From BR Bullpen
The Claxton Shield or Claxton Shield Championships is the annual national baseball championship in Australia and is overseen by the Australian Baseball Federation. The tournament was first held in 1934. The tournament is competed by the state teams of South Australia, Western Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, and an Australian Provincial team representing the rest of Australia.
The shield is named for Australian sports philanthropist Norrie Claxton, who donated the trophy in 1934. He had served as the South Australian Baseball League's president from 1913 to 1929, and as a patron from 1932 to his death. It was originally intended to be given to the first winner of the national championships in three consecutive years. However, after South Australia won the first three tournaments (1934-1936), the state associations agreed to make it a permanent competition trophy, and the tournament was renamed to the Claxton Shield Championships.
In the 1990s, the shield was awarded to the winner of the ABL and then later to the winner of the International Baseball League Australia. After the collapse of both leagues, the shield competition has reverted back its original format.
For its first fifty years, the tournament was held during the winter, but after the formation of the summer-based Australian Baseball League, the tournament has switched to the summer.
[edit] Championships by State
- Victoria: 17 (1947, 1948, 1949, 1954, 1956, 1958, 1962, 1965, 1968, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1981, 1984, 1986, 2001/2002, 2006/2007)
- South Australia: 15 (1934, 1935, 1936, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1976, 1980)
- New South Wales: 12 (1937, 1938, 1939, 1946, 1950, 1951, 1953, 1955, 1963, 1988, 2003/2004, 2004/2005)
- Western Australia: 7 (1952, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1985, 2007/2008)
- Queensland: 5 (1982, 1983, 1987, 2002/2003, 2005/2006)
- Australian Provincial: 0
[edit] Claxton Shield Winners
[edit] National Championships (1934 - 1988)
| Year | Champion | Site
|
| 1934 | South Australia | Adelaide, South Australia
|
| 1935 | South Australia | Melbourne, Victoria
|
| 1936 | South Australia | Sydney, New South Wales
|
| 1937 | New South Wales | Adelaide, South Australia
|
| 1938 | New South Wales | Perth, Western Australia
|
| 1939 | New South Wales | Melbourne, Victoria
|
| 1940 to 1945 | Series suspended due to World War II
|
| 1946 | New South Wales |
|
| 1947 | Victoria |
|
| 1948 | Victoria |
|
| 1949 | Victoria |
|
| 1950 | New South Wales | Sydney, New South Wales
|
| 1951 | New South Wales | Adelaide, South Australia
|
| 1952 | Western Australia | Perth, Western Australia
|
| 1953 | New South Wales | Brisbane, Queensland
|
| 1954 | Victoria | Victoria
|
| 1955 | New South Wales | Sydney, New South Wales
|
| 1956 | Victoria |
|
| 1957 | South Australia | Perth, Western Australia
|
| 1958 | Victoria | Brisbane, Queensland
|
| 1959 | South Australia | Melbourne, Victoria
|
| 1960 | South Australia |
|
| 1961 | South Australia | South Australia
|
| 1962 | Victoria | Perth, Western Australia
|
| 1963 | New South Wales | Brisbane, Queensland
|
| 1964 | South Australia | Melbourne, Victoria
|
| 1965 | Victoria | Sydney, New South Wales
|
| 1966 | South Australia | South Australia
|
| 1967 | South Australia | Perth, Western Australia
|
| 1968 | Victoria | Brisbane, Queensland
|
| 1969 | South Australia | Melbourne, Victoria
|
| 1970 | South Australia | Sydney, New South Wales
|
| 1971 | South Australia |
|
| 1972 | Victoria | Brisbane, Queensland
|
| 1973 | Victoria | Perth, Western Australia
|
| 1974 | Victoria | Victoria
|
| 1975 | Western Australia | Sydney, New South Wales
|
| 1976 | South Australia | Adelaide, South Australia
|
| 1977 | Western Australia |
|
| 1978 | Western Australia |
|
| 1979 | Western Australia |
|
| 1980 | South Australia | Sydney, New South Wales
|
| 1981 | Victoria |
|
| 1982 | Queensland | Sydney, New South Wales
|
| 1983 | Queensland | Perth, Western Australia
|
| 1984 | Victoria | Series was a "home and away" competetion
|
| 1985 | Western Australia
|
| 1986 | Victoria
|
| 1987 | Queensland
|
| 1988 | New South Wales
|
[edit] Australian Baseball League (1988 - 1999)
- Awarded to the champion of the Australian Baseball League
[edit] Australian Baseball League (1999/2000 - 2000/2001)
- Awarded to the champion of the International Baseball League Australia
[edit] National Championships (2001/2002 - present)
[edit] Championships
[edit] Related Sites
