Bligh Ivo Image 1 Kent 1882

Description

Known as The Hon. Ivo Bligh until 1900, Westminster, London born Ivo Bligh became The Earl of Darnley in later life and was a Member of Parliament. But he is possibly best remembered as a cricketer. Educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, Bligh played for Cambridge against Oxford in the Real Tennis Varsity Match of 1880. He won his Blue at cricket for Cambridge University and played for Kent in an 84 match first class cricket career which lasted from 1877 to 1883.

Although the history of Test cricket between England and Australia dates from 1877, it was after an English team led by Monkey Hornby lost to the Australians at The Oval in 1882, that The Sporting Times newspaper wrote a mock obituary to English cricket, noting that the body would be cremated and the ashes sent to Australia. The following winter’s tour to Australia was billed as an attempt to reclaim The Ashes. Bligh led the team as England captain, and his team was successful, winning the three match Ashes series 2-1, although a fourth game, not played for The Ashes, and hence a matter of great dispute, was lost. Bligh played in all 4 Test matches on the tour for England, his debut coming at Melbourne at the end of December 1882. His highest Test score was a modest 19 with an average of 10.33, although he made 2 centuries and 12 half centuries in other first class matches, with a highest score of 113 not out, when he carried his bat in Cambridge University’s match with Surrey at The Oval in 1879, and a batting average of 20.70. His cricket career was curtailed by poor health.

A small terracotta urn was presented to The Hon. Ivo Bligh, as England captain, by a group of Melbourne women after England’s victory in the Test series. The urn is reputed to contain the ashes of a bail, symbolising “the ashes of English cricket”. While the urn has come to symbolise The Ashes series, the term “The Ashes” predates the existence of the urn. The urn is not used as the trophy for the Ashes series, and, whichever side “holds” the Ashes, the urn remains in the M.C.C. Museum at Lord’s. Since the 1998-99 Ashes series, a Waterford crystal trophy has been presented to the winner.

Bligh is commemorated by a poem inscribed on the side of the urn:

When Ivo goes back with the urn, the urn;
Studds, Steel, Read and Tylecote return, return;
The welkin will ring loud,
The great crowd will feel proud,
Seeing Barlow and Bates with the urn, the urn;
And the rest coming home with the urn.

He was later elected President of the Marylebone Cricket Club for 1900-01 and President of Kent County Cricket Club in 1892 and 1902. His wife, ‘Florence, Dowager Countess of Darnley’, presented the Ashes urn to the Marylebone Cricket Club after her husband’s death.

His family were associated with first class cricket for nearly 150 years, including his great uncle, his father, his uncle, his brother Lord Clifton, and a cousin.

NB not the greatest image, but it’s from 1882.