Baseball’s rich 90-year history in Bendigo

BENDIGO’S tight-knit and ardent baseball community is swinging into celebration mode, ready to mark a sensational 90 year-innings of organised competition in the region.

A massive milestone for the Bendigo Baseball Association (BBA), its proud history will be showcased at a community event at Albert Roy Reserve in Eaglehawk on Sunday 19 April.

The celebrations will feature junior games, senior women’s and men’s matches between Bendigo and the Essendon Baseball Club, a home run derby featuring some of the region’s biggest hitters, baseball activities for the public and displays highlighting the association’s rich history.

The festivities will hit-off the evening before with a hall of fame and life members dinner at the Bendigo Club, recognising the many volunteers, players and administrators who have shaped the association over nine decades.

From humble beginnings in 1936, when a small group gathered at the YMCA to establish a local competition, baseball in Bendigo has grown into a proud sporting tradition producing state and national representatives, passionate volunteers and generations of local players.

Today the Bendigo Baseball Association thrives, with five clubs – Falcons, Scots, Bendigo East, Strathfieldsaye Dodgers and Central Victorian Rangers – contributing to a strong and growing baseball community.

The 90th anniversary milestone serves as not only a testament to a proud and resilient past, but to a bright future.

“Baseball has been played in Bendigo for generations and many people are surprised to discover how strong the game still is here,” BBA president Jayson Strahan said.

 

“This celebration is an opportunity for former players, supporters and the wider community to reconnect with the sport and see what Bendigo baseball is all about.”

While the game has stood the test of time in Bendigo, its beginnings were somewhat shaky.

An air of excitement prevailed at the Allingham Street Oval in Golden Square for the first scheduled matches in 1936.

Unfortunately the weather had other ideas, forcing the first games to be postponed.

When play finally got underway the following weekend, Cricketers defeated Cosmoes and School of Mines beat the State Electricity Commission (SEC).

Cricketers emerged unbeaten during the first season, becoming the association’s inaugural premiers.

A year later, the number of teams competing had grown to six.

Not even World War Two could halt baseball’s impressive momentum in Bendigo.

While the competition paused briefly in 1942, games resumed the following year, with the BBA playing an active role in supporting wartime fundraising efforts for soldiers and their families.

Those endeavours were driven by founding president E.A. Cambridge, who led the league until 1951, and is still the association’s longest-serving leader.

The post-war years were highlighted by steady growth.

 

By 1949, nine senior and four junior teams were competing.

From this era emerged one of the association’s all-time greats, Alby Jack.

One of five brothers who played locally, Alby was not only a standout baseballer, but a star track athlete and golfer, whose achievements earned him places in both the BBA Hall of Fame and Bendigo Sportsmen’s Hall of Fame.

In an effort to future-proof the sport, serious emphasis in the 1960s was placed on junior development initiatives, with Bendigo East Baseball Club’s John Hutchinson spearheading the creation of a junior sub-committee aimed at growing participation in schools.

As a consequence, junior competitions expanded steadily, giving senior clubs the strong player base needed to survive and flourish.

The sport was played at many venues during this period, including Millers Square, the new showgrounds and St Vincent’s College.

It wasn’t until 1979 that the BBA made the move to developed land in Victoria Street, Eaglehawk, at the now familiar Albert Roy Reserve, the association’s long-time base.

“Over the years it has seen more than its fair share of drama, including two club fires and even a mine shaft opening beneath the left field of one diamond,” explained BBA secretary and hall of famer Terry Smith.

 

“Despite the challenges, the reserve helped the sport grow and allowed clubs to install lighting for training and competition.”

Today, all five clubs maintain their own grounds.

A source of pride for the association remains the pathway provided to outstanding junior talent to major Melbourne clubs, including Essendon and Newport, and beyond.

Smith said many players had progressed to represent Australia and play ABL, with several continuing their careers in college and semi-professional baseball in the US.

An accomplished list of names includes Paul Ferguson, Dennis Kennedy, Josh Davies, Greg Evans, Mark Stewart, Casey Jones, Sam Moon, Stuart Ritchie, Tim Dellwo, Nolan Maher and Alby Jack.

Female state representatives have included Madeline Davis, Courtney Foura, Lisa Smart and Zoe Murphy.

Currently, Billy Parsons and Marcus Murphy are national representatives.

Another landmark moment for the BBA arrived in 2003 with the establishment of a four-team women’s league.

Hailed by Smith as ‘another step forward’, it ran for six years.

Bendigo would eventually host women’s series between the visiting Japanese national team and the Australian Emeralds in 2018 and 2019.

As the countdown to its 90th anniversary winds down, BBA publicity officer Helen Rothacker said the association could be proud of the journey.

 

“We’ve got five clubs at the moment, but in the past we’ve had many more … up to a dozen,” she said.

“Baseball has always been strong and even continued on throughout the war when many other sports didn’t.

“The people who are interested in the sport are very dedicated and the interest generally goes for generations in their families.

“It’s a tight-knit community, but always welcoming to newcomers.”

Ninety years on, it’s the love of the game and the family atmosphere that keep the sport prospering in Bendigo.

“The people involved admire the game. It’s low injury … you can play it until you are older than many other sports,” she said.

“But you can’t get away from the teamwork.

“It’s those things that keep people engaged and it’s the game that keeps people coming back.”

The BBA’s 90th diamond jubilee celebrations hit-off at 9am, with the association extending a welcome to all former players, administrators, supporters and members of the community.

Public activities will include batting nets, a strike-zone challenge and speed-gun pitching Entry is free. For more information visit bendigobaseball.com.au.