Veterans Cricket Victoria and Campapse Shire Council have come to an agreement on a new five-year sponsorship that will see the annual veterans carnival stay in Echuca.
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The news comes as Echuca hosted the 2026 edition last week, which saw hundreds of players travel from across Victoria to play across four divisions at various grounds.
A gala dinner attended by about 300 players and their wives was also hosted by the Moama Bowling Club, which sponsors the event.
The new Campaspe Shire agreement means VCV will continue to hold its carnival in Echuca until 2031.
“After multiple discussions and proposals, we concluded a very satisfactory agreement with Campaspe Shire Council a few weeks back, and we're just in the process of having all that signed off, which takes us up to 2031,” VCV vice-president Greg Sebire said.
“It means that we've got security, and we can run the annual carnival profitably for the next five years, so we're going to be working closely with Campaspe Shire Council to ensure that both parties get the best out of the agreement.”
The council said in a statement that it was pleased to be providing long-term support for the carnival.
“Campaspe Shire Council is proud to continue its support of the annual Veterans Cricket Victoria Carnival in Echuca through a new sponsorship agreement extending to 2031, reinforcing council’s strong commitment to events that deliver meaningful economic and social benefits to the region,” director communities Jo Bradshaw said.
“A long‑standing, shoulder‑season sporting event, the carnival marked its 13th year in 2026 and reflects Campaspe’s strength in sports and recreation, which accounts for 52 per cent of all events held across the shire.
“The event enhances Echuca’s appeal as a host destination while delivering economic benefits across nine towns and 12 sporting facilities throughout the municipality.”
Last week, players were treated to another carnival full of competitive action and the opportunity to enjoy Echuca and its surrounds.
One of the major benefits is the opportunity for local clubs to host the matches at their grounds, and this year saw the pitches at Girgarre, Kyabram, Cohuna, Yalca, Nathalia, Koondrook, Barham, Echuca South, Cooma, Rushworth, Rochester, Gunbower, Moama, and Bamawm utilised.
The value for these clubs comes from players from the two competing teams always staying at their grounds after a game, putting money over the bar through food and drinks, with clubs also providing lunches.
The veterans continue to find that clubs are very hospitable, forging increasingly closer relations with locals each year.
“We really enjoy coming up here for the week and on the day of we put a lot of money into the economy,” Sebire said.
“When we put our proposal to Campaspe Shire, for what's a relatively modest investment on their behalf, we reckon we're bringing about $1.5 million worth of revenue into the shire when you talk about hotel nights, restaurants, entertainment, souvenirs, all that sort of stuff.
“It's great for the local businesses and there's probably 450 to 500 of us that come up here.”
It is understood that half of the veterans hail from Melbourne, with some also travelling from Euroa and Benalla to take part.
The more local players featured for Northern Rivers during the week-long event, which had a strong representation, being able to field a team in each division.
But the most fascinating aspect of the players is learning more about their cricket backgrounds.
Some have played the sport each year since the age of 10, a number played at what used to be known as district cricket level in their younger years, and there were some last week still playing into their mid-70s.
Such is the importance of veterans cricket that many players have had a roughly 25-year absence from the sport before discovering it, being able to resume playing the game they love while enjoying several health benefits.
Sebire has his own analogy to describe the carnival’s impact.
“I call it the mobile Men’s Shed,” he said.
“The main thing that Men’s Shed advocates is that it's great for mental health for older retired gentlemen, whereas I'm saying this is like a mobile Men’s Shed because we're actually running around in addition to communicating.”
That running around took place across the four divisions over the week, with each having a different winner.
In division one, Northern Rivers defeated Essendon Vets by seven wickets in the grand final, while Mornington Peninsula edged to a four-wicket win over Ringwood Mountain Districts in division two.
In division three, Geelong defeated South Gippsland by six wickets and Eastbay took out division four with a 48-run victory over Barkly St Maribyrnong.
Riverine Herald photographer Jordan Townrow was at Bamawm Recreation Reserve on Thursday to capture some of the action from the division one meeting between Northern Rivers and ACS.