Bonbeach Bluejays

A baseball club with Senior and Junior teams based in the Bonbeach, Melbourne, Australia' The camaraderie that had to be seen to be believed.

St Chads baseball club was founded in 1960, the brainchild of a small band of young men interested in baseball and members of St Chads Anglican Church at Chelsea. Their aim was to provide an alternative sporting activity for the youth of the city of Chelsea in general and the members of the Boys Club associated with the church in particular. Foundation members were Stanley Darbyshire, Clarence Cur

wood, Kevin Higgins and Stanley Tonks. The first coach was Clarrie Curwood and Committee members included Stan Darbyshire (president), and Pat Burke (secretary). A ground at the Bondi Reserve was obtained from the city and players were recruited from the church congregation and boys club. Even the vicar was co-opted into playing when they were short of players. A requirement of playing was that players attend a monthly church parade. Uniforms were of a pyjama pattern style in sail cloth blue material with St Chads logo being the letters St inside a large C. Facilities were non existent at the ground and it became apparent that if the club was to prosper a clubhouse was essential. The clubhouse came in the form of a Nissen Hut, which was purchased by club members through debentures. The hut came from the Alfred Hospital and was transported from Prahran to the ground in the early morning on one of Clarrie's trucks. There it positioned approximately halfway up the reserve on the southern side between the football ground and turf wickets of the cricket club. By agreement between the Baseball Club and the Football Club, it provided changing facilities for the football teams also. Its drawback was that it lacked toilets and showers, but that never seemed to bother the members. By 1966 the club had grown to a point that it could field junior teams. Juniors trained on Sunday mornings before the seniors and on Wednesday nights. Training mid week, without the benefit of lights, was limited to bunting and pitching practice in the clubhouse, which exuded warmth rarely experienced. Success on the field did not come easily but with the support of members, family and friends, the club maintained a solid financial position and continued to be competitive. This was in contrast to other clubs within the association, which fell by the wayside in the late 60's and early 70's. Clubs like imperials, Carrum, Saints, Noble Park, YCW, Dandy A, Springvale Lions and Lyndale were forced to merge with other clubs or ceased to exist. In 1969 the struggling Carrum Cubs merged with St Chads and Bonbeach St Chads Baseball Club was born. To reflect the new identity the uniform was upgraded to a modern design. White top and pants with a logo being B in old English style on the left breast. In 1971 the club secured a new site at the eastern entrance of the reserve adjacent to newly constructed toilet and shower block. No 'Clubroom' was provided, so with the assistance of a small army of enthusiastic members, the nissen hut was carried the 200m or so from its original position to its new home. The rooms were now shared with the cricket club, which made use of them in the summer season. By 1972 the club secured its first Senior flag to go with those already won by junior teams. 1976 saw the demolition of the original clubhouse in favour of a new brick structure provided by the council. This clubhouse named Curwood Hall in memory of Clarrie Curd's contribution to the club would become the home of Bonbeach until the clubhouse a Bicentennial Park at Chelsea was completed in 1994. In 1975 the uniform changed again with the adoption of a V-neck style top, carrying a blue Jay logo on the front in hardwearing material. The pants were powder blue. It also heralded a change in club colours to pale blue and white. These colours and uniform style would remain until 1997. Over the next 27 years the club would amass a total of 82 flags for the winter competition. Bonbeach soon became the club to beat in the DBA Competition. 1976 brought Bonbeach into the Victorian Baseball Association summer competition for the first time. A lowly Division 3 club, many of the more talented players opted to play with the successful Sandringham club. It was through this association that Sandringham members transferred to Bonbeach for the winter season, bringing with them new skills in playing, coaching and administration. Perseverance paid off with Bonbeach being promoted to Division 2 and this had maintained a strong and stable club regularly fielding 5 senior and 6 junior teams in both summer and winter seasons. In 1987 Bonbeach relinquished its Bondi road location for a new ground at Thames Promenade, the site of the old Chelsea landfill which had been unused since dormant since 1970. Plans showed 2 diamonds built to international dimensions. Initially one diamond was constructed and enclosed with a fence. The other was left open to permit multiple junior games. No other facilities were provided and a refreshments caravan, manned by dedicated members, was towed to the ground on game days. In 1993 after 5 years of planning and lobbying, construction started on a new clubroom for Bonbeach St Chads Baseball Club. Costs were borne by city of Chelsea through Victorian Government Grants and Club members. The cash component from the council provided the shell of the structure and the materials and the club member contribution was in the form of architectural and engineering design and labor to complete the fit-out of the building. On 19 June 1994 the clubhouse was officially opened. The two-storey structure is the benchmark for other clubs to strive for. Ground development has continued since then. Back nets to both grounds have been constructed. Lights to permit evening training have been installed and scorers' huts have been erected. The Bonbeach Baseball Club can boast that it has provided players, junior and senior at all representative levels: VPBL state, VBA state, ABL and Australian Representatives. Also Internationally, players from Bonbeach have been invited to play in the U.S at a collegiate level.

