SPECIAL REPORT: BENDIGO ASHES LEGACY, PART 4 – a cricketer of great hope

Bendigo had two players playing in the famous game which created the Ashes legend on August 31, 1882, at the Oval in Kennington, London. 

One was the captain of the Australian XI, W. L. Murdoch, who was born in Bendigo, but grew up in Balmain, NSW.

The other was Henry (Harry) Frederick Boyle, who was born in Sydney, but grew up in Bendigo.

Harry Boyle’s father moved to Bendigo circa 1850. 

He ran the Australian Hotel and store in Sydney Flat, now Woodvale, on the main road to Sebastian and the Terricks. 

This is where Harry Boyle grew up and, as his life-long friend, business partner and fellow Bendigonian, David Scott observed, from an early age showed great prowess as a cricketer.

Clearly, it was a good thing to have a famous cricketer from your town and an Advertiser report dated October 7, 1878, about the return to Australia of the 1878 XI from England recorded that: “Eaglehawk and Myer’s Flat, each of which claims the honour of being the birthplace of our own Harry Boyle, have taken the initiative by inviting their clubs to a friendly contest with the 11 after which a banquet will take place in his honour, under the patronage of the mayor and councillors of the model borough.” 

Sadly neither of these places was the birthplace of HF Boyle, but he did grow up here, returned here at some time after 1892 and is buried in the family plot in the White Hills cemetery.

Bendigo can also claim to have two Australian cricket captains, one being WL Murdoch, as Boyle was to captain the 1880 XI on their tour of England. 

He led the side on a tour of Australia prior to leaving for England and was still captain when the ship left for “home”. 

At a stopover in Aden Boyle wrote to the Melbourne Herald that he had been deposed as captain and replaced by Murdoch. 

The Advertiser reported on the letter and printed the following: “A meeting of the team was held to-day, and Murdoch was elected captain in my place. 

‘‘When I asked the reason for the change they said I had not given satisfaction in the colonial tour, but they could not give me an instance of it.

‘‘They said they would try Murdoch, and if he did not do, someone else would be tried. 

‘‘Palmer, Slight, and McDonnell were the prime movers, and Murdoch’s nomination was seconded by Blackham. 

‘‘Palmer said I did not bowl him enough, and Slight and McDonnell said I should have sent them in first every time. 

‘‘I tried it on two or three occasions, but they did not come off any better.

‘‘I proposed Blackham, but he would not stand. 

‘‘I do not mind it much, but would have been better pleased if they had done it before we left Australia.”

 WG Grace whose comments about Harry Boyle in his 1891 book Cricket  are mentioned in the Advertiser  obituary updated these in a later book: “Boyle could bat with freedom, and in the field was exceptionally brilliant, especially at short mid-on, then a new position colloquially known as  “Boyley’s silly mid-on.’” 

 The Advertiser published an obituary notice on Friday November 22, 1907, which gives a detailed history of Boyle’s life under the headline.

Death of Mr HF Boyle – A noted Australian cricketer

“Mr HF Boyle, the well-known Australian cricketer, who had been in ill-health for some time past, and came to Bendigo a few weeks ago, after having been an inmate of Dr Stirling’s private hospital in Melbourne, died shortly after 9 o’clock yesterday morning at Miss McKinnon’s private hospital in Wattle Street.

‘‘It will be remembered that Mr Boyle underwent an operation at Dr. Stirling’s hospital, and it was at first thought that he would speedily regain his health.

‘‘After a few weeks, however, it was evident that the real seat of trouble had not been reached.

‘‘This was diagnosed by Dr Springthorpe, of Melbourne, and Drs De Ravin and Green, of Bendigo, as a malignant growth in the food passage, and they gave no hope of recovery.

‘‘Shortly after Mr Boyle came to Bendigo, Mrs Boyle, who had herself been seriously ill in Hobart, arrived in Bendigo, and she has been present daily with Mr Boyle up to the time of his death.

‘‘Mr Boyle passed away quietly yesterday morning, the end coming rather sooner than was generally expected.

‘‘Harry Boyle, as he was familiarly known, had a famous cricketing career. 

‘‘He was born in Sydney on 10th December, 1847, and had therefore nearly completed his 60th year. 

‘‘When he was quite a lad his parents came to Bendigo, and settled in Sydney Flat, and it was there that Harry Boyle first displayed his skill in the game in which his name afterwards became a household word. 

‘‘He was associated in the early days with the Dalys, Bayliss, Turner, Glen, Moore, Jackson, and other cricketing identities. 

‘‘He first figured in the Bendigo United Club in 1865-66, when he carried off the bowling average of the season with 3.21 runs per wicket. 

‘‘In that season he performed splendidly against the Victorian Eleven by taking four wickets for 11 and four for 9. 

‘‘The Victorian Eleven scored 93 and 25, and the Bendigo 125. 

‘‘His success in batting and bowling in the following years led to his playing in a colt’s match in Melbourne in 1872 and he proved the soundness of his Bendigo reputation by making top score for the colts, and by bowling some of the best of the MCC batsmen. 

‘‘The result was his selection for Victoria against New South Wales. 

‘‘Against Grace’s team in 1877, he took five wickets for 35 in the first innings, and it will also be remembered that he clean bowled Grace for 33 on the Melbourne ground in the match against I8 of Victoria. ‘In 1874-5 and for many years afterwards Boyle was in the East Melbourne Eleven, for most of the time as captain, and was one of the great mainstays of that club. 

