Eaglehawk spinter Glenn Stephens defeated backmarker John Adams by the narrowest of margins to claim the 2008 Next G Network 100m Daylesford Gift. 

Click here for all the race results.

Big Guns Left High And Dry (Ballarat Courier 07.01.08)

Stephens Wins Gift Battle (Bendigo Advertiser 07.01.08)

Click here for all the results from Run for the Willow 2006.

Click on the links below for post event articles from our media sponsors The Courier and The Advocate.

Biao takes Daylesford Gift glory (The Courier 11.12.06)
Training partners cross line together (The Courier 11.12.06)
Biao takes gift glory (The Advocate 13.12.06)

A big thank-you to the volunteers, officials, supporters and sponsors for Run for the Willow 2006.

Run for the Willow 2006 Sponsors
Telstra Country Wide, Cricket Willow, Mizuno, Back in Motion, Peppers Springs Retreat, John Evans Real Estate, Sandhurst Trustees, Victorian Cross Country League, Endura, Hocking Stuart, Ward McKenzie Pty Ltd, Central Highlands Water, Hepburn Shire Council, The Courier, The Advocate, Daylesford Home Hardware, Spa Gym, Dandeloo Estate, Rotary Club of Daylesford, , Grafic Print, Australian Clothing Company, ,Jenkin & Thomas Retravision, Priceline Pharmacy Ballarat, Jay Louise Catering, Daylesford Truck Sales, Cuthberts Solicitors, Mulcahy & Co Accounting Services, Farmers Arms Hotel, Dr Rohan Armstrong, Daylesford Engineering Works, Daylesford Real Estate, Victorian Bookmakers’ Association, Ross Baker’s Clubmaking Shop, Daylesford Taxi, Brian Williams, Brian Marantelli, Ballan Builders, Double Nut Chalets, Torrance Earthmoving, Daylesford Builders, South Australian Athletic League, ANZ Daylesford, Vicstate Savings & Loans, Mooltan Guesthouse, Wildwood YHA, Perfect Drop, Doepel Lilley & Taylor, Istra Smallgoods, Sunicrust, Premix King Wendouree, St Anne’s Vineyard, Albert Street Butchery, Spa Centre Meats, Yvonne & John Wallace, Forest Resort, Country Cuisine, Steve Barty, Interlude Restaurant, Daylesford Newsagency & Tattslotto, Daylesford Pharmacy, K & J Rodda, Dreamworld, The House Next Door, KR Castlemaine, Capilano, SSL Australia, Linga Longa, Innishfree Spa Accommodation, Daylesford Secondary College, Sportz3, Runner’s World, Lavandula, Daylesford Carpet Cleaning Service, Dan Murphy’s, My Chemist Hawthorn, MCWebs, Sandipa, Robert Kendall, Bacchus Hill Winery, Comelli Wines, Lemon Myrtle Essentials, Dudley House, Lavender Cottage, 65 Main B&B, Neville & Carol Bones, Town Hall Café and D’Bar, Daylesford IGA, Butler’s Lane Winery, Avant Garden, FRP Printing, Sunset Audio, Mount Franklin Estate Winery, The Church Accommodation, Wombat Productions, Lost Magazine, Hungry Hamper Catering, Rebel Sport, Mackley’s Plaster Works, Hepburn Springs Naturals, Cook’s Transport, Adrian & Robyn Holmes, Tropical Sno, Craig Brown, Victorian Athletic League, Stawell Athletic Club, Daylesford Municipal Band, Daylesford Highland Pipes & Drums, Steve Brimacombe, Paul Young, Adrian Mott, Jarrem Pearce, Rod Mathews, Andrew Pym, Stuart Uhlmann, Daniel Millard, Glenn Crawford, Andrew McManus, Jason Richardson.

Toowoomba turbo Nathan Allen scooped the pool at the inaugural Run for the Willow on Saturday 19 November 2005. The Queenslander was undefeated on the day in six races including the $2,000 Cricket Willow Gift and the $500 Mizuno Handicap. Unfortunately he had little time to celebrate with a 6am return flight to Toowoomba.

Allen was backed on-course into even money for the Gift final and ran true to form to win in a time of 11.09 from Chris Tuohy and a fast finishing Joshua Ross from the scratch mark. Allen and Ross thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to compete at the picturesque Cricket Willow oval and both said they look forward to returning again next year.

