The Craven Mild Cup was a competition held by the

New South Wales Rugby League The New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory and is a member of the Australian Rugby League Commission. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was ...

(NSWRL) in Australia before the start of the season proper, from 1962 until 1981. From 1962 to 1969 it was simply known as the Preseason Cup, before tobacco company W.D. & H.O. Wills took up sponsorship - with the competition rebranded the Wills Cup - in 1970, and the Craven Mild Cup for its last four seasons, from 1978 to 1981. The Preseason Cup first took place over March 1961, with matches played at night under lights at the Sydney Sportsground,

Redfern Oval Redfern Oval is an Australian football ground, in the Sydney suburb of , New South Wales, Australia. The South Sydney Rabbitohs Rugby League Football Club played at Redfern Oval between 1948 and 1987. Rabbitoh supporters often refer to Redfern ...

and

Lidcombe Oval Lidcombe Oval is a playing field and velodrome in the Western Sydney suburb of Lidcombe. It is part of Wyatt Park. It is situated in the Western side of Church Street, on the northern side of the railway line. The outfield has a capacity of mor ...

. The halves were played 35 minutes each. In March 1962, the

Berries A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

won the Preseason Cup, beating Western Suburbs 14-10 under floodlights at the Sydney Sportsground. In 1972, an estimated 251,000 spectators watched matches in the competiion. The NSWRL competition clubs made up the participants, except in 1970 when

Wentworthville Wentworthville is a suburb in Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Wentworthville is located 27 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region. Wentworthville is split betw ...

and Sydney Uni took park as well. The competition was discontinued in 1982 due the increased length of the NSWRL regular season with its expansion to 14 clubs.

Results

References

{{Rugby League in New South Wales Rugby league in Sydney Rugby league competitions in New South Wales Recurring sporting events established in 1962 Recurring sporting events disestablished in 1981