The First English Cricket Tour 1859

In 1859 an English cricket XI left home for the first time to play cricket. Under the captaincy of the “Lion of the North,” Nottingham's George Parr, the English team, comprising the top professional players of the country, were to visit North America to play games in Canada and the United States.

The English had been provided with a monetary guarantee of £600 and the promises that all expenses would be met by their hosts; the Montreal, Hamilton and St George’s Cricket Clubs. Philadelphia soon threw her hat into the ring as well and, initially four matches were agreed upon.

This hugely successful tour was the first in a long series of such ventures that ultimately helped Philadelphia develop as the first-class cricketing hub of America.

First the English had to get there and, as the sea started to batter their steamer, it looked for a while as though the finest of England’s cricketers would never play cricket again.

Fred Lillywhite's excellent book, published in 1860, forms the basis for this publication. Extended match reports, player profiles, additional information, illustrations and social history commentaries have been added to the original manuscript provide a more detailed account whilst retaining the charm of the original classic account of this historic tour.