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INTERNATIONALS - AUSTRALIA

Australia v England - 1936-37 to 1938-39

1936-37 This season saw the staging of the normal five-match Official series at Sydney and Melbourne, together
with an unofficial match at Bathurst featuring the same touring team.
In addition a second, "unofficial" England team took part in another five-match series in Western
Australia. Results of this series, which were also advertised as "Test Matches", have been unearthed by
Ross Garrigan and Barry Forsyth.

1936-37 Australia won series 3-2 Attendance
OFFICIAL 12.12 : Sydney Royale Australia 29 England 25 50,000
02.01 : Melbourne (Olympic Park) Australia 33 England 21
18.01* : Sydney Royale Australia 25 England 28 30,000
30.01 : Sydney Royale Australia 26 England 28 30,000
06.02 : Sydney Royale Australia 31 England 22 40,000
* Postponed from 16.01 due to rain
Complete heat details for this series are available here
Australia Total England Total
Wally Little 9 9 4 6 8 36 Jack Parker 30
Bluey Wilkinson 5 - 29 Norman Parker 5 1 7 8 4 25
Vic Huxley 7 3 8 28 Tommy Croombs 5 0 7 3 6 21
Clem Mitchell 8 9 - 2 3 22 Les Wotton 4 5 2 4 2 17
Vic Duggan - - 2 5 2 9 Wal Phillips 3 6 3 5 - 17
Dick Case 0 - 3 1 4 8 Cliff Parkinson 4 2 3 2 3 14
Bill Rogers - 6 - - - 6 Eric Gregory - 0 - - 0 0
Bert Spencer - 3 - - - 3
Jack Bibby - 2 - - - 2
Art Fenn 1 - - - - 1
Billy Lamont - - 0 - - 0
Steve Langton 0 - - - - 0

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1936-37 01.02 : Bathurst Australia 22 England 13
UNOFFICIAL Vic Huxley 9 Norman Parker 5
Vic Duggan 6 Jack Parker 3
Bluey Wilkinson 6 Tommy Croombs 2
Art Fenn 1 Cliff Parkinson (res) 2
Heat Details Les Wotton 1
Ht.1 : Wilkinson, Croombs, Duggan Ht.3 : Duggan, N Parker Ht.5 : Wilkinson, N Parker, J Parker
Ht.2 : Huxley, Parkinson, N Parker Ht.4 : Huxley, J Parker, Fenn Ht.6 : Huxley, Duggan, Wotton

1936-37 England won series 3-2
UNOFFICIAL 19.12 : Perth (Claremont) Australia 26 England 26
All details of 09.01 : Perth (Claremont) Australia 27 England 27
this series from 23.01 : Perth (Claremont)* Australia 28 England 29
Ross Garrigan 06.02 : Perth (Claremont) Australia 25 England 28
and Barry 20.02 : Perth (Claremont) Australia 33 England 21
Forsyth Complete heat details for this series are available here
* Impotant notes regarding the 3rd match can be found in the heat details
Australia Total England Total
Jack Sharp 8 7 9 9 9 42 Wal Morton 8 9 12 8 7 44
Mick Murphy 9 8 6 8 9 40 Ted Bravery 5 6 2 7 6 26
Tiger Lewis 4 8 2 5 8 27 Don Hemingway* 6 7 2 7 4 26
Cecil Walker 0 2 6 0 3 11 Charlie Lish 3 1 8 2 - 14
Neil Schiller 1 - 3 3 2 9 Ron Clarke 1 3 1 3 3 11
Jack Clementson 3 2 2 - 7 Jock Sweet 3 - 2 0 0 5
Les Fredericks - - - - 2 2 John Preston* - 1 0 1 1 3
Arthur Hopkins 1 0 0 - 1 Lou Murphy* - - 2 - - 2
* guest
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Programme from the controversial 3rd match in the Perth 1936-37 series

