If you’ve ever experienced it, you’ll likely recall that it wasn’t England and Australia that participated in the inaugural Test matches, which included the historic match at The Oval in 1882.
Australia’s victory in that match resulted in the creation of the Ashes and the now-famous “obituary” for English cricket that was published in the Sporting Times.
By that time, the United States of America—the location of the first international—had seen a civil war sweep away the game’s foundations.
On September 24, 1844, in New York, at a location that is today squarely in the center of Manhattan, close to the intersection of First Avenue and East 31st Street, the United States and Canada faced off in what many consider to be the first international sporting event, taking place nearly seven years before the America’s Cup sailing.
The competition was planned to last two days, but due to rain, it ended up taking three.
On the first day of play, five thousand spectators came to the St George’s Club, and throughout the match, wagers totaling an estimated $100,000 (about $4.2 million in today’s currency) were placed on the result.
The Canadians, having traveled up the St. Lawrence River and through other regions, were a little worn out and disheveled.