28/08/2026

🔥 A huge good luck to our B1s as they take on Frankston Tomatoes Today! 💙⚾️

📍 Toomuc Recreation Reserve
⏰ 2:30pm

Bring the energy, leave it all out there and let’s get ourselves into the finals! 💪

One team. One club. All in.
💙❤️ GO BLUEJAYS! ❤️💙

28/08/2026

⚾ COME TRY BASEBALL WITH THE BONBEACH BLUEJAYS! 💙❤️

Looking for a fun sport where your child can make new friends, build confidence and learn new skills? Now's the perfect time to give baseball a go!

Whether they've never picked up a glove or already love the game, our friendly coaches and welcoming club community will make everyone feel right at home.

✨ Everyone is welcome – no experience needed!

⚾ T-Ball (5 years+)
⚾ Rookie
⚾ Under 12s
⚾ Under 14s

📅 Try-Out Dates
🗓 Sunday 30th August | 10:30am
🗓 Sunday 13th September | 10:30am

📍 Bicentennial Park
Entry via Chelsea Heights Football & Cricket Club
Thames Promenade, Chelsea Heights

Stick around after training for a sausage sizzle and juice box, and meet our coaches, players and BlueJays families.

Come along, have some fun and discover why so many families love being part of the Bonbeach BlueJays. We can't wait to meet you! 💙⚾❤️

22/08/2026

📅⚾ IMPORTANT DATES ARE HERE, BLUEJAYS!🔵🔴

Pre-season is just around the corner and there’s plenty happening at The Nest as we get ready for the 2026/27 season!

We’re also excited to announce that Dave Morris will be leading our pre-season program while our new Club & Firsts Coach, Tony Manzano, finishes up his current season and playoffs in Germany. 🇩🇪⚾

A huge thank you to Dave for stepping up, getting things organised and helping set the standards and tone for the season ahead. His leadership will make sure we hit the ground running before Tony arrives and takes the reins.

From Junior Come & Try Days, registrations and training sessions, to our Season Launch Dinner, Opening Weekend and T-Ball kicking off, there’s plenty to look forward to!

Save the dates, get involved and get ready for a huge season at Bonbeach.

Let’s go Bluejays!💙⚾❤️

21/08/2026

We’re incredibly excited to announce Tony Manzano as the new Bonbeach Bluejays Club & Firsts Coach!🔵⚾

Tony is an experienced player who brings a wealth of baseball and pitching knowledge to our club. Having played across multiple countries over the past four years, alongside a successful college career, Tony brings a truly global perspective on the game.

🌍 Tony’s most recent teams:

🇩🇪 Tübingen Hawks – Germany
🇦🇺 Weston Creek Indians – Canberra, Australia
🇨🇦 St. Jean Pirates – Montreal, Canada

Tony is excited to broaden his coaching experience and take the next step in his coaching journey with the Bluejays.

As our Club & Firsts Coach, Tony will lead our Firsts program, oversee and support our junior program, and work alongside our senior coaches to further develop their baseball and pitching knowledge.

Most importantly, Tony’s passion and love for the game will underpin our next season. His knowledge, experience and competitive spirit will play an important role as we continue to grow our club both on and off the field.

Tony is not only excited to develop our players and coaches, but to become part of the Bluejays culture and invest in our junior program and the future of our club.

