Lichfield auctioneers bowled over by discovery of rare Australian Aboriginal cricket team tour souvenir

Bidders at a Lichfield auction are expected to be bowled over by a souvenir poster of the pioneering 1868 Australian Aboriginal cricket team.

The first Aussie sporting team to tour internationally, its members had learnt cricket while working as stockmen on cattle stations in western Victoria.

Now, the rare 159-year-old photographic print goes under the hammer with Richard Winterton Auctioneers as Lot 1032 on Monday, April 20, at The Lichfield Auction Centre, with the work estimated at £600 to £700, but specialists saying it could fetch four figures at auction.

Another copy exists at the Australian National Portrait Gallery, but Richard Winterton Auctioneers said this example going to auction came to light following a house clearance in Sutton Coldfield.

The poster was produced to promote the team’s six-month tour of England in 1868, which began with a game at the Oval in May to a crowd of 20,000.

Team members included legendary 19th-century all-rounder Johnny Mullagh (traditional name Unaarrimin); Harry Bullocky (Bullchanach); Dick-a-Dick (Jungunjinanuke); Johnny Cuzens (Zellanach); and Twopenny (Murrumgunarriman).

Photographer Patrick Dawson of Hamilton, Victoria, took 16 individual portraits of the players and managers in his studio to create the composite picture.

The oval photographic print is laid onto a printed mount and was published in 1867 by H.G. De Gruchy & Co of Melbourne in anticipation of the tour.

Each First Nations player was photographed in either customary cricketing pose or holding a weapon such as a boomerang or spear, as traditional skills were also showcased during exhibitions at the conclusion of a match.

Auctioneer and valuer David Fergus said: “Aboriginal cricketers have a pioneering history in Australia.

“Not only did the 1868 team become the first-ever Australian side to tour England, they did it a full 10 years before the Australian XI team made the journey for the first official test match on British soil.

“The cultural crossover of heritage with sport, with the Aboriginal team showcasing traditional skills alongside their cricketing prowess, emphasises the tour’s importance.

“So it was a special moment to discover this rare piece of Australian cultural history following a house clearance and I was certainly knocked for six.”

The six-month tour typically saw the team play two or three matches a week, with Johnny Mullagh the outstanding player, scoring 1,698 runs and taking 245 wickets.

Mr Fergus said: “The team won 14 and drew 19 of the 47 games they played in England so it’s sad to learn that they disbanded on returning home.”

The poster features in Richard Winterton Auctioneers’ Antique & Home Sale on April 20, starting at 9am.

On the day of the auction, people can bid online, in the room or by prior arranged telephone bid.

The catalogue goes live online a week before the sale date at the Richard Winterton Auctioneers website.

Interested parties can also view in person at The Lichfield Auction Centre on Wood End Lane in Fradley Park between 10am and 4pm on Friday, April 17.