Champion Bat Tournament
| Countries | South Africa |
|---|---|
| Format | First-class |
| First tournament | 1875–76 |
| Last tournament | 1890–91 |
The Champion Bat Tournament was a cricket tournament played in the late 1800s in present-day South Africa. Rather than a cup, the winner of the tournament was presented with the "Champion Bat" – a cricket bat emblazoned with a silver crest.
Contested approximately every three to four years, it was first held in 1876 in Port Elizabeth, between teams representing the major settlements of the Cape Colony. Although the exact composition varied, the town-based format continued until the tournament's final edition during the 1890–91 season, which was played between Eastern Province, Griqualand West, and Western Province (teams which still compete in South African domestic cricket). The tournament was played five times before being superseded by the Currie Cup as the premier South African cricket tournament. Only the last edition of the Champion Bat was accorded first-class status.
The inaugural tournament was played in Port Elizabeth from 6–12 January 1876, with the tournament's prize, the Champion Bat, donated by the town's mayor, Henry William Pearson (later an MP), on behalf of the Port Elizabeth Town Council. Four teams competed in the 1876 tournament, representing Cape Town, Grahamstown, King William's Town, and Port Elizabeth, with all matches played at St George's Park. Matches were played over two innings, invariably lasting only one day each owing to their low-scoring nature. Each team was to play each other once (a "round-robin"), for a total of six matches:
...
Wikipedia