Cricket – The Philadelphia Story … EJ Sanders’ Tour of 1885

Martin Chandler | 9:18am GMT 02 November 2025

Published: 2025
Pages: 123
Author: Smith, Steve
Publisher: Private
Rating: 3 stars

Steve Smith has now published seven books in the last year, not to mention an updated version of his biography of Bart King. This, I suspect, must be some sort of record, especially as all the books have dealt with men and events of the distant past.

With this one he returns to his favourite subject, cricket in Philadelphia during the ‘Golden Age’ and, based on the announcement at the rear of the book there are at least six more to come, albeit not yet on the subject of any of the three tours of England made by the Gentlemen of Philadelphia in 1897, 1903 and 1908.

But that is hopefully for the future, as indeed those tours were at the time this one took place, when a side of English amateurs visited the USA and Canada in 1885. There were fixtures against odds in Montreal, Toronto, Detroit, Staten Island and Boston. The Englishmen were not troubled in any of those fixtures.

And then there were two First Class fixtures against the Philadelphians, the second of which was almost as one sided as the games against odds, but by then the home side had already triumphed in the first game and had done so comfortably, by 109 runs.

The book is, of course, an account of the tour and one that looks closely at all of the fixtures as well as introducing the tourists and some of the home players. The big question of course is how strong were the tourists and, I suppose, the answer to that one depends on your point of view.

Two of the side, skipper Sanders being one of them, never played First Class cricket again, but none of the others were strangers to the First Class game and all-rounder William Roller and ‘keeper Arthur Newton were accomplished county players so the tour was another step along the Philadelphians path to a situation where, for a few years, they were strong enough to put up a decent showing against sides much stronger than the one that Ned Sanders led in 1885.

As with all of Steve Smith’s books this one is available on Amazon or, for the hardback limited edition, at a discounted price from Red Rose Books.