WEST BENTLEIGH CRICKET CLUB
EST. 1932
ABOUT
West Bentleigh Cricket Club
EST. 1932
OUR CLUB
At West Bentleigh Cricket Club, cricket is about far more than what happens between the first and last ball.
It is Friday nights filled with junior players, families and music. It is Saturday afternoons representing West, past players returning to the clubrooms and volunteers doing the work that keeps community sport alive.
Since 1932, Victory Park has been our home.
Located on Patterson Road in Bentleigh, WBCC is one of south-east Melbourne’s longest standing community cricket clubs. For more than 90 years, generations of players, families, volunteers and supporters have helped build the club we proudly represent today.
OUR CRICKETING HISTORY
West Bentleigh has a proud record in the South East Cricket Association.
West Bentleigh A Grade/Longmuir Shield premierships:
1940/41, 1953/54, 1964/65, 1965/66, 1966/67, 1967/68, 1969/70, 1975/76
The Bulldogs’ greatest run included four consecutive top-grade premierships between 1964/65 and 1967/68 - an achievement that remains an important part of our club’s history.
More recently, our First XI reached the 2024/25 Longmuir Shield Grand Final and returned to finals cricket in 2025/26.
Premierships and performances are an important part of our story, but WBCC has always been defined by its people. Our Life Members, past players, volunteers and long-serving families have each helped shape the club and create the traditions enjoyed by today’s Bulldogs.
HOME AT VICTORY PARK
Victory Park is more than our home ground - it is a genuine community meeting place.
The park is shared by several local sporting clubs and is used throughout the year by families, walkers and residents from across Bentleigh and the surrounding suburbs.
During summer, our clubrooms and playing fields come alive with senior cricket, junior matches, training sessions and community events. Players, parents, grandparents, friends, past players and supporters all contribute to the welcoming atmosphere around the club.
Whether you are playing, watching from the boundary or simply stopping by the pavilion, you are always welcome at West Bentleigh.
JUNIOR BULLDOGS
Developing junior cricket is central to WBCC’s future.
Our 2026/27 junior program will be coached by three people who began their own cricket journeys at West Bentleigh - Nic Tindall, Caitlin Tindall and Jack Macleod. Together, they bring Premier Cricket, SECA and APS representative experience, along with two decades of Longmuir Shield cricket for West Bentleigh. Most importantly, they understand our club and can show young Bulldogs where their cricket journey may take them.
Whether a child is picking up a bat or ball for the first time, developing their skills or hoping to play senior cricket one day, our aim is simple: help them learn the game, make friends and love their cricket in a fun, safe and supportive environment.
The program builds on a strong 2025/26 season, when more than 30 young cricketers regularly attended our Friday night Blasters sessions, while two Rookies teams and an Under 12 side represented West Bentleigh.
We are committed to strengthening the pathway from junior to senior cricket while working towards establishing dedicated girls’ and women’s cricket programs at WBCC.
For coaching profiles, training information and registrations, visit our Junior Bulldogs page.
SENIOR BULLDOGS
WBCC provides senior cricket for players with different levels of experience and ambition.
In 2025/26, the club fielded three senior teams. While our 1st XI competed at the highest level of SECA cricket, our lower grade teams provided opportunities for experienced club members, new players and emerging juniors beginning their senior cricket journey.
Those teams featured father/son combinations, returning players and young Bulldogs playing senior cricket for the first time. These are the experiences that make community cricket special and help create lifelong connections with the club.
As we enter the 2026/27 season, our focus is on building a sustainable senior program, welcoming new and returning players and strengthening the pathway between junior and senior cricket.
A NEW CHAPTER
In 2026, the West Bentleigh community rallied behind a clear decision to remain an independent cricket club.
Players, past players, families, volunteers and supporters demonstrated how much the club, Victory Park and the WBCC name mean to them. Their response created a renewed pathway for the club to move forward as a standalone club.
Under a new committee led by President James Zarris, West Bentleigh is beginning an important new chapter.
Our priorities are clear - rebuild senior participation, continue growing our junior program, work towards establishing dedicated women’s and girls cricket programs at West Bentleigh, create a welcoming club environment and protect the history and identity that generations of Bulldogs have worked to establish.
This is not simply about keeping the club operating for another season. It is about building a stronger and more sustainable WBCC that can be handed on to future generations.
HONOURING OUR PAST. SECURING OUR FUTURE.
The 1932 Club has been established to give past players, members, families and supporters a direct way to help secure West Bentleighs long term future.
Its membership levels recognise the Lydster, Ward, Reid and Massey families - names with deep connections to the history of WBCC.
Foundation Members are recognised on the inaugural 1932 Club Recognition Sign inside the clubrooms, creating a lasting record of those who supported the Bulldogs at a defining moment in the club’s history.
The 1932 Club connects our proud past with our plans for the future and helps ensure West Bentleigh remains at Victory Park for generations to come.
BUILT BY VOLUNTEERS
Like every community sporting club, WBCC relies on people who are willing to contribute their time.
Our volunteers coach teams, prepare grounds, score matches, operate the canteen and bar, organise events, raise funds, manage registrations and complete countless jobs behind the scenes.
Events such as our $2K Draw, past player celebrations, presentation nights and community fundraisers bring people together and provide essential support for the club.
Every contribution matters. You do not need to play cricket or join the committee to make a difference.
A SAFE AND INCLUSIVE CLUB
West Bentleigh Cricket Club is committed to providing a safe, respectful and inclusive environment for children, young people and adults.
The club has adopted Australian Cricket’s safeguarding policies and codes of behaviour, along with Cricket Victoria’s Member Protection and Reporting and Complaints policies.
Neil Hartlett serves as WBCC’s Child Safety Officer and Complaints Manager.
We want people of different ages, abilities, cultures, backgrounds and levels of cricket experience to feel welcome at West Bentleigh.
BECOME PART OF WEST BENTLEIGH
Whether you want to play senior cricket, register your child, volunteer, reconnect as a past player, sponsor a Bulldog or join the 1932 Club, there is a place for you at Victory Park.
Come down, meet the people behind the club and become part of the next chapter in West Bentleigh’s story.
GO WEST!