International cricketers from four nations will descend on Mildura in September this year for the 2025 Spirit of Cricket Festivale tournament.
Now in its second year, the event will feature Over 50 and Over 55 cricketers from Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Canada who will represent their countries from 14th - 24th September while the second week 25th – 30th September will see 8 Over 50's T20 franchises compete for $25,000 in prize money.
Event founder Anthony Telfer said the tournament would offer a veritable feast of cricket for local spectators while putting Mildura on the international stage.
"Each country is sending over its best Over 50 and Over 55 national players and all of these guys regularly play and represent their counties at international level," Mr Telfer said.
"We started the event last year as a tri-series and due to the popularity of the event among players we've had increased interest this year which is why we've been able to grow it to include four countries and two age categories."
The opening week of competition will be based around a series of 45-over games at ovals throughout the region, including several day/night games.
The second week will feature a T20 tournament with up to two games each day at the MSP.
Mr Telfer said that as a former local he wanted to ensure the tournament not only showcased the sport of cricket, but everything the Sunraysia region has to offer as a visitor destination.
"While the players are in the region we have a packed program of experiences for them to enjoy off-the-field," he said.
"For example, we've built time into their schedule to enjoy tours of popular visitor attractions, we've organised golf days, events at the Mildura Boathouse, and a cruise on the Mundoo among a host of activities."
Councillor for Events and Tourism Rebecca Crossling said Council was proud to support the Spirit of Cricket tournament, which would generate more than $570,000 in economic benefit for the region through the packed program of activities planned for the visiting players.
"This is yet another welcome addition to our 2025 events calendar, but this event is special for a couple of reasons," Cr Crossling said.
"The fact it runs across two weeks means sustained economic benefit for our hard-working local business owners across sectors including hospitality, retail and accommodation.
"It also brings international competitors from three countries to Mildura, many of whom may be introduced to our beautiful region for the first time.
"This could potentially translate into a whole host of future international visitors to our municipality and hundreds of thousands of additional tourism dollars flowing into our region."
