History

The first Trinity team was formed in 1906 and played as Camberwell Presbyterian in the Eastern Suburbs Cricket Association Hard Wicket Competition. The team disbanded but reformed in 1930 and played as Camberwell Presbyterian for four seasons. In 1936, Mark Simms came to Trinity church from Hawthorn Presbyterian with some of that clubs equipment and formed Trinity Presbyterian Churches Cricket Club, with a home ground on the Hawthorn side of Camberwell Junction. A second team was formed and played at Wattle Park in 1937/38.

Trinity’s first premiership came under the leadership of Ian Scott in 1947/48, with John Norman, later to become Association President and Patron, taking ten wickets for the match. An Under 16 side was added in 1953/54 and a third XI began in 1954/55 with many recruits from Camberwell High School. Trinity was a regular finalist through the 1950’s but had to wait until 1961 to win an A grade flag with Bruce Bond as captain. The side included ten players who had already made centuries for Trinity and defeated Canterbury Presbyterian outright. After the mid 1960’s and the retirement of many fine players Trinity struggled and lost it’s place in A Grade, rebuilding by 1976 due to good recruiting and expansion of the juniors. Importantly then, the committee decided to centralise Trinity at Frog Hollow reserve and Willison Park and successfully pushed the council for a pavilion at Frog Hollow. Players Ian and Grant Lawry came to Trinity and formed the backbone of a strong first XI, that returned to A Grade by 1986. At that time, Trinity fielded five senior teams and four junior teams, with the juniors supplying some outstanding players for future senior premierships. The name Trinity Willison was introduced at the mid 1980’s after the club decided to split from the church but wanted to retain it’s identity.

Trinity’s first XI went through the 1990/91 season undefeated, winning the club’s second A Grade pennant under the captaincy of Paul Moss. A highlight of the celebration was the 1961 premiership team attending the presentation night almost thirty years to the day they achieved the club’s first success.

The 1990’s were statistically Trinity’s best decade for results with seven senior premierships and a number of junior premierships. Each senior XI won a flag during this period with many senior players having their first taste of premiership glory including then Club President Ross Eberhard. This successful period culminated in season 1999/00 with triumph for the club’s MacGibbon Shield team. After having topped the ladder during the regular season for several years, the First XI finally broke through for the club’s third A Grade premiership. This side was captained by Alex Rusmir, who for the second time won the Ian Stuart medal for the best player in A Grade. Alex had previously won the medal in 1993.