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HISTORY OF:
TOORONGA DISTRICT CRICKET CLUB
MELBOURNE TOORONGA LADIES CRICKET CLUB
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There is some conjecture as to when the Tooronga District Cricket club was founded. According to the Eastern Suburbs Cricket Association (ESCA), the club entered the association in 1917-18, but the clubs own history shows the club as being formed in the 1918-19 season. The club was founded by a small group of local residents including the Yung brothers, G. Carter, and W. Holt - with Doctor J Ellis-Gillespie as its first president. Its inaugural meeting was held in the waiting room of the Gardiner railway station, as there were no local facilities suitable to accommodate such a meeting, certainly none with an open fire.
In its first full season in 1919-20, in ESCA, the club won its first senior premiership and was again successful in 1920-21 and 1921-22. In 1921-22 the club had three matting sides. In 1922-23 the club left the ESCA to play on turf (the ESCA established a turf grade in 1936-37), joining the Caulfield-Moorabbin association. The club went back to matting in the 1930’s.
The club played at the Johnson Oval at Tooronga, named after a former Mayor of Malvern and a Tooronga supporter for many years. It wasn’t until the 1930’s that the club had a permanent pavilion, the pavilion being transferred from the Malvern Cricket ground and rebuilt by members of the cricket club, and the Malvern Amateur Football club. In the 1940’s the Caulfield and Moorabbin competition was formed into separate associations, Tooronga playing in the Caulfield District Association, which subsequently became the Caulfield-Mercantile Association.
Tooronga Park and Johnson oval in the 40’s 50’s and 60’s, in many ways operated as a private club with gates at the entrance, which were shut after dark to eliminate its reputation as the local “Lovers Lane”.
In 1976 the club re-established itself on turf after some 40 years on matting, formed a ladies team, and appointed its first professional coach in John Miles, an ex district cricketer of many years, and acquired its first liquor licence. Its senior team and its ladies side were both premiers in this year of rejuvenation.
Due to the building of the South Eastern (now Monash) Freeway in 1988, the club went through 3 years of disruption, relocating to Kooyong Park and finally to its current location at DW Lucas Oval in Darling Park. Its new Pavilion cost $0.75million, the Tooronga District Cricket Club and the Tooronga Malvern football club raising some $0.5million of this sum under the umbrella of the Malvern Sports Club - now a fully licenced club which is able to offer amenities greatly superior to that of the old E.J. Frost pavilion.
In 1993 the ladies part of the club, which had been struggling for many years to attract new players, merged with the Melbourne ladies cricket club to form the Melbourne Tooronga ladies cricket club.
The Melbourne ladies cricket club had been formed in 1964, by the late June Cole and others, and like Tooronga ladies had had limited success since its formation, but did claim several Victorian and Australian players.
The amalgamation brought immediate success, Melbourne-Tooronga taking out the senior premiership in its first year after the amalgamation. It followed up with premierships in 1995-96 and 1997-98.
While there have been highs and lows since Tooronga District's formation, the mens sides have had considerable success, having won in excess of thirty premierships, mostly at the senior level. In particular, seven premierships in its first six years, six in a row by the first eleven, again from 1949-50 to 1954-55 another six premierships, runners up in 1955-56, then another three during the period 1956-57 to 1958-59. Under Bill Lee, the club won back-to-back premierships in 1970-71 and 1971-72, with further premierships in 1976-77, 1986-87 and 1996-97.
The club has been fortunate since its formation to have some excellent administration and support committee people. Doctor Gillespie, the first president served for a period of 21 years, Percy Ross the first treasurer was still umpiring in the late 60’s even though he needed a guide dog to get to the ground. Jim Frost, club secretary for almost thirty years, Jim Smith, local Tooronga grocer, who was a member for over fifty years, 46 years as a player, and President for over ten years. In more recent years, the club has relied on long term committee people and life members such as Steve Mason, Bryan Artis, Bill Lee, and Peter Leerson who have taken on positions of President, Secretary, Treasurer, Delegate and Auditor.
While much of the clubs player success has been lost or forgotten due to the passing of the years, some of the players who should be remembered include:
- Len Hatherall, an all-rounder, who played between 1941-42 and 1966-67, won eight batting and four bowling averages, including many for the association and held numerous association records.
- Alan Mobray, spin bowler, 1941-42 to 1964-65, winner of 12 senior averages, at times thought to be unplayable and regularly taking eight or nine wickets in an innings. In the latter part of his career Alan suffered from arthritis so badly he used to find a bee to sting him prior to playing to ease the pain.
- Jim Toone, champion wicket keeper, who achieved 47 dismissals in 1961-62.
- Roy Reddaway, champion batsman, thirty-five years at the club 1940-41 to 1974-75, who won the senior average on 19 occasions.
- Laurie Williams, 1938-39 to 1974-75, not necessarily a champion player, but a club stalwart and committee person, and winner of numerous averages in the lower grades.
There is no doubt that many of these players should have played district cricket or higher and there were some who combined a league football career whilst playing cricket with Tooronga District. International players at the club included Norm De La Harpe (Sri Lanka) and Kevin Jarvis (England).
In 2000 the club announced its mens team of the twentieth century, as follows :
W.Lee, P.Leerson, L.Stonehouse, R. Reddaway, B. Sanders, L. Hatherall, L. Whelan, B. Artis, J. Toone, T. Matheson, M. Mobray, & J. Zsarik.
Melbourne-Tooronga also announced a team of players as its team of the century, as follows :
E. Bray, P. O’Meara, M. Girdler, J. Clements, C. Harrison, J. Wilson, T. King, L. Germaine, Z. Goss, J. Boyce, L. Broadfoot, B. Page. Coach J. Cole
It is hoped that new players and administrators will take up the challenge to build on what has been established by those who have come before, and who have done so much to ensure the clubs ongoing success.
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