this loss and a few days later a mock obituary notice written by Reginald Shirley Brooks appeared in the Sporting Times which read:

"In affectionate remembrance of English Cricket which died at the Oval on 29 August 1882. Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances. RIP. NB. The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia." It was the first time the term 'the ashes' had been mentioned.

It had previously been arranged that a cricket team captained by Ivo Bligh would tour Australia in 1882-83 and this team became the English hope of victory. Before leaving England for Australia, Bligh pledged to bring back "The Ashes of English cricket".

Three main Test matches were played. The first was in Melbourne and was won by Australia. The second was also in Melbourne and won by the English. The third match was in Sydney and was again won by the English. After this it was generally acknowledged that the English were the victors.

After the conclusion of the Test series, a match was played in Sydney in which a United Australian Eleven defeated The Hon. Ivo Bligh's Eleven by four wickets. This seems to have given rise in Melbourne to some debate about whether it should have counted as a Fourth Test. However, The Sydney Morning Herald made it very clear that this game was not part of the international "rubber" which had in fact been won by England. There were also other matches played between the English and the individual State cricket teams over the tour.

The urn was made during the 1882-83 tour. It is a very small red terracotta artefact which some believe could be a perfume bottle. Two labels are pasted on it: the top label says "The Ashes"; the lower label is a verse cut out from Melbourne Punch magazine of 1 February 1883 which reads:

"When Ivo goes back with the urn, the urn;
Studds, Steel, Read and Tylecote return, return;
The welkin will ring loud,
The great crowd will feel proud,
Seeing Barlow and Bates with the urn, the urn;
And the rest coming home with the urn."

These names are some of the men in the English team.