Arthur Shrewsbury - Two Australian Tours

Two Australian Tours

England toured Australia in 1886–87 with Shrewsbury once again captaining the team, in two low scoring Tests (there were no team innings of more than 200) Shrewsbury contributed 46 runs as the tourists won the series 2-0. His best innings of the tour came for the Non-Smokers against the Smokers in Melbourne, where he scored 236 in a 803 total which at the time was a first-class record, the third wicket partnership of 311 between Shrewsbury and Billy Gunn also set a first-class record. One-sided matches and bad weather led to poor crowds and the tour failed to bring a profit for its organisers. Despite this Shrewsbury was already planning another tour the following year.

1887 proved to be Shrewsbury's best season, 1653 runs at 78.71, his batting average was the highest ever achieved narrowly beating W.G. Grace's record of 78.25 set in 1871. At one point Shrewsbury made consecutive scores of 119, 152, 81, 130 and 111 and finished the season by scoring his highest first-class score of 267 against Middlesex. During the season Shrewsbury passed 10,000 career first-class runs.

In 1887–88 Shrewsbury made his final tour to Australia which turned into a financial disaster as the Melbourne Club were financing their own touring team. In Shrewsbury's team first match at Melbourne only four first-team Victoria players were picked leading to a farce as the tourists won by an innings and 456 runs, Shrewsbury scored 232, becoming the first Englishman to score a double century in Australia. The two touring teams combined for a Test against Australia at Sydney, Shrewsbury top scored with 44 in a low-scoring match which England won. In the final fixture of the tour Shrewsbury scored another double century to finish with 721 runs at 65.54, 500 more than anyone else. To try to recoup some of his losses Shrewsbury stayed in Australia after the cricket tour and managed an English rugby football team, this meant he missed the 1888 English cricket season. The football tour in fact added to the losses, ending in a £800 deficit to add to the £2400 lost on the cricket leg of the tour.