The
Sydney Riot of 1879 was a
civil disorder that occurred at an early international
cricket match. It took place in Sydney, Australia, at the Association Ground,
Moore Park, now known as the
Sydney Cricket Ground, during a match between a touring
English team captained by
Lord Harris and
New South Wales, led by
Dave Gregory, who was also the
captain of Australia. The riot was sparked by a controversial umpiring decision, when star Australian batsman
Billy Murdoch was
given out by
George Coulthard, a
Victorian employed by the Englishmen. The dismissal caused an uproar among the parochial spectators, many of whom surged onto the
pitch and assaulted Coulthard and some English players. It was alleged that
illegal gamblers in the New South Wales pavilion, who had bet heavily on the home side, encouraged the riot because the tourists were in a dominant position and looked set to win. Another theory given to explain the anger was that of
intercolonial rivalry, that the New South Wales crowd objected to what they perceived to be a slight from a Victorian umpire.