The day The Ashes was born

It was August 29, 1882 when the genesis of the most famous cricketing contest in history was triggered by a man with a mo.

Frederick Spofforth, known as Fred to his mates and the Demon to his foes, took umbrage to a nasty incident in Australia's second innings against England at The Oval that fired up the ferocious fast bowler and left him demanding vengeance.

WG Grace, England's big dog batsman of the 19th century, ran out 21-year-old Australian Sam Jones in controversial fashion, unknowingly stirring the Demon and sealing England's fate.

Batting with Aussie skipper Bill Murdoch, Jones completed a regulation single and after reaching his crease returned mid-pitch to do some gardening. He was then run out by Grace who had collected the ball at point and removed the bails to the shock of the batsman on the field and the outrage of the Australians in the pavilion.

When Murdoch was dismissed and back in the dressing room, an irate Spofforth questioned his captain about the incident, to which Murdoch answered: "It wasn't the most courteous piece of sportsmanship I've seen, Fred".

Spofforth blew up: "I swear to you, England will not win this".

Truer words have never been spoken.

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The Demon called up the help of his mates Diablo, Lucifer and Beelzebub and unleashed hell itself on the English who were cocky in their approach of the underwhelming target of 85.

He began by scattering the stumps of 'Monkey' Hornby with a ball described as "the quickest on English soil in a decade", then cartwheeled first-drop's pegs to leave England 2-15.

Did we mention that the other opening batsman was Grace himself! Well he was, and to be fair he played pretty well, though he did enjoy the non-striker's end when Spofforth was breathing fire.

The third wicket put on 36, so in a move of tactical genius, Murdoch wheeled his strike weapon to the pavilion end where it was more difficult to see in the dimming evening light.

It was from here where the Demon ripped the heart out of the hosts, delivering off-cutter after off-cutter with unholy accuracy and searing pace.

George Ulyett was his next victim, caught behind with a straight one, and he then went about lumberjacking Alfred Lyttelton's timber and sending Allan Steel packing for nought to have his five-for. But there were still Englishmen capable of swinging the willow, so he continued.

Amid the chaos, Grace was dismissed by Harry Boyle for 32, comfortably the top score of the innings. It's unknown whether the Spoff gave WG a send-off as he trudged back to the sheds, but being a scathing, blood-thirsty fast bowler, we're pretty sure he would have told him where to go, or at the very least how to get there.

Maurice Reed failed to trouble the scorers, bowled by yep, you guessed it, the Demon. Still, at 7-70, the favouritism was with the hosts.

But when Spofforth castled Lucas for five off 55 balls, England were 8-75 and didn’t want to be out there.

The pressure applied by the colonists was too extreme, at one stage bowling 12 straight maidens, which forced the English tailenders to thrash wildly at anything pitched up.

Boyle got one to bite, collect the glove of Billy Barnes and leave the Old Enemy reeling at 9-75. Two runs later, No.11 Ted Peate was bowled by Boyle to send the crowd silent and the Aussies jubilant.

Spofforth was chaired off the field by his teammates. The Demon had done it. He vowed an Australian win and by gum he delivered.

The man of the match/century finished with match figures of 14-90, bringing with it the famous mock obituary in the Sporting Times that declared the death of English cricket and the creation of the Ashes.