The Parsi tour of England in 1886 was the first cricket tour of England by a team from India. While the tour was singularly unsuccessful for the Parsis in terms of results, it paved the way for another trip by them two years later and more tours by English teams to India in the next decade.

Background

The Parsis in Bombay were probably the earliest local community in India to take up cricket. Vasant Raiji recounts that Parsi schoolboys were being coached in 1839 and, when they grew up, they formed the Oriental Cricket Club in 1848. In 1876, the prominent Parsi player A. B. Patel formed the Parsee Cricket Club. In 1877, the Parsis played their first match against Bombay Gymkhana. The earliest plan at a tour of England by a Parsi team was made by A. B. Patel in 1878. It fell through when Patel got involved in a libel suit and was unable to proceed with the plans. A few years later, Patel, with the help of B. B. Baria and Dr Dhunjishaw Patel, made another attempt to organise the tour. C. W. Alcock, the Secretary of the Surrey Cricket Club served as the agent for the team in England. Robert Henderson, a Surrey professional, acted as the coach.

The team

The members of the team were :

The tour

The Parsi team was essentially made up of enthusiasts who were willing to pay their own expenses for the tour. Dhunjishaw Patel, a fast underarm bowler and decent batsman, captained the side. In terms of results, the team made little impression. Of the twenty-eight matches, they won only one and lost 19. After a three-week voyage, the Parsis played their first match on May 24 against the Lord Sheffield's XI. The second match of the tour was against Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) for whom W. G. Grace played at the request of the tourists. Parsis went on to lose by an innings and 224 runs, Grace scored 65 and took 11 wickets for 44 runs in the match. Most of the matches were similarly one-sided. The Parsis crossed 200 only once and scored only four fifties among them. Two notable performances in bowling were Shapurjee Bhedwar's hat-trick and 6 for 27 against Chiswick and Ashton. The only victory was on first innings against Normanhurst in a one-day game. The last match of the tour at Cumberland Lodge against Prince Christian Victor's XII was arranged on the express desire of Queen Victoria. Prince Victor and his brother Prince Albert took part in the game. At the end of the match a garden party was held in honour of the guests. The team left England on August 24.

Match scores

1. May 24–25 at Sheffield Park : Lord Sheffield XI 142 Parsis 46 and 53/4
2. May 27–28 at Lord's : MCC 313 Parsis 23 and 66
3. May 31 - June 1 at The Oval : Surrey Cricket Club and Ground 314 Parsis 35 and 115
4. June 2–3 at Battersea : Prince's XI 71 and 229 Parsis 146 and 78
5. June 4–5 at Chiswick Park : Parsis 74 and 87 Chiswick Park 95 and 71 for 3
6. June 7–8 at Leyton : Parsis 69 and 109 Essex Club and Ground 514
7. June 9–10 at Harrogate : Harrogate 211 Parsis 85 and 103
8. June 11–12 at Ashton-under-Lyne : Parsis 71 and 71 Ashton-under-Lyne 176
9. June 14–15 at Derby : Derbyshire Cricket Club and Ground 342 Parsis 62 and 12 for 3
10. June 16–17 at Leicester : Parsis 59 and 156 Gentlemen of Leicestershire 239
11. June 18–19 at Elland : Elland 162 and 125 Parsis 109 and 7 for 3
12. June 21–22 at Hull : Parsis 56 and 107 Hull 129 and 35 for 3
13. June 23–24 at Middlesbrough : North Riding of Yorkshire 583 Parsis 212
14. June 25–26 at Scarborough : Parsis 145 Scarborough 497
15. June 28–29 at Edinburgh : Parsis 89 and 61 Gentlemen of Scotland 173
16. July 2–3 at Oldham : Parsis 93 and 19 Werneth CC 190
17. July 5–6 at Liverpool : Parsis 89 and 157 Liverpool Club and Ground 482
18. July 7–8 at Edgbaston : Parsis 64 and 109 Warwickshire Club and Ground 333
19. July 9–10 at Huddersfield : Huddesrfield 302 Parsis 75 and 59 for 2
20. July 12–13 at Nottingham : Gentlemen of Nottinghamshire 248 Parsis 105 and 71 for 4
21. July 14–15 at Southampton : Hampshire Club and Ground 288 Parsis 107 and 145
22. July 16–17 at Portsmouth : United Services 377 Parsis 212
23. July 19–20 at Hastings : Hastings 234 Parsis 96 and 115
24. July 22 at Catsfield : Parsis 126 and 29 for 6 Normanhurst 81
25. July 23–24 at Gravesend : Gentlemen of North Kent 340 Parsis 133 and 132
26. July 30–31 at Northampton : Gentlemen of Northamptonshire 263 Parsis 25 and 176
27. August 2–3 at Brighton : Sussex CCC 360 Parsis 94 and 97
28. August 7 at Cumberland Lodge : Prince Christian Victor's XII 90 and 95 for 2 Parsis XII 33

Sources