We’re incredibly excited to welcome Tony to the Nest and embark on this next chapter together. 💙⚾

Welcome to the Bluejays family, Tony!🦅

21/08/2026

🏆💙 FINALS HAVE ARRIVED!💙🏆

After a fantastic season, FINALS ARE HERE!⚾️🔥

A huge congratulations to ALL teams who have made the finals, what an achievement! 👏⚾️
Best of luck to everyone taking the field this Saturday. We hope to see some fantastic baseball and wish all teams the very best! 💙

Now it’s time for our Bonbeach Bluejays to step up and give it everything! 💪🐦

🔵 B1

🆚 Frankston Tomatoes
📍 Bicentennial Park
⏰ 2:30PM

🔵 B2

🆚 Chelsea Baseball Club
📍 Bicentennial Park
⏰ 12:00PM

🔵 D

🆚 Berwick Dodgers Blue
📍 Edithvale Reserve
⏰ 12:00PM

📅Saturday 22nd August

Come down, support the teams and help us bring the finals atmosphere! 📣💙

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE PLAYING!
LET’S GO BLUEJAYS! 🐦⚾️🏆

14/08/2026

🔥⚾ GAME DAY AT THE NEST!⚾🔥

It’s a BIG day of baseball at the Nest this Saturday! 💙❤️

Our B1 & B2 are both taking on Chelsea at Bicentennial Park, with plenty of action across the day.
Then our D Grade squad heads to Robinsons Park to take on Frankston! 💪⚾

And don’t forget our End of Season BBQ event will be running throughout BOTH the B1 and B2 games!🎉

🍖 BBQ — $10 per head
🎧 DJ all day
🥩 Meat raffle
🍾 Bottle toss
🔥 Great food, music & baseball all day long!

📅 Saturday 15 August
📍 Bicentennial Park
⏰ B1 from 2:30pm | B2 from 12:00pm

Come down, support the Bluejays and help us finish the season with a bang! 💙⚾

See you at the Nest! 🐦🔥

12/08/2026

⚾️🔥 END OF SEASON BBQ AT THE NEST!🔥⚾️

Join us as we celebrate the end of another fantastic regular season with an action-packed day of baseball, great food and plenty of fun!

This round, we take on our neighbouring club Chelsea, with all three teams approaching a finals appearance which is truly remarkable. It's shaping up to be an exciting day, and we'd love to see the Blue Jays community there to cheer on the teams!

📅 Saturday 15th August
🕛 From 12:00pm onwards
📍 The Nest

Here's what's happening:
🍔 Masters-style BBQ – $10 per person, available during both the Ones and Twos games.

🎧 DJ Asterixx (Melbourne Storm's very own) bringing the vibes all day long.

🎙️ Special guest Rob Novotny, a beloved Blue Jay, on the microphone announcing the Ones game.

🥩 Meat raffles throughout the day.

🍾 Bottle toss with great prizes up for grabs.

Bring your family, invite your friends, wear your Blue Jays colours and help us finish the regular season in style. Let's pack The Nest and show our support as our teams make one final push towards finals!

💙⚾ Let's Go Blue Jays!

07/08/2026

⚾️🔥 GAME DAY IS HERE! 🔥⚾️

The Bonbeach Bluejays are ready to hit the diamond this Saturday, 8 August! 💙⚾️

We’ve got three big games on the schedule:

🔵 B1 | 2:30PM
📍 Robinson Park
🆚 Frankston Tomatoes 🍅

🔵 B2 | 12:00PM
📍 Robinson Park
🆚 Frankston Tomatoes 🍅

🔵 Division D | 12:00PM
📍 Toomuc Reserve
🆚 Pakenham Pumas🐾

Bring the energy, bring the noise and get behind our Bluejays! 💙🔥
LET’S GO BLUEJAYS! 🐦⚾️

04/08/2026

💙 Join the Bonbeach Bluejays Team! ⚾️

We're looking for volunteers to help make this season a success!

We're seeking expressions of interest for:
⚾️ Coaches (Seniors & Juniors)
📋 Junior Coordinator
🍔 Canteen Helpers
📝 Scorers

No matter how much time you can give, every helping hand makes a difference.

📩 Interested? Send us a message and become part of the Bluejays family.

One Team. One Club. Bluejays. 💙

04/08/2026

💙❤️ FINAL SCORES | SATURDAY 1 AUGUST ❤️💙

A great day of baseball for our Bonbeach Bluejays, with plenty of strong performances across the grades!

⚾ B1: Bonbeach 5 def. Mornington 3 ✅
⚾ B2: Bonbeach 8 def. Mornington 5 ✅
⚾ Bonbeach/Chelsea: No game – Opposition forfeit.

Congratulations to all our players, coaches, scorers, volunteers and families for another fantastic weekend at the ballpark. Your support and team spirit make our club what it is.

Let's keep the momentum going into next weekend! 💙❤️

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