1961 Australian Touring Team Memorabilia Collection

Australia in England 1961, Official team photograph titled '23rd Australian Touring Team, 1961' depicting the whole playing squad and officials (including A.E. James) laid down on backing card with the names printed below, overall 35.5 x 45.5 cm. Together with the official 'Programme of Matches' card signed by all the players, an official team sheet signed by all the players and officials and a printed team photograph with printed player signatures to which the 4 accompanying officials have added their original signatures. Finally, an unsigned official team postcard. (5 items). Provenance: The estate of A.E.James, Physiotherapist to the Australian Cricket Team, 1930s-1960s. The Australians played 37 matches during this long trip, but the main business of the tour was the five Test Series which Australia won 2-1, under the captaincy of Richie Benaud, thus retaining the Ashes. No captain of my time has impressed me more than Richie Benaud. Richie had the gift of making you feel you were a better player than you really were. He made his players believe they could win, even when the cause looked utterly hopeless. Nothing illustrated more clearly Richie's adroit handling of men than his leadership of the 1961 Australian team which came to Britain. They should never have won the rubber with those players, but Richie instilled into them his belief in themselves - this attitude that 'there is nothing we cannot achieve if we set our minds to it'. Ray Illingworth