 In 1852, several players set up the United All-England Eleven as a rival to the AEE, and from 1857 to 1866 the annual match between these two teams was arguably the most important contest of the English season – certainly judged by the quality of the players.The early overseas tours were organised as purely commercial ventures, as indeed were the first Test-playing tours.The first such tour was to North America by a team of English professionals, departing England in September 1859.