Cricket Willow proprietor Ian Tinetti presented Ross with a specially made Jabaroo cricket bat in recognition of his support for the new event. Ross used Run for the Willow to launch his preparation for the Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

Other winners on the day were:

• Zane Elliott of Geelong in the $200 Australian Clothing Company 100m U/21.
• Sandra Pollard of Mount Waverley in the $500 Interlude Restaurant 100m Women’s Handicap.
• David Flowers of Glen Iris in the $250 Repco Auto Car Care Hallam 100m Invitational.
• Craig Lancaster of Donvale in the $500 Peppers Springs Retreat 400m Handicap.
• Glenn Weston of Daisy Hill in the $500 Hocking Stuart 800m Handicap.
• Greame Watkins of East Geelong in the $500 VRTA 1600m Handicap.
• Nathan Hartigan of Mount Helen in the male 6km “Dandeloo and Back” fun run.
• Christine O’Halloran of Ballarat in the female 6km “Dandeloo and Back” fun run.

A large crowd lined the oval boundary and were entertained by professional running of the highest calibre. The day was a great success thanks to terrific support from sponsors, athletes, volunteers and the Victorian Athletic League. A total of $2,040 was raised for the Daylesford Access and Recreation Centre Appeal.

There have been plenty of positive comments from those in attendance. A couple of examples:

“A big thanks to Chris Tuohy, the Tinetti family and the VAL for a great weekend. You have to be congratulated for such a huge effort getting this gift off the ground, the work you would have had to do is unbelievable”. (Cricket Willow Gift winner Nathan Allen)

“A huge thankyou for the hospitality you showed the guys. They couldn’t believe how well they were looked after. They were really impressed with the meet”. (Alison Fairweather on behalf of Joshua Ross)

“I would like to tell you how much I enjoyed the Cricket Willow Gift. It was superbly organised, in a beautiful setting and I hope it will be repeated next year. Congratulations to those who found this venue and presented such a wonderful day of running and entertainment”. (Sandra Poynton)

“Just wanted to thank you for a great day. Katelyn was made to feel very special and we both really appreciated the attention you gave her and the other kids. She took her cricket bat to bed, and is looking forward to a jog with Mona where she will pass on her message from the Batman!” (John Jones)

RUN FOR THE WILLOW 2005 EVENT SCHEDULE:

10.30am:            “Dandeloo and Back” 6km fun run/walk
11.00am:            Free ‘Bud to Bat’ tour
12.00pm:            Hocking Stuart 800m heats (4)
12.15pm:            Fun run presentations
12.25pm:            Australian Clothing Company U/21 100m
12.40pm:            Mizuno 70m heats (11)
1.20pm:              Blue Light kids races
1.40pm:              Mizuno 70m semi-finals (4)
2.00pm:              Cricket Willow 100m Gift heats (10)
2.00pm:              Free ‘Bud to Bat’ tour
2.40pm:              Hocking Stuart 800m final
2.50pm:              Mizuno 70m final
3.00pm:              Interlude Restaurant 100m womens heats (3)
3.20pm:              Cricket Willow 100m Gift semi-finals (4)
3.45pm:              Peppers Springs Retreat 400m heats (7)
4.20pm:              Interlude Restaurant 100m womens final
4.30pm:              Victorian Runners and Trainers Association 1600m
4.40pm:              Repco Hallam Backmarkers Invitational
4.50pm:              Peppers Springs Retreat 400m final
5.00pm:              Cricket Willow 100m Gift final

A big thank-you to the volunteers, officials, supporters and sponsors for Run for the Willow 2005.

Run for the Willow 2005 Sponsors
Rotary Club of Daylesford, Hepburn Shire Council, Mizuno, Peppers Springs Retreat, Hocking Stuart Real Estate, Interlude Restaurant, Australian Clothing Company, Mooltan Guest House, Wildwood YHA, Managed Content Websites, St Anne's Winery, Nudie Fruit Juices, Jabaroo Cricket, Repco Auto Car Care Hallam, Victorian Runners and Trainers Association, Strawbale Cottage, The Church Accommodation, Innishfree Cottage, Dirty Dog Sunglasses, Central Highlands Water, Dulcinea Winery, KR Castlemaine Foods, Lake House, My Chemist Hawthorn, Specialist Massage Group, Coles Daylesford, John Evans Real Estate, Sweet Decadence, Sault Restaurant, Lavandula, Mt Franklin Estate, Visual Studio Daylesford, Albert Street Butchers, Town Hall Cafe and d'bar, Dandeloo Estate, Ballan Builders, Daylesford Builders, Daylesford Truck Sales, Daylesford Home Hardware, Wombat Hill Nursery, Danny Spooner, KR Little Pty Ltd, ANZ Daylesford, Victoria Police, Daylesford Secondary College, Tonna's Fruit & Vegetables, Gum Tree Cottage.

