In 1868, a team of Australian Aboriginal cricketers became the first organised group of Australian sportspeople to travel overseas when they toured England between May and October of that year.
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They met with some success, winning 14 matches, losing 14 and drawing 19, to the surprise of many people.
Almost 30 years later, an Aboriginal cricket team, named the True Australians, was also successful on the Macleay, winning the Hart Challenge Cup against local white teams.
The Hart Challenge Cup was donated by local businessman Philip Morris Hart, to be contested by the cricket teams of the Macleay.
To win the competition and keep the cup, a team had to win it twice in succession or three times in all.
The True Australians team appears to have first played in the competition in December 1894 against the Kempsey team.
The True Australians team was as follows (in batting order): J Linwood, W Becke, E Moran, J Moylan, C Taylor, S Bullock, D Bullock, Combe, A Woodland and C Warby.
The match was won by Kempsey. It was reported that the True Australians bowled and fielded very well but "failed to meet expectations" when batting.
Over the next few years the True Australians improved to the extent that they beat the Kempsey team in the semi-final played on Saturday, February 1, 1896.
The True Australians team for that match was as follows: Linwood, Lowry, Moylan, P Donohue, S Bullock, D Bullock, Woodlands [sic], Moran, G Davis and C Taylor.
The Kempsey team was: Manchee, Boardman, Cobcroft, V Smith, C Fisher, F T Lewis, P Welsh, Warn, Gleeson, Barnett, Hardwick and D Fisher.
A feature of the match was said to be the splendid fielding of the True Australians team.
There were only two entries in the Hart Challenge Cup Competition for the 1897 season, the Pioneers and the True Australians. Three matches were to be played, the first of these on Saturday, January 30, 1897 was easily won by the True Australians.
In the True Australians team for that match were Linwood, Bullock (2), Moran, Warby, Drew, Cook, Smith (2), Moylan, Douglas and Tapler.
The second match was also won by the True Australians and the Challenge Cup became their absolute property.
There was some reluctance, however, by the Hart Challenge Cup Committee to hand over the cup to the winners.
The donor of the cup, Mr Philip Morris Hart, intervened, and on Saturday, October 16,1897, presented the Cup to Jim Linwood of the True Australians, praising their sportsmanlike qualities. It was recorded that Mark Hurrell made a neat speech of thanks on behalf of the True Australians.
The True Australians continued to play cricket on the Macleay until just before the outbreak of the First World War in 1914.
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