Introduction of cricket to Tasmania Cricket almost certainly has been played in Tasmania since the time of European settlement in 1803. It was a popular pastime among marines, who were responsible for security in the fledgling colony. The first recorded match is known to have taken place in 1806, although it is most likely that unrecorded matches were already being played at this time. According to the colony's chaplain, and famed diarist,
Robert Knopwood by 1814 the game had become very popular, especially around the festive season at Christmas. By the 1820s there had still not been any official club organisation, but matches were being played on a regular basis. Cricket is recorded as having been played in the settlements at
Richmond,
Clarence Plains,
Kempton,
Sorell, in the
Macquarie Valley west of
Campbell Town,
Westbury,
Evandale,
Longford and
Hadspen. Many of these matches seem to have been organised between hotel licensees, in order to create profits through the sale of food and beverages, and through betting on the outcome. One such match that was arranged in March 1826 by Joseph Bowden, the hotelier of the Lamb Inn on Brisbane Street was played for a winner's purse of 50
guineas between "Eleven Gentlemen from the Counties of Sussex and Kent against the choice of the whole Island of Van Diemen's Land". There is no evidence to suggest an "official cricket season" during the first two decades of the colony, and many of these games initially seem to have been played around June and July, to coincide with the traditional English cricket season, rather than the Tasmanian summer. Accounts of such matches suggest games were often played in atrocious conditions due to winter rains and cold conditions. But by the 1830s, logic had prevailed and cricket seems to have reverted to the southern summer months. Club cricket had also become well-established by the 1830s. One of the earliest men responsible for organising cricket within the colony was
John Marshall, who was established the Hobart Town Club soon after his arrival from England. Soon after in 1835 the Derwent Cricket Club was formed making it the oldest surviving cricket club in Tasmania, and in 1841, the
Launceston Cricket Club was formed, making it the second oldest surviving cricket club in Tasmania, and third oldest in Australia. Cricket had soon also spread into many regional settlements throughout the
Colony of Tasmania, making it one of the most popular pastimes there. Some matches were played as part of district festivals, with large banquets following play.
Geographic and social isolation Despite winning the first ever first-class match in the Australian colonies, Tasmania felt its geographic isolation in the form of a lack of competition. Few touring teams wished to undertake the long sea journey to the island in the late 19th century. The game also developed more slowly, with Tasmanian clubs maintaining a belief in
amateurism at a time when mainland clubs were turning to professionals to further their development. Also a lack of innovation stymied progress. The Victorian team that visited in 1858 had adopted the new
round arm form of bowling, and it demolished the Tasmanian batting order unused to the technique. The population decline of the 1850s as Tasmanians moved to the Victorian goldfields also had a negative effect on the quality of players Tasmania could select.
Charles Eady, and
Edward Windsor, the first two of whom played
test cricket for
Australia. helped the TCA to convince mainland cricket authorities that Tasmanian cricket was nationally competitive.
National competitiveness Simmons had proved an inspirational captain for Tasmania, and although the team only won one of the twelve first-class matches under his leadership, that had more to do with the quality of the homegrown players at the time. His
List A cricket record was more successful, leading Tasmania to six victories in eleven matches. He also assisted the TCA in modernising the administration of cricket in the state. After making the Gillette Cup semi-finals in the 1974–75 and 1975–76 seasons, Tasmania qualified for the final for the first time in the 1977–78 season, but lost to
Western Australia at the
WACA Ground by seven wickets. A surprise victory came the following year in the
1978–79 Gillette Cup domestic
one-day competition, in a repeat of the previous year's final. The game was played at the
TCA Ground in
Hobart, and the home ground advantage proved decisive, with Tasmania beating Western Australia by 47 runs. Within a fortnight Tasmania had won their first
Sheffield Shield match, again beating
Western Australia, this time by four wickets in
Devonport. The victory showed the mainland states Tasmania was capable of competing among the nation's best. The presence of Simmons, and the 1978–79 Gillette Cup victory, had brought attention to Tasmanian cricket, and soon other international professionals joined the state for brief stints to both help out Tasmania's development, and gain further experience in Australian conditions.