Click here to download an event flyer from Run for the Willow 2005.

Click here to download a Run For the Willow 2005 Fact Sheet.

Click here to download a list of accommodation sponsors from Run for the Willow 2005.

The official launch of the 2006-07 Victorian Athletic League Season was held at Cricket Willow from 1pm-5pm on Sunday 8th October 2006.

The VAL professional running season is held at various venues across Victoria with races over distances from 70 metres to 3,200 metres under a handicap system. The first meeting is conducted by Geelong Greyhounds on 27th October 2006 and the season climax is the legendary Stawell Gift on Easter Monday. In between there are 25 other meetings at places such as Ballarat, Bendigo, Wangaratta, Maryborough, Keilor and Ringwood.

Click here for the VAL Season Launch report from The Ballarat Courier. 

Click here for the Victorian Athletic League website.

AWARD NOMINATION FOR RUN FOR THE WILLOW 2005

The Run for the Willow athletic carnival was nominated as the Victorian entry for the Meeting of the Year at the prestigious Australian Athletic Confederation Awards held in Melbourne on 20 August 2006.

Event spokesman Adrian Tinetti said it was a terrific achievement for the carnival to be nominated in only its first year. It a follows on from the recent award as the joint winner of the Victorian Meeting of the Year. Tinetti hopes to have another shot at the Australian awards next year with a bigger and better carnival planned for 9 & 10 December 2006 at the picturesque Cricket Willow oval.

The St Helens meeting in Tasmania was awarded the title as the Australian Meeting of the Year. Other winners at the Australian Athletic Confederation Awards were:

Athlete of the Year - Pirrenee Steinhart (South Australia)
Male Sprint Athlete of the Year - Daniel Burgess (Victoria)
Female Athlete of the Year - Cara White (Victoria)
Distance Athlete of the Year - Michael Killicoat (South Australia)
Trainer of the Year - Paul Young (South Australia)
Administrator of the Year - Cathy Thurston (South Australia)

VICTORIAN AWARD FOR RUN FOR THE WILLOW 2005

The professional running fraternity gathered at Windy Hill on Friday 5th May for the annual Victorian Runners and Trainers Association awards night. In a surprise announcement the Cricket Willow Gift, in only its first year, was declared the joint winner of the meeting of the year award with the Waverley Gift.

Cricket Willow Gift chief organisers Chris Tuohy and Adrian Tinetti accepted the prestigious award from Victorian running stalwart George Underwood. Tuohy received special congratulations for his endeavours both on and off the track to get the new gift up and running. In return Tuohy thanked the Tinetti family and his fellow athletes for getting behind his idea and making it such a success. He also said he looks forward to seeing everyone return to ‘Run for the Willow’ next season.

In other awards, Ballarat and Geelong Gift winner Nathan Dixon continued his rise through the running ranks to be named the sprinter of the year. In his acceptance speech Dixon attributed his success to the tremendous support from his mother and the expert guidance from his coach Rob Lehmann.

Another local lad, Glenn Weston of Daisy Hill capped off a stellar season to win both the distance athlete and veterans athlete awards. Weston achieved the remarkable feat of no fewer than eight victories throughout the season.

Other winners on the night were Daniel Burgess - athlete of the year and most outstanding performance of the year, Sonya Pollard - female athlete of the year, Nick Feidler - trainer of the year, James Deane - middle distance athlete of the year and Matt Carter - Sandy Hurst Memorial emerging talent award.

After the presentations Ian Tinetti challenged Adrian Mott to return to Cricket Willow and replicate his stunning Stawell Gift victory. Mott’s journey to Stawell kicked into gear last November when he was victorious in his heat of the Cricket Willow Gift, his first official win under high profile coach Steve Brimacombe.