Aboriginal Cricket Team at Maitland

Aboriginal Cricket Team at Maitland. On 5 March, 1867 the Maitland Mercury reports on a cricket match between a white Maitland representative team and the Koori cricket team from Victoria. The match is played in front of 3000 spectators. The Koori team tours England in 1868, and becomes the first Australian Cricket Team to do so. Its record in England is 14 wins, 14 losses and 19 draws from 47 matches. One of the stars of that team is Johnny Cuzens, whose traditional name is Yellanach: “ this tiny man (5 feet 1 inch or 155cm) is Johnny Mullagh, the star of the famous Aboriginal cricket team. He plays 46 of the 47 matches; scores 1364 runs for an 18.94 average; and takes 113 wickets for an 11.38 average. Dr W.G. Grace praises the “all round form” of Cuzens and Mullagh. In 1866 Cuzens plays for Victoria against Tasmania (Tatz et al: 1996; Arwarbukarl Cultural Resource Association, ACRA)