SPORT
COURTESY OF JAPAN SOCIETY, LONDON
The match was discovered on the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack website that states,“[ Rawson ] played in the first ever cricket match played in Japan, being a member of the Fleet team which beat Yokohama in 1863”.
Just 18 years old in 1863, Rawson’ s career was already on the rise, following his exploits during 1861 troubles in China. He went on to become a noted admiral and finished his working life as Governor General of New South Wales( Australia).
His biography includes a team photo that bears the caption:“ The naval side in the first cricket match played in Japan. The ground was guarded by troops and the players had arms handy”. However, no reference to the match is made in the text.
The belief in the correctness of the date of the first match was reinforced on discovery that Fraser had attended Harrow School.
In a school register entry for Fraser, the following statement appears:“[ Fraser ] captained the Yokohama side in a cricket match( Yokohama vs. The Fleet), played under curious circumstances at Yokohama in 1863( see Cricket, April 16, 1908)”.
Yokohama cricket ground in 1863
The victorious Royal Navy Team in 1863. The two players sitting in the centre of the front row later became Admirals Sir Harry Rawson and Sir Albert Hastings Markham.
The words“ curious circumstances” and“ See Cricket, April 16, 1908” were tantalising. However, internet searches yielded nothing, Harrow School’ s archivist was not able to help, and the British Library catalogues show no such publication. Moreover, there seemed to have been no magazine in 1908 called Cricket!
That said, an enquiry to the editor of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack confirmed that the publication had existed for a few years and suggested a check with Lord’ s Cricket Ground.
The issue was soon located and the relevant article containing a description of the“ curious circumstances” was forwarded.
The article mentions that Fraser had sent the MCC photographs and papers. When a Lord’ s library employee searched the cricket ground’ s memorabilia room, an original framed photo of the Yokohama team was located.
The photographs of the two teams must be the earliest of Western sports teams in Japan and, indeed, among the oldest taken here. It appears that there are no other photographs of cricket teams taken before the first cricket Interport matches played between Yokohama and Kobe in 1884.
The most obvious reason the 1863 game was“ lost” is that no newspapers from those troubled months survived.
Another reason might be that Mollison— known as the Scotsman who introduced cricket to Japan in 1868— chose to ignore the game and his former boss in his writings and speeches. In one speech he simply said:“... I have been told even cricket matches were played [ on the Parade Ground ] before my time...”.
Japan tours England and Scotland
The JCA started their 150th anniversary cricket tour of England and Scotland on 27 April. The men’ s team played six games, including a match against the Marylebone Cricket Club( MCC) at the Nursery Ground of Lord’ s Cricket Ground— the first match Japan has ever played at the home of cricket— and three games in Scotland.
The women’ s team— winner of the bronze medal in the 2010 Asian Games and currently ranked 13th in the world— played five matches.
The men lost all matches but performed well against some very strong opposition, while the women’ s team beat Scotland in one of their games.
The Scottish Conservative Party is a big supporter of the JCA and its Cricket for Smiles initiative, which has been providing relief to Tohoku since the Great East Japan Earthquake.
A 150th anniversary cricket festival, including a re-enactment and dinner or BBQ, is being planned for 22 June at the Yokohama Country and Athletic Club— founded in 1868 by James Pender Mollison.
Japan’ s men’ s team played in front of 1,100 people at Lord’ s nursery ground.
MAY 2013 | BCCJ ACUMEN | 41