The Fitzroy Baseball Club, known as the Fitzroy Lions, is a baseball club founded in 1889 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria. The club was a founding member of the Victorian Baseball League, Victoria's first organised baseball competition. Fitzroy has won 16 Division 1 championships and currently has seven senior men's teams, one women's team and a masters team competing in the Baseball Victoria Summer League, as well as junior sides representing the club at every age level.
Early history
The Fitzroy Baseball Club was founded by the Fitzroy Cricket Club in 1889, the cricket club also founded the Fitzroy Football Club, Tennis Club and Bowls Club. The first intimation to form a baseball club was received by the committee from Mr E. Glass on 20 May 1889, and it was resolved at the next committee meeting to form a team in connection with the club.
Fitzroy was a foundation member of the Victorian Baseball League which was formed under the guidance of Harry Simpson in March 1889. The other foundation teams were; Victoria, MCC, Fitzroy, Richmond, Richmond Cricket Club, Ferguson, Mitchell, The Age, St Kilda, Malvern, Carlton, South Melbourne, East Melbourne, Metropolitans, Essendon and Blackburn.
Several notable cricketers played for Fitzroy early in the club's history including cricketer Bill Ponsford who played for Fitzroy from 1913 to 1934 and the Harvey brothers (Neil Harvey, Merv Harvey, Mick Harvey, Ray Harvey, Harold Harvey and Brian Harvey) who played from the 1930s to the 1960s.
Recent history 2009/10: Division 2 club champions Fitzroy Baseball Club had a season winning the Baseball Victoria's Division 2 Club Championship Award and gaining promotion to division 1. The club championship reflected the club's depth throughout all grades, after the home and away season the 1sts finished second, the 2nds finished, the 3rds went undefeated throughout the season, the 4ths finished second and the 5ths finished fifth; resulting in three premierships. The award was a fitting tribute to the 120 year anniversary of the club.
2015/16: Division 2 runners up and promotion to division 1 Fitzroy were runners up in the division 2 grand final to Moorabbin Baseball Club earning promotion to division 1 for the 2016/17 season. Taylor Eichhorst won the Division 2 home run championship and John Peterson was honoured as the Baseball Victoria Coach of the Year for his work coaching the lions back into division 1.2015-16 Baseball Victoria Awardsvicsummerleague.baseball.com.au
2016/17: Division 1 club champions In the club's first year back in division 1 it won the club championship and made the first division 1 finals appearance for the firsts since 1961. Following the Christmas break Fitzroy's firsts strung together ten consecutive victories to surge into playoff contention, bowing out in the conference playoff against Essendon. Josh Tols starred on the mound with a 0.20 ERA winning the league's best pitcher award and new club coach Tom Dicker was a standout with the bat, finishing with a 0.421 batting average (the 3rd best in the league) and a 0.513 OBA.And then there were four divisions vicsummerleague.baseball.com.au VIVA Baseball awards vicsummerleague.baseball.com.au Four Fitzroy players were also recognised in the league allstar team Alex Turlea, Josh Tols, Tom Dicker and Zach Rhodes
In the 2016/2017 year the club's 1sts, 2nds, 4ths and 5ths all made it into the playoffs helping to secure the club championship. The 2nds won the grand final 6-4 against Waverley making it back to back premierships for the team.
Notable players Bill Ponsford
William Harold "Bill" Ponsford MBE (19 October 1900 – 6 April 1991) started his baseball career at Alfred Crescent School (now Fitzroy North Primary School), where his coach was the former Victorian player Charles Landsdown. As a junior Ponsford played shortstop,Leckey (2006), p. 131. later as a senior for the Fitzroy Baseball Club he converted to catching. Ponsford was a key member of the all conquering 1920's Fitzroy Maroons, captaining the club to its historic 1925 premiership, the Club's fifth consecutive Division 1 premiership.
Ponsford improved rapidly and by 1913 he was included in the Victorian schoolboys side for a tournament in Adelaide. He was again selected in the following year—now as a catcher—representing his state at the first national schoolboys championship in Sydney. The tournament coincided with a visit to Australia by two professional major league teams from the United States—the Chicago White Sox and the New York Giants. The manager of the Giants, John "Mugsy" McGraw, watched part of the tournament; the Ponsford family claim that McGraw was so impressed with Ponsford's skills that he later spoke to Ponsford's parents about the possibility of Bill playing in the United States.
In 1919, Ponsford was selected for Victoria's baseball team, alongside future Test cricket teammate Jack Ryder. In 1923, The Sporting Globe claimed that Ponsford was "... the best batter of the season. ... Indeed, as an all-round man, it is doubtful if he has a superior in the state."Leckey (2006), pp. 133–134. In 1925, Ponsford captained the Victorian team and was selected as centre fielder in an Australian representative team that played three matches against an outfit from the United States Pacific Fleet, which had docked in Melbourne. Over the three matches, won by the Australians, Ponsford had five safe hits and his batting average was .357.Leckey (2006), p. 136. Ponsford's next match against American opposition was against a team from Stanford University that visited Australia in 1927. Ponsford's Victorian team defeated Stanford 5–3; it was the visitors' only loss on the tour.Leckey (2006), p. 139.
