"You know you're in Melbourne when you're walking through the park and you see someone kicking the footy with cricket pads on." said Viet-Aussie comedian Hung Le.

Credo Cricket began in parks and laneways around Melbourne in just such a way in 2001. People would meet "down the nets" after Credo Lunches as a way of building relationships and physically beating some of the pressures of depression and addiction which followed the then so called "heroin crisis".

The cricket match at the Credo Christmas BBQ became legendary and so in the January of 2002 we entered our first team in the Reclink Australia’s Super 8's Competition. In that first season we won the A Grade Premiership in a thrilling last over victory final on the hallowed MCG. In 2003 at the eve of the second Gulf War we repeated the feat at the Junction Oval (in retrospect perhaps they should have sent "Waugh not War" as our victory banner proclaimed!) The Super 8's continues to be a great time over Jan/Feb each year.

In 2005 we partnered with St Marks in Reclink's 25 over-a-side Clem Brigg's Jnr Memorial Cup which runs through October till December. With their close links at St. Mary's House of Welcome in Fitzroy we formed a merged team known as the Credo/St Marks Lions. Once again we triumphed in our first season with a thrilling A-Grade final win against a team from St Kilda's Sacred Heart Mission. St Marks and Sacred Heart were both foundation members of Reclink cricket in 1995 and in recognition we now play a match each season known as the Peter Ryan Cup.

Since 2005 we have played a number of games against teams comprised of our corporate supporters such as Price Waterhouse Coopers and Clayton Utz . This not only gives our team a workout but brings different people together in a fun environment.

Since this time we have also been building closer links with the Barkly Street Uniting Church Cricket Club with some of our players joining the iconic Footscray club. This has improved the cricketing ability and broadened the social circles of a number of Credo Cricketers beyond the "welfare recreation" scene and added to the diversity of the local club.

In 2007, seeking to extend the important role Credo Cricket plays in peoples lives through the winter months, we entered an Action 6+ indoor cricket team in the Action Indoor Cricket Centre competition in Footscray. Over 30 players played in over two fifteen week seasons and although we only won a handful of games, two were thrillers against much stronger opposition.

In the future we are keen to keep playing as much cricket as possible and to welcome all comers in the spirit of Credo.

• We aim to provide two cricket or team related events per week throughout the course of the next year in order to provide a reliable sense of community, access and opportunity for those whose lives are in crisis or transition.
• We are building our links with our corporate partners local cricket clubs, welfare bodies, cultural groups and cricket authorities.
• We have enjoyed making connections with Samoan friends via Praxis NZ and the “Homies and the Popz” Compton Cricket Club from LA. Perhaps one day we will get to go ‘on the road’ for a cricket tour.

The Credo Cricket story continues... pad up, you're in!