Essendon Maribyrnong Park’s famed Bay 13, home to cricket royalty

If you get a chance to visit Essendon Maribyrnong Park’s Aberfeldie Park, you might meet legends of Australian cricket in the famed Bay 13.

Essendon Maribyrnong Park's legendary Bay 13.

The famous – perhaps infamous – Bay 13 at the MCG is the start of many a story during the hot summer days.

Maybe that’s why Molly Strano and Emily Smith nicknamed the balcony at Essendon Maribyrnong Park’s Aberfeldie Park pavilion after the iconic section – because there’s always a story to be told.

If you get the chance to visit the picturesque ground on the edge of the Maribyrnong River, you’d be welcome to stop in for a drink and a chat.

Australian Cricket Hall of Famer Raelee Thompson, Australia captain Marg Jennings, Test centurion and the first woman to bat at Lord’s Lorraine Hill, two-time World Cup winner Mel Jones, EMP founding mothers Julie Jones and Chris McInnes are just some of the legends that call Bay 13 home on a Saturday.

Thompson, or “Raels” as she’s known at EMP, said the group’s moniker came with a great deal of affections – and maybe a little jest.

Past players days at Essendon Maribyrnong Park.

“We don’t think of ourselves as Bay 13 but the youngsters call us that, so we go along with it,” she said.

“It’s a term of endearment, isn’t it, we certainly take it that way.

“(They show us) a little bit of reverence, yes, and a little bit of irreverence.”

McInness goes by “Ginny” and has no doubt the club has something special when it came to support.

“Other clubs, we know, are envious of us just for what happens here – us coming to watch the cricket,” she said.

“Clubs don’t have that, the following every week, and we’re well known for it – even the other teams call us Bay 13.”

Bombers current captain Makinley Blows was an honouree member for the day after injuring her knee on Victoria duties.

She said it was a privilege having access to some of the legends of Australian cricket and getting to know them socially.

Raelee Thompson prepares for an Ashes Test in 1984.

Mel Jones batting for Essendon Maribyrnong Park.

“It’s amazing having such a good group of girls be around the club and always there to support and give words of wisdom,” she said.

“(There’s) lots of banter, especially when we come off the field, they love to let us know little funny things that happened.

“They’re always up for a good story about something that’s happened during the week or a doctors appointment that they’ve been to.

“A lot of them have played at a high level or played at EMP so they know the game really well, for our young crew it’s great education as well.

“After every game when we get the chance to go up there there’s always a different story about bowling someone out or something that’s happened back in the day.

“They’ve played a lot of cricket and there’s so many stories they tell and it’s amazing to think about how far the game’s come from when they played to where we are now.”

Julie Jones goes by “JJ” and played cricket for Essendon and then the merged Essendon Maribyrnong Park from 1975 to 1992.

She’s played a major role in the club’s rise to perennial premiership contender and can see the current crop of youngsters following in her, Thompson, Jennings, Hill and Jones’ footsteps.

Essendon Maribyrnong Park's legendary Bay 13.

“I was with Essendon before Essendon Maribyrnong Park amalgamated … every year one of us would go up and the other would go down so we worked out if we combined we’d have a damn good side,” she said.

“When Raelee came to play for us, it was like the pied piper, everyone wanted to come.

“Once Raelee and all us oldies retired, the club did slump a bit, but then we got Mel Jones – and it was the same thing.

“This group reminds of me of when Molly, Nat (Schilov) and Crackers (Brianna Binch) came through and they were like us.”

Essendon Maribyrnong Park has had 11 players play for Australia and countless others represent Victoria.

Blows, Sam Bates and Georgia Wareham are all part of the Victoria squad this season.

Wareham would likely have been part of Australia’s ICC World Cup squad if not for a knee injury.

Thompson, who captained Australia at Test and ODI level said it was exciting watching the next generation come through.

Essendon Maribyrnong Park players relax in Bay 13.

“They will, they’re already are (carrying on the legacy),” she said.

“(My advice) is usually bat first and play straight, get the ball up, things like that, all those lovely little cliches.

“I really enjoy it, I had my day and it was great, and the kids that are coming along now are really promising.”

Blows was in awe of the trailblazers that now cheered her and her teammates on, particularly Thompson.

“It’s unreal to think we’ve got someone of that calibre at our club and as a Hall of Famer and past captain of Australia it’s awesome to be able to lean on her with things on the field but also off the field and being in successful teams,” she said.

Sadly, EMP couldn’t get the win on the day, beaten by Box Hill and were knocked out of finals contention in a wild final day of the season, missing the top four by just two points.

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However, Bay 13 will undoubtedly be back in 2022-23.

McInnes said the Bombers’ balcony was always ready for new members but the initiation process was still a work in progress.

“We’re getting a few more members of Bay 13 as they retire but we haven’t quite got the initiation right just yet,” she said.

“We’ll have to figure that out, I think it might be making tea and coffee for us, bring the drinks out for us, that might be their first day in Bay 13 and they can go on from there.”