Michael Holding,
Winston Davis,
Patrick Patterson,
Richard Hadlee and
Dennis Lillee were among the more notable players to represent Tasmania in the late 1970s and early '80s. After finally being admitted to the Sheffield Shield permanently, the Tasmanian team initially struggled for success and consistency, and were the competition's whipping-boys throughout the 1980s and early 90s. The rise of a local hero in the form of
David Boon, who by 1984 had achieved international fame, showed the country, and the world, that Tasmanian cricket was here to stay.
Wicket-keeper Roger Woolley also briefly rose to prominence, representing
Australia in two tests, and four One Day Internationals in 1983–84. The pair had become the first Tasmanians to represent Australia at test level since
Charles Eady in 1910. Despite their skills, the Tasmanian team struggled to win throughout this period. Regardless of the lack of competitive success, one bright point came with the unearthing of talent in
Ricky Ponting, who would go on to become one of the world's best batsmen.
Tasmanian Tigers era A reshuffle in the administration and organisation of the TCA in 1991 did not have an immediate effect, but the mid-1990s brought a more professional approach, and the state's team re-branded as the Tasmanian Tigers, and with a new headquarters in the renovated
Bellerive Oval, the state finally started to achieve more regular success. The team surged to the final for the first time in 1993–94, only to lose to New South Wales, but showed they were capable of successes at first class level. The 1997–98 season saw the Tigers qualify for the final off the back off a remarkable six straight victories, and they were desperately unlucky not to win the competition after such dominance. In the late 1990s Tasmania continued to produce top level cricketers. Players such as
Jamie Cox,
Dene Hills,
Shaun Young and
Michael Di Venuto became stars of the state team, and can all be considered unlucky not to have found a place in the Australian team.
Recent success The Tigers continue to remain competitive in all forms of the Australian domestic game, and in 2006–07 were successful in claiming their first-ever
Sheffield Shield title. Five years later, they won the Shield a second time in
2010–11, and again in
2012–13. The Tigers have also qualified for the final on five other occasions in 1993–94, 1997–98, 2001–02 and 2011–12, 2023–24 but had to settle for second place. The Tigers have fared better in the
Ford Ranger Cup, winning it four times in 1978–79, 2004–05, 2007–08, and in 2009–10. They have also been runners-up twice in 1977–78, and 1986–87. The Tigers were also unlucky to finish as runners-up in the second season of the Australian domestic
Twenty20 KFC Twenty20 Big Bash competition in 2006–07. Tasmania's recent successes at domestic level have been reflected in selection for the
Australian national cricket team. Spinner
Jason Krejza played two tests on the back of solid performances for the state, but failed to impress at international level.
Brett Geeves was selected in the One Day International squad for 2008, and has since gone on to also play in the
Indian Premier League. Fast-bowler
Ben Hilfenhaus was included in the national squad for the
2007 ICC World Twenty20 and a tour of India, before making his
test cricket debut in South Africa in 2009. During the
2009 Ashes series, wicket-keeper
Tim Paine was called into the squad as a late replacement for injured reserve wicket-keeper
Graham Manou. Cricket Australia encouraged the state teams to recruit a foreign star for the 2009/10 season, in order to boost the appeal of the
KFC Twenty20 Big Bash internationally. Tasmania pulled off one of the biggest coups in this recruitment programme, when they signed
Sri Lankan star
Lasith Malinga. Disappointingly for the Tigers, Malinga was forced to withdraw due to a change in international commitments for the Sri Lankan team. On 16 November 2009,
Cricket Tasmania announced that
Dimitri Mascarenhas would replace Malinga as Tasmania's overseas player for the 2009/10 KFC Twenty20 Big Bash. However Rana Naved-Ul-Hasan played instead of Mascarenhas. Ul-Hasan also played the following season of the Big Bash. ==Home grounds==