Heidelberg Cricket Club is formed…

(Page content extracted from “A Century of Cricket” - link at bottom of page)

Cricket, to us all, has an entrancing history.

The Heidelberg Cricket Club takes great pride in having contributed to the game some of the earliest and most picturesque matches in Victoria.

Following the days when “the ground” was opposite “The Old England Hotel” the foresight of the Club’s pioneers has preserved Heidelberg Park and its incomparable amphitheatre for the community and its sport.

Over these years, a long line of stalwarts has passed the game on to us, and at this, the Club Centenary, we pay tribute to those who have “kept it Cricket.”

Dr. John S Mills - HCC President (1957)

BEGINNINGS are more often than not obscure and difficult to ascertain, so it is not surprising that in spite of much research nothing is known as to who first suggested the formation of a cricket club at Heidelberg, or where or when the inaugural meeting was held.

However, we played our first match against Collingwood on January 1, 1857. Heidelberg scored a very meritorious win by 116 runs. The club was then known as the Yarra Yarra Cricket Club, and played in a small hollow below the Old England Hotel. Among the players who took part in this historic match were Walter Charles Brackenbury, Goldfields Warden and Magistrate at Anderson Creek (now Warrandyte), and some well-known early pioneers of the district in Bill White, the Edney Brothers and William Cobden.

Our second match was against Richmond on March 21. The Tigers were a very strong cricket body at that time, and though the match was not played out, the Yarra Yarra team scored 196 runs, a very creditable effort considering Richmond were playing four of the best known colonial cricketers of the day in Marshall, Barter, Rennie and Lewis. It was well past sunset when the home side completed their innings and the visitors had no opportunity of taking the wicket.

The following year Heidelberg commenced play with a memorable game against Collingwood on the M.C.G., when a large gathering of spectators saw the latter team break the ground record with a then mammoth score of 290. J. M. Bryant, a distinguished professional, batted for more than three hours, with the temperature at 95 degrees, to score 104. This was only the second century ever made in the Colony. Other players who did well were Beverly 81, Marshall 52, and the Victorian Captain, T. W. Wills, with seven wickets. Exhausted by their long day in the field, the Heidelberg team were all out for 34 (W. Cobden 15 not out).

Cricket writers praised Heidelberg's courage in fighting an uphill game. One of Collingwood's members even wrote to the sporting paper "Bell's Life in Victoria": "For the sake of cricket in general and Victoria in particular, I feel constrained to offer a few remarks. If Collingwood had brought their legitimate strength against Heidelberg they would have won honourably, but when they procure such cracks as Bryant, Wills, Rees and Marshall to compete with so young a team as Heidelberg. I consider it would be a lasting shame to cricketers if one of their members did not come forward to advocate the cause of Heidelberg."

The following week the Secretary of the Collingwood Club suggested that Heidelberg should play the Collingwood Seconds in the return match, which had been set down for New Year's Day. This did not appear to have met with any favor at all with the local club, who were bent upon avenging their defeat.

An article in Boxing Day's issue .of "Bell's Life" stated: "The merry little town of Heidelberg is coming out in great force for the occasion of the match to be played between the Yarra Yarra Club and their old antagonists `Collingwood' on New Year's Day. Picnics are being formed in vast numbers. Mrs. Denton, mine hostess of the 'Old England,' is laying in vast quantities of things consumable; and it is even whispered that the 'Fair Sex' are calling a meeting in regards to ascertain­ing their rights for holding a Taff."

Several leading Melbourne cricketers were numbered among the many spectators who assembled at the Heidelberg Ground to view the expected battle royal between the two clubs. Though they did not win, the local boys made a fine effort to recover their lost laurels. "Bell's Life" observed that the batting of E. Edney, Hendon, Cobden, Hamilton and White for the Locals was extremely good; indeed, added the journal: "The batting of White excited general admiration, and we are not surprised to hear that he has since been selected to the reserve of the team to play New South Wales." The scores were Collingwood 212 (Bryant 69, Warner 21); Heidelberg 157 (White 35, Cobden and Edney 12).

White did not get an opportunity to show his ability at the Third Grand Inter-Colonial Match between Victoria and N.S.W., which was played a fortnight later. More than 30,000 people thronged the M.C.G. to see this match, when Victoria won for the first time, by 171 runs.

Several other interesting matches were played that season, including a game against Emerald Hill (now South Melbourne), when the locals were beaten by two runs, 94 to 92. Samuel Hopkinson, who later played for Victoria, performed an un­parallelled feat when he took nine wickets, all bowled, for the visitors. E. Edney bowled splendidly for Heidelberg to take seven wickets.

Heidelberg scored 183 against Hawthorn (Cobden 48, Walters 31, and White 23), compared to 4 for 23 by their opponents at the close of play. But in a return match on St. Patrick's Day they did not fare so well. Hawthorn scored 218 and the local boys conceded the match after losing 7 wickets for 38 owing to the inhospitable state of the weather.

The final game of the season was a return match against Emerald Hill, which was drawn. As was customary at the time, the visitors were entertained to a convivial evening at the Old England after the match, and a very successful Ball was held to wind up the year's activities on June 24, 1858.

At the Annual General Meeting held on the 23rd of September, the Heidelberg Club was fortunate to obtain the services of the Hon. Frederick Aram Powlett as President. Mr. Powlett was Victoria's first Commissioner of Crown Lands. He was the founder of the Melbourne Cricket Club in 1838 and a most distinguished supporter of the game. Other office-bearers elected were Dr. G. S. C. Butler, M.D., Vice-President; A. Barnes, Treasurer; W. Collins, Hon. Secretary.

Heidelberg Cricket Club is officially formed, and has continued to operate to this day.