Oakleigh Cricket Club
Senior Cricket
Oakleigh Cricket Club was established in 1879, and has played cricket at D.W. Nicholl Oval, Warrawee Park since its inception.
The club is currently compete in the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association (VSDCA), the second-tier turf competition in Victoria behind Premier Cricket, & Cricket Southern Bayside (CSB) competition.
We also compete in the Mid-Year Cricket Association (MYCA) during winter, providing OCC members with competitive cricket all year round.
Recent History
Oakleigh Cricket Club is widely regarded the benchmark of the competition by its peers.
In 2022/23, our 2nd XI & 3rd XI were crowned Premiers and all XIs competed in finals, with the exception being the 1st XI who narrowly missed out. In 2019/20, our 1st XI & 3rd XI won the premiership – with both teams going ‘back-to-back’ following their success in 2018/19.
The First XI maintains a strong record – contesting finals for 21 of the past 22 seasons.
All 32 VSDCA clubs compete for the Kew Fewster Club Championship award, which is awarded to the best performed club across all 4 XIs at the conclusion of the season. Oakleigh has finished in the top 3 of the Ken Fewster Club Championship award 17 times since its inception 20 years ago and has won the award an unprecedented 7 times – most recently in 2018/19 – and placed second 8 times. A significant achievement for the club considering there are 31 other participating clubs.
Our lower grades have also experienced a great amount of success in recent times, with 18 premierships across the grades in the last 19 years.
The clubs recent form in the shortest format has been incredibly successful, netting a fifth T20 Championship in 2020/21 - a remarkable record considering the competition has only run for 12 years.
The Competition (VSDCA & MYCA)
The Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association (VSDCA) was founded in 1908 and has 32 member clubs. The association is divided in to four regions based on geographical location (North, East, South, & West). Oakleigh compete in the South Group along with Brighton, Caulfield, Elsternwick, Ormond, Moorabbin, Malvern & Port Melbourne.
The four regions are split in to two divisions of 16 clubs each season – i.e. North/South & East/West. These groups rotate each year to ensure clubs have the chance to compete against all VSDCA clubs.
Using the above example, this season might be North/South & East/West. Next season will be South/East & North/West, then the following season it would be South/West & North/East. Note: the lower grades (3rd & 4th XI) do not rotate, and are always South/East & North/West.
The season commences in October and comprises of 15 ‘home & away’ fixtures – generally comprising a mixture of one-day and two-day (Saturday/Saturday) matches – followed by finals, which are two-day, Saturday/Sunday matches played in March.
The only ‘tournament’ that is played is the T20 Twilight Competition, which is a knockout competition played only by the 1st XI on a Tuesday night. The tournament starts in November with the finals played in February.
Training
Every season starts with a ‘Players Meeting’ in July. Details are usually communicated via our social media channels or by email. The coach uses these sessions to outline preseason training plans, base fitness expectations and welcome new players to the club.
Once the season has commenced, training reverts to Tuesday & Thursday nights at Warrawee Park, with warm-up starting at 5:45pm. Sessions normally conclude around 7:45pm.
The best part of cricket season is undoubtedly our Thursday night dinners that follow training. Amazing fare, great company, and something that the playing group support 100%.
There are no ‘trials’ per se. If you are interested in playing cricket at Oakleigh and want to come down, you’re welcome to come and join us.
Where We Play & Train
D.W. Nicoll Reserve
D.W. Nicoll Reserve (Warrawee Park) is home to the Oakleigh Cricket Club.
This is our main oval, and is used by the 1st XI & 2nd XI on Saturday, the U15 & U17s on Sunday morning & the 5th XI on Sunday afternoon. This is also our primary venue for Senior training.
W.A Scammell Reserve
W.A Scammell Reserve Oakleigh Cricket Club's second oval and is used by our 3rd XI & 4th XI on a Saturday afternoon.
Caloola Reserve
Caloola Reserve is home to Oakleigh's Junior teams. However, Junior training is split across both Caloola and D.W. Nicholl Reserve depending on capacity.
Playing Costs
* Note: our subs are all-inclusive & charged in full at the start of the season. This differs from other clubs, where they charge a lower up-front fee then charge a weekly cost throughout the duration of the season to cover afternoon tea & umpire fees (usually $20 a week).
Winter Cricket (MYCA)
Summer not giving you enough of a 'cricket fix'?! The Mid-Year Cricket Association (MYCA) is a competition that runs from late April through to August, allowing players of cricket of all ages & abilities the opportunity to play cricket all year round.
The season consists of nine rounds, that are usually played fortnightly. The second weekend usually acts as a Reserve Day should extreme weather intervene.
The MYCA continues to go from strength to strength - with the senior competition expanding year-on-year, along with the introduction of a Junior competition in 2021.
The Oakleigh Cricket Club has also gone from strength to strength in the winter competition, now fielding two teams - one on Saturday and one on Sunday. As a result, the club now offers cricket on Saturday's and Sunday's all year round.
Oakleigh CC welcomes enquiries from players of all skill levels who are interested in playing cricket for the 'Purple & Gold'.
Want to Join?
Oakleigh Cricket Club is a successful, driven club in a strong, turf competition with a history of stability & strength both on & off field.
We have a committed playing list hungry for ultimate success and can provide a fun & inclusive environment to players who are looking to challenge themselves to be the best cricketer and person they can be.
If you want to know more, please contact the relevant person below.