Saturday's clash between Beechworth and Ovens Valley United will mark the 160^th anniversary of the All England XI's tour match against a 22-man Ovens District side played at Beechworth's racecourse, now Baarmutha Park, in 1862.

Players from Beechworth, Indigo, Wahgunyah, Myrtleford, Yackandandah and Wangaratta were selected.

The English side arrived in Melbourne after a two-month boat journey from Liverpool and toured to Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat, Castlemaine, Hobart, Bathurst, Sydney and Beechworth.

After winning the toss, the English team elected to bat and reached the close of play at 7/210.

Ovens District dismissed the visitors on day two for 264, but had no answers for the English bowling as all 22 batsman were bundled out for just 20 in the 42^nd over.

The English XI enforced the follow on, and, despite a little more resistance the second time around, Ovens District was bowled out for 53 to complete the victory inside two days by an innings and 191 runs.

With the fixture finished well ahead of schedule, Englishman Ben Griffith agreed to play a demonstration match against 11 of the Ovens cricketers on what would have been the final day.

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With three fielders, Griffith bowled out the 11 for just one run, which was a no-ball.

He carefully passed the total on the fifth ball of his innings.

Beechworth Wanderers Cricket Club president Patrick McCarthy said the A grade side will wear commemorative caps and their traditional white playing strip to mark the occasion on Saturday.

"The English side were the best cricketers in the world at the time and they came over to Beechworth to play 22 miners," he said.

"A few years ago at the Burke Museum in Beechworth they had a sporting exhibition and there were some old photos.

"There were no photos from that match, but there were some newspaper clippings and a photo of the English team arriving on the horse and cart. It was a big affair."

McCarthy said the anniversary was timed well, with England in Australia for The Ashes, as a player from the Ovens District side was involved when the two nations first met in the Test arena.

"Curtis Reid, who played for the Ovens team, was from Wangaratta and went on to be the umpire of the first Test match 15 years later between England and Australia at the MCG," McCarthy said.

"Between Tarrawingee and Wangaratta there's a big farm called Reidsdale and he produced wine there and went on to secretary of the Melbourne Cricket Club in 1878."

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