1964 Claxton Shield
Encyclopedia
The 1964 Claxton Shield was the twenty-fifth annual Claxton Shield
, it was held at the Albert Park
in Melbourne, Victoria. The participants were South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and Queensland. The series final was between South Australia and Victoria, with South Australia defeating the Victorians led by newcomer Ian Chappell
who drove in seven runs in the final alone.
reported "after four days the grounds were quagmires and baseball has never been played under worse conditions". Queensland Baseball Association life member Stan Holloway also described one particular match as "a game of baseball played under the worst conditions I have ever seen" and recalled the mud being so thick that a hard line drive to third base was stopped dead on the full.
New South Wales shortstop
Don Buchanan broke his leg in the conditions at second base in what was believed to be a career ending injury. Buchanan received the Golden Glove for the series and returned to play for his state in the 1966 Claxton Shield
.
Claxton Shield
The Claxton Shield was the name of the premier baseball competition in Australia held between state-based teams, as well as the name of the trophy awarded to the champion team...
, it was held at the Albert Park
Albert Park, Victoria
Albert Park is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip. At the 2006 Census, Albert Park had a population of 5827....
in Melbourne, Victoria. The participants were South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and Queensland. The series final was between South Australia and Victoria, with South Australia defeating the Victorians led by newcomer Ian Chappell
Ian Chappell
Ian Michael Chappell is a former cricketer who played for South Australia and Australia. He captained Australia between 1971 and 1975 before taking a central role in the breakaway World Series Cricket organisation...
who drove in seven runs in the final alone.
Conditions
The 1964 series was played in poor conditions, with rain being a factor across most of the tournament. The ABCAustralian Baseball Federation
The Australian Baseball Federation is the national governing body of Baseball in Australia. Baseball is played in all the mainland states and territories, but it struggles for popularity due to the popularity of many other sports, including the comparable sport of cricket, in which Australia has...
reported "after four days the grounds were quagmires and baseball has never been played under worse conditions". Queensland Baseball Association life member Stan Holloway also described one particular match as "a game of baseball played under the worst conditions I have ever seen" and recalled the mud being so thick that a hard line drive to third base was stopped dead on the full.
New South Wales shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
Don Buchanan broke his leg in the conditions at second base in what was believed to be a career ending injury. Buchanan received the Golden Glove for the series and returned to play for his state in the 1966 Claxton Shield
1966 Claxton Shield
The 1966 Claxton Shield was the twenty-seventh annual Claxton Shield, it was held in Adelaide, South Australia. The participants were South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and Queensland...
.