‘‘In 1877 he assisted Bendigo United (22) against Lillywhite’s Eleven, and won the batting and bowling trophies by securing 32 and 19, and taking seven wickets for 49. 

‘‘In March, 1887, he also did signal service for Bendigo United by making 115 against Shaw and Shrewsbury’s Eleven.

‘‘In matches against English teams in Bendigo, Boyle averaged 33 for six innings, and 11.52 in bowling. 

‘‘In March, 1872, he played his first intercolonial against New South Wales, and scored 27, and from that time up to the early nineties no name was better known than his in Australian cricket. 

‘‘In all he played in 15 intercolonial matches against New South Wales, and did very well on several occasions.

‘‘When J Conway formed the first Australian Eleven in 1877, Boyle was one of the first men asked to join.

‘‘After touring Australia and New Zealand, the Eleven toured England, and in the second match against Marylebone at Lord’s Ground, established the reputation of Australian cricket by defeating a team practically representing the cricketing strength of England. 

‘‘The match was all over at 5 o’clock on the first day, and Australia, won by nine wickets.

‘‘The Marylebone were dismissed for 33 and 19 and in the second innings Boyle secured six wickets for three runs, and just beat Spofforth for the average in the match. 

‘‘Another of Boyle’s great feats on the same tour was getting eleven wickets for 12 runs against 18 of Elland, seven of the wickets falling in eight successive balls.

‘‘He visited England again in 1880, 1882, and 1884 and as manager in 1888 and 1890. 

‘‘In 1882 he carried off the bowling honors. 

‘‘His splendid efforts in conjunction with Spofforth in the test match in August of that year helped materially to win the game by seven runs.

‘‘Mr Boyle’s bowling performances in England in 11-a-side matches were as, follows: 

‘‘Year 1878 – 409 overs, 569 runs, 168 maidens, 54 wickets, 10.29 average.

‘‘Year 1880 – 516 overs, 616 runs, 239 maidens, 39 wickets, 15.31 average.

‘‘Year 1882 – 1200 overs, 1680 runs, 525 maidens, 144 wickets, 11.96 average.

‘‘Year 1884 – 727 overs, 1143 runs, 291 maidens, 67 wickets, 17.4 average.

‘‘In his book on ‘Cricket’, Dr WG Grace had the following reference to Mr Boyle:

“His height is 6ft, weight, 11st. 7lb. 

‘‘He came to England with the first Australian team, and ran a very close race with Spofforth for first place in bowling honors. 

‘‘He bowled right arm, medium pace, generally round the wicket, and broke slightly both ways.

‘‘His length was good, and he kept altering pitch and pace with excellent judgment; in fact, at his best he had a rare head on his shoulders, and was successful in getting batsmen out when other bowlers equally good had tried and completely failed.

‘‘He was a magnificent field to his own or anybody’s bowling, and was the first man to stand at short mid-on, where he brought off some remarkable catches. 

‘‘Once or twice I thought him a little bit foolhardy there, and I know he had two or three remarkable escapes when my brother, EM was batting. 

‘‘He was a fair bat.”

‘‘Writing of Mr. Boyle on his retirement from first-class cricket in 1892, Mr. T. Horan (‘Felix’, in the Australasian) published the following appreciation of his old comrade:

“One of the keenest and truest cricketers that ever breathed, he retained his eagerness for the game up to the last.

‘‘During the 1892 season he carried off the bowling average for East Melbourne after 18 years’ service in the first eleven of that club. 

‘‘As the selector of teams, we had none sounder, more fearless, or impartial than Boyle and for many years he was regarded as one of the best judges of the game in the world.”

‘‘When Mr. Boyle fell into ill-health last August, a movement was set on foot to present him with a testimonial, with the result that nearly £800 was raised in a very short time, including GBP360 from a race meeting organised by Mr John Wren.

‘‘This was a remarkable proof of Mr Boyle’s great popularity, and it is only right to say that he was deeply touched by the splendid manifestations of sympathy and regard. 

‘‘It should be mentioned that Mr Boyle was a partner for many years in the cricketing firm of Boyle and Scott, in Melbourne, but this was one of many businesses which suffered reverses after the collapse of the boom in 1892. 

‘‘Mr David Scott and Mr Boyle were firm friends to the last. 

‘‘Mr Boyle leaves a widow, but no family.

‘‘One of his sisters was the first wife of Senator McColl, and it will be observed by the advertisement elsewhere that the funeral is announced to leave Senator McColl’s residence, at Quarry Hill, at 2.30pm today for the White Hills Cemetery, where Mr Boyle’s parents and other members of his family are buried.

‘‘Mrs. Boyle was the recipient yesterday of many messages of sympathy from relatives and friends, and old-time admirers of her husband’s prowess on the cricket field. 

‘‘All Mr. Boyle’s colleagues of the first Australian Eleven are still living.”

In 1929, the Sunday Times of Perth published a short piece about the position of “Silly Leg”.

The piece was about Patsy Hendren the English cricketer taking the silly leg position against Bradman. 

It notes that: “The first Australian to introduce the ‘silly leg’ position in big cricket was Harry Boyle, but he did not go quite so close up to the bat as Hendren.

“When W. G. Grace discovered Boyle there in a Test match on the Melbourne Cricket Ground, he said: ‘Hullo! What are you doing there? I’ll knock your damned head off.’ The GOM was visibly annoyed”

I rather like the idea of our Harry Boyle annoying the “Grand Old Man” of cricket.

The fifth and final part of the Bendigo’s Ashes Legacy series will appear in Saturday’s Bendigo Advertiser.