 Previous tours had tended to involve amateur English sides with a low level of competition.In 1897 a schedule was made including all of the top county cricket teams, the Oxford and Cambridge University teams, the Marylebone Cricket Club, and two other sides, though only a few of the counties thought it worthwhile to put their best elevens onto the field.Starting on June 7 at Oxford, the tour lasted for two months and ended in late July at The Oval.