History of the Elsternwick Cricket Club

The Club was founded in 1900, and played on a ground that was loaned by a local private landowner.  In order to develop its own facilities, the Club commenced a campaign to raise funds for the building of the ground, now known as Elsternwick Park Main Oval (Oval No. 1), Glenhuntly Road, Elsternwick.  The ground was opened in 1903.

Over the next five years, fundraising enabled the development of tennis courts, a hockey ground and pavilion.  Later, baseball and lawn bowling facilities were added, resulting in a large sporting complex for the locals.  The Club was the managing body responsible for the maintenance of the grounds and other facilities.

In 1908, the Club joined the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association as a founding member. In the 1930's, the second ground was completed.  At that time, Elsternwick Park became only the second complex in Australia with two turf grounds, the other one being the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Interestingly, the Club was the first owner of a motorised turf roller in Australia. The Club has continued to play a significant role in the development of Elsternwick Park’s facilities, with the construction of the present pavilion in 1983, and the building of public synthetic practice wickets on Oval No. 2. The installation of an automatic sprinkler system on the main oval was completed in March 2002.

The Club celebrated its centenary during the 2001/2002 season with a number of social functions being staged. At the Club’s Centenary Dinner Elsternwick’s Team Of The Century was announced. A written history of the Club is also planned.

The Club has had a continuous association with Elsternwick Park for nearly one hundred years, being the initiators of the development of swampland into the sporting complex available today. The Club' members are looking foward to the continued occupancy of Elsternwick Park through the next millennium.