Monarto, Wanderers will compete for 2023 Remembrance Day trophy

This post was contributed by Joe Di Santo.

It will be Remembrance Round this weekend in the Murray Towns Cricket Association.

The A grade game of the round will be between Wanderers and Monarto at Murray Bridge Showground on Saturday, Remembrance Day.

Both clubs will compete for the annual Remembrance Day Mateship Perpetual Trophy.

Wanderers will look to retain the trophy for the third year in a row, while Monarto will look to become the first away club in the MTCA to hold the trophy.

The player who is deemed man of the match will be awarded the Di Santo Medallion, named after the Di Santo family for their contribution to the Australian Defence Force and the game of cricket in the local area.

The medallion is judged on the old Australian Army values of courage, initiative, leadership, and teamwork.

The medallion doesn’t necessarily go the player that scores the most runs, takes the most wickets or takes the most catches.

It can be awarded to a player that does something inspirational, such as taking an important catch at the critical point in the game, a player that takes a few quick wickets to swing the momentum of the game in their team’s favour, or even a player that has fielded well, saving boundaries to help keep the score down.

Last year’s recipient, Wanderers’ Joardyn Williams, was awarded the medallion for his gutsy batting performance at number 11, giving his team a chance of being competitive.

He scored a hard-fought 13 runs in nearly 15 overs before losing his wicket, and 5/25 in 10 overs to help give his team the victory.

Mateship fixture is becoming an annual tradition

The Wanderers Cricket Club has hosted a Mateship Match on the nearest Saturday before or on Remembrance Day for each of the past three years, each year against a different club, giving an opportunity for all clubs within the association to participate.

Wanderers and the Di Santo family have collaborated each year to honour all the volunteers that work tirelessly for their clubs; and all veterans, and particularly those who have played for the club since it was established 50 years ago.

This includes the club’s inaugural president, Lionel Norton; Vietnam veterans Peter Tuxford and Gary Daniel; committee member Richard Elliott; and current servicemen Ben Bittner and Charles and Joseph Di Santo, just to name a few.

The origins of this game date back to 2016, when Murray Bridge RSL used to host an Anzac Sports Carnivale, coordinated by former Wanderers player Joseph Di Santo.

The MTCA used to participate in an intermingled under-14s and 16s T20 game in the lead-up to Anzac Day, raising funds for RSL projects and awareness of our military history and local sporting service personnel.

Get along and watch if you’re free

Both Wanderers and Monarto are calling for past players and the wider community to get down to the showgrounds this Remembrance Day.

Proceedings will get underway at 12.30pm with a brief ceremony.

Play will start immediately afterwards, followed by a presentation in the clubrooms at the end of the game.

Wanderers will then host a quiz night.

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