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The Ferntree Gully Cricket Club was established in 1882 and is located at the foothills of the magnificent Dandenong Ranges, in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), and is one of the oldest cricket clubs in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

INTERCOLONIAL CRICKETERS VISIT FERNTREE GULLY IN 1867 Cricket was first introduced into the foothills area on the 31st December 1867, when members of the New South Wales Intercolonial team, who had played a four day match against Victoria on the Melbourne Cricket Ground; 26th December - 30th December, were invited by the Victorian Cricketers Association to a picnic at 'Fern Tree Gully' (Three words now commonly spelled as two words: Ferntree Gully). Among these visitors were leading Victorian players; Thomas (Tom) Wills, John Conway, Richard Wardill, Sam Cosstick and Frank Allen.

THE FIRST TEST MATCH BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND ENGLAND EXTENSIVELY REPORTED LOCALLY Interest in participation cricket grew, with reports on the first Test Match (played 15th - 19th March, 1877) extensively reported every day in the local newspaper of the day (South Bourke & Mornington Journal- SBMJ).

DOMESTIC CRICKET IN THE DANDENONG RANGES COMMENCES

Following reports on the first Test Match, cricket commenced in the foothills area with matches reported in the SBMJ the following summer in 1878/79, and then regularly again in the summers of 1879/80, 1880/81 and 1881/82. These were matches between teams formed by members of the local area then known as Scoresby and Fern Tree Gully who frequently played each other and increasingly teams who visited the area as opponents. These teams were derived from available players from the area and were not strictly club based, however they featured many players that later combined to form the Fern Tree Gully Cricket Club.

The FERNTREE GULLY CRICKET CLUB IS FORMED On the 27th September, 1882, the SBMJ reported ''"FERNTREE GULLY CRICKET CLUB – Last Wednesday (20/9/1882) evening a meeting of cricketers took place at Charman’s Hotel, Ferntree Gully, for the purposes of forming a club to represent the district. For several seasons there have been two clubs in existence, the SCORESBY and the FERNTREE GULLY CLUB’S, but as each had become extinct it was thought possible to form the whole of the cricketing talent into one club, and the proposal is meeting with general approval. At the meeting Mr. McComb was voted to the Chair and in a few words stated the objective of the meeting, at the same time sketching out the course of business to be pursued.

The following Office Bearers were appointed – President: Mr. Hayward, Vice President: Has resigned, Honorary Secretary: Mr. Charman, Match Committee: Messrs Jones, Charman and Ferguson. The Annual Subscription was fixed at five shillings per member. It was decided to hold an entertainment in the schoolroom on the 20th inst, to celebrate the opening of the club, and Messrs Ferguson, Williams, Pierce, Minns and Charman were appointed a committee to carry such into effect. Practice days were fixed for Wednesdays and Saturdays. After a committee had been appointed to draw up a code of by-laws and several members had been initiated, the meeting adjourned.''

1882/83 - 1900. THE FORMATIVE YEARS These formative years of the Club were based around social or 'arranged' games played in the seasons between 1882/83 and 1912/13. In 1913/14 the Club affiliated with its first Association competition - the Reporter District Cricket Association (now Box Hill Reporter District Cricket Association) with the first competition match taking place against East Burwood at East Burwood's home ground on the 4th October 1913.