MPCA: Baxter adopts nickname and song in re-branding

There will be a new buzz word at Baxter this summer, with the Mornington Peninsula cricket club unveiling an exciting new identity.

The Baxter Razorbax will fire up in 2025-26.

As it nears a cricket century, Baxter Cricket Club has a nickname.

Razorbax will be the new buzz word around Baxter Park this summer, with Baxter Cricket Club rubber stamping its new moniker at a committee meeting on Tuesday night.

The club — founded in 1929 — had gone 96 years without a nickname, but felt the time was right for a re-branding of sorts after three successive relegation drops in the Mornington Peninsula Cricket Association.

“We put a vote to the members and gave them two options, Razorbax or Two Blues,’’ Baxter president Steve Harvey said.

“The majority obviously went with the Razorbax.’’

Razorbax got 70.37 percent of the vote, as opposed to 29.63 percent for the Two Blues.

Harvey said Baxter would also adopt a club song, to the tune of Hawthorn’s AFL jingle — “We’re a happy team at Baxter...’’ — and a logo.

“In this day and age you like to have a branding,’’ Harvey said.

“Most clubs in cricket and footy, whichever sport, have an associated logo or nickname. We’ve got a new coach and we had to get going in this space.’’

Baxter Cricket Club will be known as the Razorbax.

Harvey said Baxter considered adopting the Razorbax nickname a few years ago, but “it didn’t get much momentum’’.

Renowned premiership cricket coach Mark Cooper was appointed Baxter’s new coach in May. He raised the need for a club nickname, logo and song in his interview process.

“It’s the first thing I said to them when I met with them,’’ Cooper said.

“This is a really good opportunity to re-brand. You’ve got a new coach coming in, how about a re-branding, like, who are we?’’

Baxter has retained key players including Cody Irving and Priyantha Kumara, and looks set to regain Jake Hutchison. Former Mt Eliza player Lachie Ord is a potential recruit.

Cooper said the opportunity to “educate” Baxter’s young list excited him.

“The attraction for me was development,” he said.

“It’s all about investment in those young fellas, and looking at it probably three quarters of their list is 22 and under. So it’s about getting some training standards and development into those 22 and unders especially, but also to the whole group.”