Smokers v Non-Smokers

Smokers v Non-Smokers
Format	First-class cricket
Matches	2
First match	15–16 September 1884
Last match	17–21 March 1887

Two first-class cricket matches billed as "Smokers v Non-Smokers" were played during the 1880s. Featuring players from Australia and England, each match occurred during a tour of one of those countries by the other's national team. The first match was won by the Non-Smokers, while in the second, which was drawn, the Non-Smokers scored a then-record 803 runs in the first innings.

The first match was played at the end of the Australian tour of England in 1884, and was held at Lord's in aid of the Cricketers' Fund Friendly Society. Eight of the tourists took part; four on each side. The Non-Smokers batted first, and then forced their opponents to follow on, aided by a strong batting performance from George Bonnor. The Smokers, batting twice, only finished thirteen runs ahead, a total which was chased down without the need for the scheduled third day of the contest.

In the second match, held in Australia two and a half years later, the contest once again featured a combination of Australian and English players. Aided by a Arthur Shrewsbury double century, the Non-Smokers set a new record for the highest innings in first-class cricket, accumulating 803 runs. As in the original match, the Smokers had to follow on, and when the match finished as a draw they were still almost 500 runs behind.

The Australia national cricket team toured England in 1884, playing an itinerary of 32 matches, including three designated as Tests. At the end of the tour, an additional fixture was arranged by V. E. Walker, who went on to become president of both the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and Middlesex County Cricket Club. The match, which was described in The South Australian Advertiser as being "novel and interesting", combined Australian and English players into two teams; those who smoked and those who did not. The match was played to raise money for the Cricketers' Fund Friendly Society, in which it was considered very successful, raising in excess of £561. Walker also wanted the British public to have an opportunity to see members of the Australian touring party play against each other, to which end Alick Bannerman, George Bonnor, Billy Murdoch and Tup Scott represented the Non-Smokers, while George Giffen, Percy McDonnell, Eugene Palmer and Frederick Spofforth played for the Smokers. The reporter from The South Australian Advertiser judged that the Smokers had the stronger batsmen, while the Non-Smokers had the better bowlers.

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