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The Victorian Bushrangers are an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, Victoria. The team competes in the first class competition the Pura Cup, which was formerly known as the Sheffield Shield, in the limited overs ING Cup, and the more recent Twenty20 competition.
The team was founded in 1851 and most recently won the Pura Cup in 2003-04. The 2004-05 season captain is Cameron White and the vice-captain is Jonathan Moss.
Most home games are played out of the Junction Oval.
The team has provided many cricket greats to the Australian team. It was the first state team established in Australia and has had a long and successful history. Present day Bushrangers who have made it to the Australian team include Shane Warne, Ian Harvey, Cameron White and Brad Hodge
History
Victoria was the dominant force in the early days of Australian first class cricket, winning two of the first three Sheffield Shield tournaments and won most of their early domestic friendly games against the other states.
Victoria has hosted a list of greats such as Warwick Armstrong, Bill Woodfull, Bill Ponsford, Chuck Fleetwood-Smith, Hugh Trumble, Lindsay Hassett, Dean Jones, Merv Hughes, Jack Ryder, Bill Lawry, Bob Cowper, Alan Connolly, Graham Yallop, Keith Stackpole and Ian Redpath. (See Victoria cricketers for a full listing of past players).
The Bushrangers proud history dates back to the very start of Australian cricket when the Melbourne Cricket Club was formed in 1838 which was the largest sporting club in Australia at the time. In that same year the MCC played its first match against the Victorian Military but the first official interstate game was contested between Victoria and Tasmania in 1851 in Launceston.
The first game between the great rivals of Victoria and New South Wales was played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1856. Playing in that inaugural game was a man by the name of Tom Wills who was essentially the backbone in which the Bushrangers have built their proud history. Wills also had a strong hand in the founding of Australian Rules football. He captained the club for many years and his contributions set up the Victorian dominance in Australian first class cricket.
The annual Sheffield Shield tournament first began in the season of 1892-93 between Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia. Victoria won this tournament by defeating both opponents twice each.
The tradition of cricket on Boxing Day also featured Victoria when they played New South Wales in 1965.
The Victorian Cricket Association was founded in 1895 and is now located in Melbourne across from the MCG.
During the history of the shield Victoria has won 26 titles, the most recent in season 2003-04. Victoria has always been a powerful force in Australian cricket and the Australian team is never short of Victorians in the line-up.
Current Squad (Including ING Cup Number where applicable)
- 2. Shane HARWOOD (RHB, RF)
- 3. Brad KNOWLES (LHB, RF)
- 4. Graeme RUMMANS (LHB, LOS)
- 7. Brad HODGE (RHB, ROB)
- 8. David HUSSEY (RHB, ROB)
- 9. Cameron WHITE (c) (RHB, LS)
- 10. Gerard DENTON (RHB, RF)
- 11. Jon MOSS (RHB, RM)
- 13. Andrew McDONALD (RHB, RM)
- 14. Micahel KLINGER (RHB)
- 15. Rob CASSELL (RHB, RMF)
- 17. Adam CROSTHWAITE (RHB, WK)
- 18. Tim WELSFORD (RHB, RM)
- 19. Mick LEWIS (RHB, RF)
- 20. Dirk NANNES (LHB, LF)
- 21. Brendan JOSELAND (RHB)
- 22. Peter ROACH (RHB, WK)
- 23. Shane WARNE (RHB, LS)
- 25. Allan WISE (RHB, LF)
- 39. Nick JEWELL (RHB)
Jason ARNBERGER (RHB) , Simon DART (RHB, RM) ,Clinton McKAY (RHB, RMF) , Aiden BLIZZARD (LHB, SLA) Contract, Aaron FINCH (RHB) Contract , Matthew HARRISON (LHB) Contract , Cameron HUCKETT (LHB) Contract, Matthew INNES (LHB) Contract, Josh MANGAN (RHB, LB) Contract, Lloyd Mash (LHB), Robert QUINEY (LHB) Contract, Peter SIDDLE (RHB, RMF) Contract
Championships
(Summer seasons denoted by the later year in which the final game take place; i.e. 1967/68 would be represented by 1968).
- Sheffield Shield/Pura Cup (26): 1893, 1895, 1898-99, 1901, 1908, 1915, 1922, 1924-25, 1928, 1930-31, 1934-35, 1937, 1947, 1951, 1963, 1967, 1970, 1974, 1979-80, 1991, 2004
- One-Day Competition/ING Cup (4): 1972, 1980, 1995, 1999
- Twenty20 Competition (1): 2006
See also
External links
- Official Website of the Victorian Bushrangers
- Official Website of Cricket Australia
"Victorian Bushrangers"