1937-38 Australia won series 4-1 Complete heat details of this series here Attendance
OFFICIAL 11.12 : Sydney Sports Ground Australia 26 England 28 30,000
All details of 27.12 : Sydney Royale Australia 31 England 23 30,000
this series 08.01 : Sydney Sports Ground Australia 27 England 26 32,000
from Ross 29.01 : Sydney Royale Australia 30 England 24 20,000
Garrigan 12.02 : Sydney Royale Australia 29 England 25
Australia Total England Total
Bluey Wilkinson 9 9 9 9 9 45 Les Wotton 6 4 7 5 4 26
Clem Mitchell 8 7 9 9 8 41 Jack Parker 5 4 7 3 5 24
Lionel van Praag 6 5 4 8 4 27 Joe Abbott 6 4 7 6 0† 23
Vic Duggan - 5 2 0 3 10 Bill Kitchen 5 6 - 4 7 22
Charlie Spinks 2 2 1 2 2 9 Cliff Parkinson - 3 3 4 3 13
Ron Johnson 0 2 - 2 3 7 Harold Stevenson - 2 1 2 4 9
Bill Rogers 1 - 2 - - 3 Jack Ormston 4 0 1 - - 5
Wally Little 0 1 - - - 1 Arthur Atkinson 2 - 0 - - 2
Kirkman - - - 0 - 0 Wally Lloyd - - - - 2 2
† 1 uncompleted ride (fell after clash with van Praag; non-starter in re-run due to injury)
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1937-38 11.12 : Perth (Claremont) The Australians 20 The Englishmen 16
UNOFFICIAL Heat Details Details of this match from Ross Garrigan
Heat No. 01 02 03 04 05 06 Total
Mick Murphy 2 3 5 The attempts of Perth promoter
Neil Schiller 1' 2' 3 + 2 Colebatch to repeat the previous
Don Hemingway 3 (0) 3 seasons' unofficial Test series
Bert Spencer (0) 3 3 were foiled on two counts. First,
Tiger Lewis 2 1' 3 + 1 the Australian authorities now
Arthur Hopkins 1' 2 3 + 1 required that permission be
AUSTRALIANS 3 6 9 14 17 20 20 obtained, and fees paid, for such a
ENGLISHMEN 3 6 9 10 13 16 16 series, so the team names had to
Ted Bravery 3 2 5 be changed. Secondly, the Perth
Jock Sweet (0) 1' 1 + 1 season was ultimately to last just
Les Gregory 2 1 3 two meetings, at the second of
Charlie Lish 1' (0) 1 + 1 which (on Dec.18) promising
Ted Bateman 3 3 6 young Australian rider Neil
Jack Parsons (0) (0) 0 Schiller was sadly killed.

1938-39 Australia won series 3-2 Attendance
OFFICIAL Sydney Sports Ground Australia 22 England 32 25,000
21.01 : Sydney Sports Ground Australia 32 England 22 25,000
28.01 : Sydney Sports Ground Australia 23 England 31 20,000
11.02 : Sydney Sports Ground Australia 28 England 24 30,000
18.02 : Sydney Sports Ground Australia 35 England 18 35,000

Australia Total England Total
Bluey Wilkinson* 9 8 9 9 9 44 Jack Parker 5 2 6 8 7 28
Lionel van Praag 4 8 6 7 8 33 Arthur Atkinson 4 6 4 7 7 28
Bill Longley 3 6 5 7 8 29 Alec Statham 7 7 8 2 - 24
Aub Lawson 0 - 1 3 4 8 Geoff Pymar 7 3 6 2 - 18
Clem Mitchell 1 5 1 - - 7 Wally Lloyd 5 3 2 1 3 14
Charlie Spinks 2 1 0 - 3 6 Norman Parker 4 1 5 3 1 14
Ray Taylor - - - 2 3 5 Bob Harrison - 0 - 1 0 1
Andy Menzies 3 0 1 0 - 4 * Bluey Wilkinson was undefeated by an England
Vic Huxley - 4 - - - 4 rider during the series.
4th Match at Sydney 11.02.39
Australia 28 England 24 1: Wilkinson, Atkinson, Pymar, Dolan 3-3 3-3
2: J Parker, Longley, Harrison f, Menzies f 2-3 5-6
3: van Praag, Statham, N Parker, Lawson 3-3 8-9
4: Atkinson, Longley, Pymar, Menzies 2-4 10-13
5: Wilkinson, J Parker, Harrison, Taylor 3-3 13-16
6: Longley, N Parker, Menzies f, Statham f 3-2 16-18
7: van Praag, Atkinson, Lawson, Pymar 4-2 20-20
8: Wilkinson, Taylor, Lloyd, N Parker 5-1 25-21
9: J Parker, Lawson, van Praag, Harrison 3-3 28-24
Bluey Wilkinson © 3 3 3 9 Arthur Atkinson 2 3 2 7
Frank Dolan 0 - - 0 Geoff Pymar 1' 1 0 2+1
Bill Longley 2 2 3 7 Jack Parker © 3 2 3 8
Andy Menzies f 0 f 0 Bob Harrison f 1' 0 1+1
Lionel van Praag 3 3 1' 7+1 Alec Statham 2 f - 2
Aub Lawson 0 1 2 3 Norman Parker 1' 2 0 3+1
res. Ray Taylor 0 2' 2+1 res. Wally Lloyd 1 1

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The series was resumed after the war in 1947-48

Contributors : Ross Garrigan, Barry Forsyth, Phil Smith, Roger Stevens, Tom Marriott

© Brian Collins 2004-08