A film made by former Yorkshire and England cricket player, turned journalist, Bill Bowes showing a tour of Australia at the time of the Ashes. The film includes the team setting off, some good action sequences from the test matches themselves, as well as of the players away from the games. Members of the touring party are waiting ready for departure by ship from Tilbury Docks. Len Hutton is being interviewed. Alec Bedser poses with the Captain of the ship. They stop off in a city, and lay a...

A film made by former Yorkshire and England cricket player, turned journalist, Bill Bowes showing a tour of Australia at the time of the Ashes. The film includes the team setting off, some good action sequences from the test matches themselves, as well as of the players away from the games. Members of the touring party are waiting ready for departure by ship from Tilbury Docks. Len Hutton is being interviewed. Alec Bedser poses with the Captain of the ship. They stop off in a city, and lay a wreath at Caserta Military Cemetery. The scene at the grave is at the cemetery at Caserta in Italy where the former Yorkshire and England bowler Hedley Verity was buried, having been wounded in action in 1943 when with the Green Howards and died in an Italian hospital. Present were Len Hutton, Alec Bedser, Bill Bowes, Bob Appleyard and Vic Wilson of the MCC side who travelled there when the ship stopped at Naples on route to Australia on 20 September, 1954. They left white roses fastened together with the club tie of former Yorkshire bowler, Abe Waddington, who was also present. They take a trip along the coast, with crowds waving to them from the shore and a band playing on board. They do some sightseeing, relax on a beach and have a picnic with their families. There is a cricket match at a ground with a large advertisement for Penfolds Wines. There is some close-up film of the match from behind the bowler, some in slow motion. On the scoreboard it is an MCC against a Combined 11, with Tyson and Statham bowling (Western Australia, 1954 Perth). Tyson is replaced by Bailey. After the WA first innings the scoreboard shows their total as 84, with May on 24 and Wilson on 8. After some more action from the match there follows what looks like a charity game, some of the players rather old; and visit ‘The Oasis, Queensland’s most beautiful Garden’. A koala bear sits on the back of a dog. The next match is filmed from rather a way off. There is a row of trees across one of the stands. They then take a flight to their next destination on the coast. They visit Newport Beach and children swim in the sea at Avalon Beach with the surfers. There is a display on the beach with boats and swimmers. Onto the next match, again filmed from a distance, with Australia getting 231 in their first innings and England 191 (Melbourne, 1954/55). At the end of England’s second innings the players come off with the fielding team applauding the batsmen off. The scoreboard shows England reaching 275, with Statham getting 35 (?). The crowd runs onto the pitch. The next match is being played at Brisbane against Queensland, with a church behind the scoreboard. The action is filmed from various vantage points around the ground. The two teams and spectators stand whilst the Australian flag is hoisted up. A player is helped off injured. There is some more cricket played before the end when the crowd runs onto the field. Matches include: Western Australia Combined XI v MCC at WACA ground, Perth 22-25 October 1954 Australia v England, 3rd Test match at Melbourne 31 December 1954-5 January 1955 (possibly) Australia v England, 4th Test at Adelaide, 28 January-2 February 1955