On 19 August 1953, England regained the Ashes for the first time since the 1932-33 Bodyline series by beating Australia by 8 wickets at The Oval. The Coronation summer of Queen Elizabeth II ended with Denis Compton sweeping Arthur Morris to the boundary at 5.53pm and Brian Johnston shouting 'It's the Ashes!' on BBC radio. The match closed twenty years of Australian dominance and crowned Len Hutton's first full year as captain.
England had not held the Ashes since Douglas Jardine's 1932-33 Bodyline tour. The sides played out a 2-2 draw at home in 1934, then Bradman's Australians dominated. Post-war, Bradman's 1948 Invincibles and Hassett's 1950-51 side had reasserted Australian power. The 1953 series, in Coronation summer, was loaded with cultural expectation.
England, captained by Hutton, came to The Oval after four high-quality draws including the famous Bailey-Watson rearguard at Lord's. Australia, led by Lindsay Hassett with Keith Miller and Ray Lindwall as the spear of the attack, were defending the urn they had held since regaining it in 1934. Hutton lost the toss for the fifth time in the series — a unique distinction for an Ashes-winning captain — and was forced to bowl on a wearing pitch with the spinners Jim Laker and Tony Lock as his weapons of choice.
Australia made 275 in their first innings; Lindwall top-scored with 62 and Lock took 5 for 45, Laker 4 for 75. England replied with 306 thanks to Hutton's 82 and Trevor Bailey's 64. Australia's second innings collapsed to 162 all out — Lock 5 for 45 again and Laker 4 for 75 again, the spinners exploiting the dust at both ends. England needed 132 to win.
Hutton was the third out for 17. Bill Edrich and Peter May fell. Compton, with 78 not out, drove and swept the chase to its conclusion. The winning runs came from a sweep off Morris's part-time left-arm spin. The crowd swarmed the outfield. Compton was carried to the pavilion by spectators. Brian Johnston's shout — 'It's the Ashes! It's the Ashes!' — was preserved as one of cricket's iconic broadcast moments.
15 August: Hassett wins the toss for fifth time; Australia bat.
Day 1: Lock 4/45; Australia 275.
Day 3: England 306; Hutton 82, Bailey 64.
Day 4: Australia 162; Lock and Laker share 9 wickets.
Day 5: England chase 132; Compton sweeps Morris for 4 to win.
Brian Johnston: 'It's the Ashes!' on BBC radio.
Crowd carries Compton off the field.
15 August 1953
Toss won by Hassett; Australia bat 275.
17 August
England 306.
18 August
Australia 162; England need 132.
19 August 5.53pm
Compton sweeps Morris for 4; Ashes regained.
“It's the Ashes! It's the Ashes!”
“I have done my duty.”
England retained the Ashes in Australia in 1954-55 with Frank Tyson destroying the home batting. They held the urn for the rest of the decade, winning 1956 and 1958-59 (drawn 1956, lost 1958-59 in Australia, but the 1956 series at home was retained). Hutton's reputation was sealed.
Compton's sweep became one of the most replayed pieces of British cricket footage; for years the BBC used the clip in their trade-test transmissions.
A profound national moment in Coronation year. England had endured nearly two decades of Australian superiority and had finally turned the tide under Hutton's calm professionalism, supported by world-class spin from Laker and Lock and steady batting from Compton, Bailey and May.
Coronation Ashes remain a touchstone of English cricket history. The win demonstrated that the post-war reconstruction of the side under Hutton, Bedser, Compton and the emerging Laker-Lock spin pair had succeeded. It is regarded as one of the great moments in the cultural pageantry of 1953, alongside the Coronation itself and Hillary's ascent of Everest.
Hutton, who lost every toss of the series, has since been cited as a model of captain who triumphs by quality of side and shrewdness of decision rather than luck.
Yorkshire v Essex
1932-06-16
On 15-16 June 1932 Herbert Sutcliffe (313) and Percy Holmes (224*) put on 555 for the first wicket against Essex at Leyton, breaking the world first-class record for any wicket and adding a layer of folklore — including a scoreboard that read 554 for several minutes and a hastily reversed declaration — that has clung to the partnership ever since.
Australia v England
1933-02-14
With the fate of the Bodyline series in the balance and England 216 for 6 chasing 340, Eddie Paynter checked himself out of a Brisbane hospital where he was being treated for acute tonsillitis, taxied to the Gabba in pyjamas and a dressing gown, and batted for nearly four hours to score 83. England drew level on first innings, won the Test by six wickets and the series 4-1.
Australia
1934-09-25
Days after the 1934 Oval Test, Bradman fell seriously ill with appendicitis that progressed to peritonitis. With antibiotics not yet available, he was given little chance of survival; his wife Jessie left Adelaide on a sea voyage to England prepared for the worst. He recovered after weeks of intensive nursing in a London nursing home and returned to first-class cricket the following Australian summer.