The Tasmania Branch of the Australian Cricket Society was formed in 1988.
Currently it has some 250 members across the State who participate in a variety of functions and meetings at Bellerive’s Blundstone Arena in Hobart during First Class matches.
On the field, ACS members can play with the Last Over XI or our associates’ team the Thylacines XI.
Both sides maintain a playing program of six to eight games each season, competing against similar teams from the north of the State and around Hobart – including the University Masters, Square Cuts XI and Northern Twilighters.
Off the field, the Society conducts regular functions – often with interstate or overseas speakers, an annual Australian Cricket Society dinner and an annual golf day for members and friends.
The monthly Break o’Day Newsletter provides articles about current cricket and past glories. Accounts of memorable matches (including our veteran games), biographies, interviews and cricketing gossip feature regularly.
The Society manages the Tasmanian Cricket Museum & Library located inside Blundstone Arena. It has a long-term commitment to this valuable cricket heritage centre.
In 2003 the Society donated a painting celebrating the One Day International: Australia vs England at Bellerive Oval on 11 January 2001. In recent times, the Society has sponsored the Ricky Ponting Corner in the museum and Cricket Tasmania’s 150th Anniversary painting as well as the Pre-Shield Tasmanian Cricketers display in the Cricket Tasmania Members Forecourt. The George Bailey portrait is another ACS initiative.
The Annual Membership Fee is $30 which includes family members.
For further information, please call the Australian Cricket Society: Tasmania Branch Membership Officer on (03) 6247 2065.
OR Please join the Australian Cricket Society – Tasmania Branch by downloading and completing the Membership Application Form here.
Australian Cricket Society Committee:
President: David Badcock
Vice President: Malcolm Brown
Secretary: Gill McClelland
Treasurer: Vicki Harrison
Committee Members: Tony Roberts, Geoff Rowlands, Mike Gandy.
ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN CRICKET SOCIETY
The Australian Cricket Society was founded in 1967 by a group of cricket aficionados led by Melbourne lawyer Andrew Joseph.
Along with founding President Radcliffe Grace, their vision was the creation of a fraternity of cricket lovers to celebrate and “repay the tremendous pleasure we receive from the game.”
That inaugural vision remains true today.
For over five decades, many thousands of members and friends have celebrated the game through dinners, meetings, film nights and the like.
Down through the years, the Society has been addressed by the ‘Who’s Who’ of cricket including Sir Donald Bradman, Lindsay Hassett, Paul Sheahan, Ian Healy, David Boon and in more recent years – Kim Hughes, Damien Fleming and Darren Berry.
In 2008, the centenary of Don Bradman’s birth was celebrated in unique fashion with a High Tea Party at Melbourne’s historic Windsor Hotel.
Guests included Don’s son John Bradman, Arthur Morris, Kamahl and Cricket Victoria’s CEO Tony Dodemaide.
Members have been privileged to hear the thoughts of Prime Ministers, writers and prominent administrators of the game.
They’ve included Sir Robert Menzies, Bob Hawke, Christopher Martin Jenkins, Tim Rice, Gideon Haigh, Malcolm Speed and Jonathan Agnew.
Our flagship Pavilion Magazine is widely acclaimed as an annual journal “which may be provocative, critical, yet not destructive or sensational while being reasonably topical.”
Under the stewardship of current President and Editor Ken Piesse, Pavilion is a great ambassador for the Society sought by cricket lovers worldwide.
The Society’s quarterly newsletter Scoresheet has provided members with news of activities and upcoming events since 1968.
It has known only one Editor – the legendary Doug Manning. For nearly 50 years, Doug has reported every function, result and item of cricket interest to members – a remarkable feat of endurance and dedication.
Members have enjoyed playing the game through its Wandering XI. Many otherwise park cricketers have welcomed the opportunity to rub shoulders with many former internationals played at some lovely venues in a friendly atmosphere.
Society members have long enjoyed tours to Golden Oldies and Vintage Cricket Carnivals around the world … a tradition that continues today.
The Australian Cricket Society’s original mission to promote the spirit of cricket continues today – nearly half a century on.
That unwavering focus is due to many who have served the Society well down through the years.
The most notable has been its select band of Honorary Life Members: Sir Donald Bradman*, Fred Chamberlin*, Colin Barnes, Doug Manning, Steve Mason, Ian Stuart*, Rex Thompson, Ken Strickland*, Fred Hall, Richard Elvins*, Roger Page and Ian Hammet. *Deceased
Membership of the Australian Cricket Society is open to all. The Society has a proud history of welcoming all cricket lovers irrespective of gender, class or creed.
AUSTRALIAN CRICKET SOCIETY PATRON: Ricky Ponting
After retiring from a stellar career as one of the world’s best cricketers, Ricky has now joined the board of the Ponting Foundation.
Off the field, since 2002 Ricky and his wife Rianna have raised in excess of $10 million to help young Australians and their families beat cancer.
In 2008 Ricky and Rianna established the Ponting Foundation to provide focus to their fundraising efforts.
In 2012 Ricky was appointed as an Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AO); not only for his extraordinary cricketing achievements, but also for his distinguished service to the community through the establishment of the Ponting Foundation.
We are honoured to have Ricky as our patron with the Australian Cricket Society.
AUSTRALIAN CRICKET SOCIETY AWARDS
Jack Pollard Literary Award
The Australian Cricket Society awards the Jack Pollard Trophy for the leading Australian cricket book published over the previous 12 months.
A panel headed by renowned cricket book dealer and ACS Life Member Roger Page judges the winner that honours the late Jack Pollard, one of Australia’s leading cricket historians.
The winner in 2011 was Rick Smith for Blighted Lives – The Story Of Harry And Albert Trott. Alf Batchelder took out the award for the second time in 2010 with Hugh Trumble – A Cricketer’s Life while Gideon Haigh has won the award five times with The Cricket War (1994), The Summer Game (1998), Mystery Spinner (2000) and The Big Ship (2002) and in 2008 with co-author David Frith for The Inside Story.
Steve Mason Young Cricketer Of The Year Award
The Australian Cricket Society fosters young talent in the game through its annual Young Cricketer Of The Year Award.
Named in honour of Life Member Steve Mason, the inaugural winner in 1970 was Gary Cosier. Since then, the award has been won by many who’ve gone on to play First Class and Test cricket.
They include Merv Hughes, Tony Dodemaide, Ray Bright, Damien Fleming, Brad Hodge and Victorian veteran Cameron White.
Since 1984, outstanding young female cricketers have been honoured including Melanie Jones, Louise Broadfoot, Sarah Edwards and Meg Lanning. The 2014 recipients of the award were Matt Short and Sophie Molineux.
From time to time, the Society also makes encouragement and achievement awards and sponsors young cricketers to the Bryce McGain Elite Cricket Academy.
AUSTRALIAN CRICKET SOCIETY GUEST SPEAKERS
The Australian Cricket Society Annual Dinner is the feature event on the calendar and since 1968, the Society has been addressed by the ‘Who’s Who’ of the cricketing world.
Speakers include Sir Donald Bradman, Lindsay Hassett, Ian Johnson, Neil Harvey, Bill Lawry, Tony Greig, Ian Healy and in more recent years – Justin Langer, Damien Fleming, Kim Hughes and Barry Richards.
The evening is a haven for autograph hunters with even the menu becoming a sought after collectible.
Recordings of many of these dinners have been kept both for their historical value and the enjoyment of members.
Other prominent cricketing personalities to have addressed the Society include Australian Captains Brian Booth and Graham Yallop, writers Gideon Haigh, Roland Perry and Jonathan Agnew, plus numerous Test players and administrators of the game.