1954 Fremantle Braves Night Baseball Series cap

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c. 1954

Overview

A 1954 Fremantle Braves baseball cap worn during the Night Baseball Series in Perth, Western Australia. Made of light-blue polished cotton, it has two crossed strips of red braid stitched diagonally across the crown and intersecting at the top. The top button is covered in light-blue fabric.

Historical information

In Perth in the 1950s baseball was an enormously popular winter sport and, with the introduction of summer night games in 1954, its popularity soared. The Western Australian Night Baseball League was formed and initially six teams competed on a district basis. They were Perth (The Tigers), Fremantle (The Braves), Wembley (The Magpies), West Perth (The Indians), Southern Districts (The Cubs) and Swan Districts (The Angels).

Among the sport notables who announced their intention to play were: Charlie Puckett, Basil Rigg, Len Beresford, Arthur Lodge, Frank Day, Milton Bandy, Don Callanan, Ray Gooch, Jim Dore, Gil Eddington, Keith Denham, and cricketers Tony Mateljan and Ken Meuleman.

The season was to occupy 20 weeks. Games were to be played on Wednesday nights and there was a 'double-header' on each program. Entry cost 2 shillings 6 pence (children 9 pence), with the public being treated to entertainment from 7.15 to 10.45 p.m.

The first games were to be played on 10 November 1954 at the newly flood-lit West Australian Cricket Association (WACA) ground, however bad weather moved the opening night to 17 November, when about 6000 fans attended.

National Library of Australia
[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/75793290]
[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/59697460]

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-100-2020.106

Item type

Sports Uniforms

Themes

People
Popular Culture
Sport

Material

Braid (Trimming)

Cotton (Textile)

Width

18 cm

Height or length

23 cm

Depth

11 cm

Contextual Information

This Fremantle Braves night baseball cap was donated to the Baseball WA Museum & Archives by Barry Connaughton, who played for the 'Braves' in the Night Baseball League. He also played for Nedlands Baseball Club in the West Australian Baseball League. In 1956 Barry was selected in the Western Australian State baseball team that competed in the Claxton Shield Championship in Adelaide, South Australia.

Keywords

Western Australian Night Baseball League

Fremantle Braves

Barry Connaughton

Night Baseball Series

Baseball Cap

Year

c. 1954

Statement of significance

This is a rare item of historic and social significance, signifying the birth of night baseball in Western Australia. It has excellent provenance.

Primary significance criteria

Historic significance