Ponsford simultaneously retired from baseball and cricket in 1934. In his newspaper column, he said that he liked both sports equally. He felt that baseball gave a player more opportunities to perform: "In cricket you may have the bad luck to get out early; which often means a blank afternoon. It is not so with baseball; you are in the game all the time."Leckey (2006), p. 127. Joe Clark, the author of History of Australian Baseball, said "Ponsford is considered by many to be the best baseballer of his time in Australia."Quoted in Leckey (2006), pp. 126–127 The official program for the 1952 Claxton Shield—held in Perth—made a similar claim.
Graeme Deany Graeme started playing cricket at Fitzroy Cricket Club as a 13-year-old in 1949. At the cricket club Ray Harvey noticed his athletic ability, throwing and fielding and invited Graeme to join the Fitzroy Baseball Club where he started as a 16-year-old in the seconds in 1953 (there were no junior teams at the time). Graeme started playing baseball at left field and for 2 seasons at Fitzroy played alongside Neil Harvey at center field and his younger brother Ian Deany at right field. After those first two seasons he moved into the infield playing shortstop and 3rd base for the rest of his career at the top level of baseball.
Graeme played baseball for Fitzroy from 1953 to 1962 and then 1964 to 1965. After one season of baseball he was selected on the bench for the club's 1954 A-grade Grand final victory against St Kilda 6-4 at the Junction Oval. In 1963 he moved to Footscray as captain / coach and then returned to Fitzroy to captain / coach in 1964 and 1965. Finally in 1966 he moved to Ivanhoe and coached them to a C grade premiership.
Graeme was a member of the Victorian Claxton Shield Team for 11 consecutive years (from 1956 to 1966), winning the Claxton Shield 4 times playing at SS and 3rd Base and playing in 72 of 74 possible games. He was selected in the Australian team 9 times and 7 years in a row from 1957 to 1963, an Australian record at the time. He won the Helms award in 1965 for the best player of the Australian championships, the first Victorian to win the Helms award.
Australian Baseball Hall of Fame Graeme Deany – inducted 2005
Helms Award winners The 'Helms' award is arguably Australian baseball's most prestigious individual award. Since 1962 the 'Helms' award has been awarded each year to the most outstanding player of the Claxton Shield competition (Australian baseball's annual national tournament). The following Fitzroy Baseball club players have won the award:Helms award recipients
Graeme Deany – 1965
Baseball Victoria life members John King – inducted 2015
International / national representatives Australian team Bill Ponsford – 1920's Neil Harvey – 1946 Ray Harvey – 1948 Graeme Deany – 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966 Josh Tols – 2017 World Baseball Classic Allie Bebbere – 2023 World Cup
Victorian team
Bill Ponsford – 1919, 1920 1922, 1927 H Lansdown – 1922, 1927 A Dummett – 1927 Alan Logan – 1930s Tom Ruddell – 1934 Ted Melling – 1934 Howard Parkin – 1936 (captain) McCarthy – 1938 J Plant – 1938, 1939 (captain coach) Merv Harvey – 1940s Neil Harvey – 1946, 1950, 1951 Mick Harvey – 1940–50s Ray Harvey – 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951 Brian Harvey – 1940–50s Don Arnall – 1952 Keith Cant – 1950, 1951, 1952 J. Knight – 1950, 1952 A. McLean – 1951, 1952 Neil Turl – 1956 Glen Tippett – 1950, 1951, 1952, 1956 Graeme Deany – 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966 Allie Bebbere – 2019, 2022, 2023
Melbourne Aces Fitzroy has had several clubmen represent the Melbourne Aces playing professional baseball in the Australian Baseball League, including:
Jamie Lethborg – 2011/12 John Edwards – 2011/12 Adam Rowe – 2012/13 Josh Tols – 2016-2019
Legends and life members Club legends Graham Moss John King Norm McHenry Jim Bolkas Graeme Deany Laurie Mazzocato Edward Sedgman Karen King Michael Chambers Tony Wyatt
Life members Source:
Graham Moss – 1980/81 Rick Stevens – 1981/82 Ross Stevens – 1981/82 Laurie Mazzocato – 1986/87 Paul Farris – 1990/91 Frank Hanlon – 1990/91 Don Hevey – 1990/91 Greg Hooper – 1990/91 Peter Hooper – 1990/91 Joan Hooper – 1990/91 Norm McHenry – 1990/91 Michael Chambers – 1992/93 Ed Evans – 1992/93 Barbara Wood – 1992/93 Chris Wilson – 1993/94 Steve Brooke – 1993/94 Ian Brown – 1993/94 Marcia Brown – 1993/94 Lloyd Ingram – 1993/94 David Jones – 1993/94 John King – 1993/94 Karen King – 1993/94 Wendy McHenry – 1994/95 Joe Salanitri – 1995/96 Colin Richardson – 1997/98 Bruce Robinson – 1997/98 Judy Wilson – 1997/98 Tony Wyatt – 1997/98 Storm Arnott – 2003/04 Jim Beitzel – 2003/04 Jim Bolkas – 2003/04 Tony Bullen – 2003/04 Gaele Kirk – 2006/07 Ingar Kirkland – 2007/08 Peter Wilson – 2008/09 Karl Leake – 2011/12 Geoff Freeth – 2014/15 Gerard Joss – 2014/15 Mark McCloskey – 2014/15 Phyllis Hargreaves – 2016/17 Marc Heenan - 2020/21 Darren Hill - 2020/21 D'Arcy Mills - 2021/22 Tony King - 2022/23 Carl Wilson - 2022/23
Club honour roll