There is an added incentive for the best player of this year’s Globalwater Willowfest Australian Cricket Club Championships, as they will be the first recipient of the inaugural Charlie Haeusler Award.
The Willowfest Organising Committee decided to name this award after the founder of the Championships.
President Anthony Telfer said that his Committee felt it was a fitting tribute to the man who started the Championships over 30 years ago.? The Championships started in 1977 when the previous Mildura Country Week Carnival concluded.? Haeusler had the initiative to develop a new club based competition which has grown into one of the popular and successful competitions of its type in the country.
News spread rapidly with 34 teams participating in five grades of competition in 1978, only the second year of competition.? This growth continued with 46 teams competing in 1988, but the organizing Committee had to cap the number of entries due to lack of playing arenas.
However the organising Committee are confident over 20 teams will compete for over $10,000 in prize money this year on grounds that after recent rains should be in first class condition.
The Championships were first played under the Willowfest banner in 1981, another innovation of Charlie Haeusler which has helped identify the Carnival right across country’s south western corner.? Willowfest gained incorporation in 1984, with Ian Sharpe its
first President.? When he started the competition, Charlie would not have envisioned how the Championships would evolve into today’s format with four grades of men’s competition and a
women’s grade.? Sportspower have come on board to sponsor this award.? Telfer thanked Mick and Adam Thompson from Sportspower, long time supporters of Willowfest after being the original naming rights sponsers, for their generous sponsorship of this award.? Although Charlie Haeusler passed away in 1997, his wife Leonie still takes an active interest in Willowfest and in the past years has attended some of the matches.? This year she will be in attendance to present the inaugural Charlie Haeusler Award.? The Charlie Haeusler Award will be presented at the Championships Awards dinner to be held after the final day of competition on December 30 at the Mildura Workingman’s
Club.? Some very talented cricketers such as Hayden Thorpe, Glen Motschall, Lachie Skinner have been awarded the Willowfest Player of the Carnival in past years and with the new name for the award the 2010 winner will join an honoured group of players.
