1961 English cricket season
The 1961 English cricket season saw Australia tour England to compete for the Ashes. It was the 45th test series between the two sides in which Richie Benaud led Australia to another Ashes victory winning 2-1.
Hampshire won their first ever County Championship title.
Richie Benaud's Australian team defeated England 2-1 with two matches drawn. On paper, both sides were strong. England had Peter May, Colin Cowdrey, Ken Barrington, Ted Dexter, Fred Trueman, Brian Statham and Tony Lock, though Cowdrey and Lock had poor series. Their most consistent batsman was Raman Subba Row. Australia had Bill Lawry and Graham McKenzie in their first series, Neil Harvey, Peter Burge, Bobby Simpson (who had a poor series), Norm O'Neill, Wally Grout and Alan Davidson, as well as their captain.
After the first match was drawn, Australia had their traditional victory at Lord's, by 5 wickets on a lively pitch. Davidson did the damage in the first England innings and McKenzie in the second. Lawry's 130 in Australia's first innings, when nobody else on either side made more than 66 in either innings, was crucial.
England won by 8 wickets at Headingley, Australia collapsing in their second innings from 99-2 to 120 all out, thanks to Trueman's devastating spell of off-cutters. He finished with figures of 6-30, having taken 5-58 in the first innings.
...
Wikipedia