Baseball at the 1956 Summer Olympics was a demonstration sport at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. It would become an official sport 36 years later at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Though it was nominally the "foreign" demonstration sport of that Olympiad, Australia had a long history of baseball dating back to at least 1889. The Australians fielded the senior national team in an exhibition match against the United States, represented by a detachment from the United States Far East Command. Many Sheffield Shield cricket players – who were quite successful at baseball as a winter sport – were unable to be selected on the basis that they were professional players.
In Australia, baseball is a game that is played in all states and territories of the country.
The Claxton Shield was the name of the premier baseball competition in Australia held between state-based teams, as well as the name of the trophy awarded to the champion team. From the summer of 1989–90 until 2001–02, and again since 2010–11, the tournament was replaced by one of three other competitions: the original Australian Baseball League (ABL), the International Baseball League of Australia (IBLA), and since the 2010–11 season the new ABL. Despite other competitions being held in place of the Claxton Shield, the physical trophy has remained the award for the winning teams. Though city-based teams have competed for the Claxton Shield in some seasons, the name engraved on the shield is that of the winning state; for the 2010–11 ABL season won by the Perth Heat, "West Australia 2011" was engraved.
The 2009 Diamond Anniversary Claxton Shield was the 75-year anniversary of the Claxton Shield and was held from 2 December 2008 to 8 February 2009 and was the Shield's Diamond anniversary. The Perth Heat won the tournament after defeating the New South Wales Patriots 3–2 in the third game of a best of three series.
Hugh Joseph Plant was an Australian first-class cricketer who represented Victoria in the Sheffield Shield during the 1930s.
The 1934 Claxton Shield was the first annual Claxton Shield, an Australian national baseball tournament. It was held at the Adelaide Oval and Hindmarsh Oval in Adelaide from 5 to 12 August, and was won by the hosts South Australia. The other participating teams were New South Wales and Victoria.
The 1935 Claxton Shield was the second annual Claxton Shield, an Australian national baseball tournament. It was held at the Albert Ground and the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne from 3 to 10 August, and was won by South Australia for the second time in a row. The other participating teams were New South Wales and hosts Victoria.
The 1936 Claxton Shield was the third annual Claxton Shield, an Australian national baseball tournament. It was held at Marrickville Oval in Sydney from 3 to 10 August, and was won by South Australia for the third time in a row. The other participating teams were Victoria and hosts New South Wales.
The 1937 Claxton Shield was the fourth annual Claxton Shield, an Australian national baseball tournament. It was held at Unley Oval in Adelaide from 7 to 14 August, the second time Adelaide had hosted the Shield. New South Wales won the Shield for the first time. Western Australia joined the tournament for the first time, becoming the fourth state to be represented. The other participating teams were Victoria and hosts South Australia.
The 1938 Claxton Shield was the fifth annual Claxton Shield, an Australian national baseball tournament. It was held at the WACA Ground and Subiaco Oval in Perth from 3 to 13 August, the first time Perth had hosted the Shield. New South Wales won the Shield for the second time, successfully defending their title from the previous year. Hosts Western Australia had their best finish, losing to New South Wales in the final to finish second overall. The other participating teams were Victoria and South Australia.
The 1946 Claxton Shield was the seventh annual Claxton Shield, an Australian national baseball tournament—the first time the tournament was held after a seven-year break due to World War II. It was held at Petersham Oval and Marrickville Oval in Sydney from 3 to 10 August, and was won by the hosts New South Wales for the fourth time in a row. With this tournament win, they overtook South Australia as the outright leading state in Claxton Shield tournament wins.
The 1948 Claxton Shield was the ninth annual Claxton Shield, an Australian national baseball tournament. It was held in Perth, Western Australia from 7 to 14 August, and was won by Victoria for the second time overall, successfully defending their title from 1947. The other participants were South Australia, New South Wales, and hosts Western Australia.
The Australian Baseball League (ABL) is a professional baseball league in Australia. The league is governed by the Australian Baseball Federation (ABF). It uses the same name as a now-defunct competition held during the 1990s, and though it shares some history of the original league with the Claxton Shield awarded to winners of both competitions, it is considered to be a separate competition.
The 2010 Claxton Shield was the 76th Claxton Shield tournament, the premier baseball competition in Australia, and was held from 6 November 2009 to 7 February 2010. It was hailed as the precursor to the new Australian Baseball League that would start in the place of the Claxton Shield in late 2010 to early 2011. The Victoria Aces defeated South Australia two games to nil in the championship series to win the tournament; this was the 22nd time the Claxton Shield had been awarded to a Victorian team. The competition was sponsored by Domino's Pizza.
The 1947 Claxton Shield was the eighth annual Claxton Shield, an Australian national baseball tournament. It was held at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide from 2 to 9 August and was won by Victoria for the first time. The other participating teams were defending champions New South Wales, hosts South Australia and the returning Western Australian team.
The 1949 Claxton Shield was the tenth annual Claxton Shield, an Australian national baseball tournament. It was held in Melbourne, Victoria from 31 July to 7 August, and was won by Victoria for the third time overall, all in successive years. The other participants were South Australia, New South Wales and Western Australia.
The Fitzroy Baseball Club, known as the Fitzroy Lions, is a baseball club founded in 1889 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria. The club was a founding member of the Victorian Baseball League, Victoria's first organised baseball competition. Fitzroy has won 16 Division 1 championships and currently has seven senior men's teams, one women's team and a masters team competing in the Baseball Victoria Summer League, as well as junior sides representing the club at every age level.
Charles William Puckett was an Australian sportsman who excelled at both baseball and cricket. Born in Surrey, England, Puckett emigrated with his family to Adelaide, South Australia, and took up playing both sports early in life. Playing baseball as both a catcher and a pitcher, he represented South Australia in the Claxton Shield on several occasions, and was also the winner of the inaugural Capps Medal as the best player in the South Australian Baseball League. He moved to Victoria in 1937, playing a season for the Essendon Baseball Club and also playing state baseball for Victoria, before moving to Western Australia the following year to work in the publishing house of The West Australian. Considered one of the best all-round baseballers in Australia, Puckett subsequently represented Western Australia in Claxton Shield competition, having won the award for best player on three consecutive occasions, spanning the 1936, 1937, and 1938 tournaments.
The 1977 Claxton Shield was the 38th annual Claxton Shield, an Australian national baseball tournament. It was held in Perth from 14 to 23 January, the eighth time Perth had hosted the Shield. Hosts Western Australia won the Shield for the third time. The other participating teams were New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria.
Melbourne, VIC 
New South Wales 
Western Australia 
