1935-36 souvenir baseball bat commemorating Western Australia's first interstate carnival

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Overview

The handle of the baseball bat, which had been broken, was repaired in three places with closely-wound wire. The wire was secured with melted solder. The neck of the bat has black cotton tape wound around to create a grip.

The lower portion of the bat was sawn in half along the length of the barrel, then joined together with two brass hinges and screws.

Handwritten inscriptions inside the bat include the results of three interstate Tests played between Western Australia and Victoria in 1936, and signatures of players and officials.

A further inscription informs that this bat is No. 3 of three original bats that were used in coaching baseballers in Western Australia in 1935-36. The names of the recipients of all three bats are also inscribed.

The manufacturer's name is stamped into the barrel of the bat.

Historical information

In 1935-36 competitive baseball was in its infancy in Western Australia. On 6 December 1935 the first Western Australian Baseball Association was formed. An invitation was extended to the Victorian Baseball Association to send a team to Perth to play a series of matches. The Western Australian selectors chose 17 'A1' grade players for three Test matches, to give as many players as practicable the chance of gaining the experience of an interstate game.

The first Test was played on Saturday 19 September 1936 at Gloucester Park, with Victoria narrowly defeating Western Australia 6 runs to 5. The following Wednesday the WACA Ground was the venue for the 2nd Test, with Western Australia defeating the Victorian team 8 runs to 4. On Saturday 26 September, at Gloucester Park, Victoria won the 3rd Test, 12 runs to 6.

The next year, in August 1937, Western Australia sent their first State team to compete in the Australian Baseball Carnival. Three other States, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, vied for the Claxton Shield trophy.

National Library of Australia [https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/85745669]; [https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/32989565]; [https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/82535454]

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-100-2020.362

Item type

Material

Width

6 cm

Height or length

85 cm

Themes

People

Social History

Sport

Inscriptions and markings

[Inscriptions on the left-hand side of the split bat]
No. 3 One of three original bats used in coaching baseballers
W.A. 1935-6

No. 1 R.R. Hindson
No. 2. R.N. Denford
No. 3. F.R. Taylor

[Signatures of the Victorian team and officials]
R.R. Denford Pres. VBA Manager
H. Parkin Capt
C.E. Boulton
H. King
T. Ruddell
A. Logan
C. Scott
Ted Melling
Les Smith
Jack Ferguson
George Heron
C. Johnson
J. Middleton

[Inscriptions on the right-hand side of the split bat]
First interstate basball [sic] carnival held in W.A.
Sept. 1936

1st Test
Vic. - 6 runs
W.A. - 5 "

2nd Test
Vic. - 4 runs
W.A. - 8 "

3rd Test
Vic. - 12 runs
W.A. - 6 "

[Signatures of the Western Australian team and officials]
R.J. Bryant President
Arthur Christian
L.G. Hummerston Umpire
Frank Reeves Taylor Umpire
R.W. Denford Capt
Mick Carr V.Capt
A. Downing
J. Scharf
F.W. Oliver
Ron Courtney
Geo. Evans
O. Lovelock
R.J. Wilberforce
Vick Denford
G. Dickinson
G.H. Dunstan
G. Randell
L. Fisher
Chas. H. Adams
Ron Monkhouse Bat Boy
William G. Bowers
W.J. Lynch
C. Witton
J. Flannigan

Spalding 200M

Contextual Information

This historic baseball bat, one of three original bats used in coaching baseballers in the sport's infancy in Western Australia in 1935, was fashioned as a souvenir to commemorate the first interstate baseball carnival held in Western Australia in 1936. The bat is marked No.3, for F.R. Taylor, who was an umpire. It was donated to the Baseball WA Museum & Archives by Vince Baker.

Keywords

Western Australian State Baseball Team

Victorian State Baseball Team

Interstate Baseball Series 1936

Baseball bat

Souvenir

Statement of significance

Baseball was a new and popular sport in Western Australia in 1935-36. This bat was used to coach players who took up the sport in those early years; a sport which continues to be played in Western Australia today. It is historically significant as it bears the signatures of the first Western Australian baseball team to represent the State in an interstate baseball competition. Signatures of the opposing Victorian team and of officials from both teams are also inscribed.

Primary significance criteria

Artistic or aesthetic significance

Historic significance

Scientific or research significance

Social or spiritual significance

Comparative significance criteria

Object’s condition or completeness

Rare or representative

Well provenanced

Baseball WA

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