An Australian cricketing great, captain of the Australian side for the match that gave birth to the Ashes, born in Bendigo.
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Have you heard of Billy Murdoch?
Murdoch was only inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in February.
His role in Australian cricket has been largely forgotten even in his birthplace of Bendigo, according to the author of a recently published biography.
Sports historian Professor Richard Cashman said that at one stage Murdoch was ranked as one of the two best world class batsmen.
The author of 'Billy Murdoch: Cricketing Colossus' is bringing the batsman back to Bendigo, with a public talk at Bendigo Library.
Murdoch was one of Australia's first set of sporting heroes, the cricketers, according to Professor Cashman. He achieved this captaining the Australian side to victory over the English.
The year was 1882, Murdoch was the captain of the Australian cricket team, which had travelled to England.
There they beat the English in a test match.
For the Australians to beat the English on their own soil was a "phenomenal occurrence," Professor Cashman said.
"They were treated as superstars when they came back," Professor Cashman said.
"There was huge receptions for them and parties, they were lionised as conquering heroes, because it was just a phenomenal thing in that era.
"They were held up as role models because they were able to match the English as cricket."
The team's victory was by no means secure during the match. At one stage, England stood with only 85 runs to win.
But their captain panicked, changing the batting order at the last minute. It was a complete contrast to Murdoch.
"Murdoch was a fantastic captain, he was cool and calm in a crisis… he kept the team calm," Professor Cashman said.
The Australians scraped a win by just seven runs.
"It was huge news in Australia," Professor Cashman said.
It had been taken for granted the English would beat the Australians on their own turf.
Professor Cashman said it was this tradition that gave rise to the Ashes, about 10 years later.
Murdoch's childhood was to say the least, difficult. His father was "a rogue and a scoundrel" Professor Cashman said, who went to jail and abandoned the young Billy.
When he returned home to the United States, Mr Murdoch the elder invented what Professor Cashman described as a "fanciful story" that his wife and Billy had drowned, and married bigamously.
His adulthood was by no means less complicated. Murdoch married the daughter of Bendigo's wealthy J.B. Watson, against his wishes.
And after moving to England later in life, he was constantly short of money.
Professor Cashman believes Murdoch sought to be accepted by the English upper classes. To do so, he had to constantly live above his means.
But, in Professor Cashman's view, he would have been a great person to have a conversation with.
"He was very affable, he was very charming, he was very witty," he said.
"He was genuinely amusing, a … decent human being."
Billy Murdoch: Cricketing Colossus, at Bendigo Library, from 5pm, February 27.
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