The daughters of the late Cresswell Crisp have returned to Visy Park armed with his 1934 Robert Reynolds Trophy – the first of 69 awarded annually to Carlton’s best player afield before its renaming as the John Nicholls Medal.

The trophy, carrying the engraved initials “CC” and encased in a framed image of Crisp in his heyday, remains a family heirloom. But in this the 150^th year of the club and the 80^th years since the trophy was instituted, the daughters saw fit to display it, albeit for a fleeting moment, at Visy Park.

Patricia Robertson regarded the trophy as “an absolute prized possession”.

“I had the medal framed for my son Mark’s 40^th birthday and he’s 50 now. The gift brought him undone, he got quite emotional about it,” Patricia said.

“In the years since my son hasn’t let it out of his sight, but he did relent for just a brief moment.”

Crisp, a two-time B & F winner, earned his second trophy (named after the former Carlton vice president Cr Robert Reynolds) in the Club’s drought-breaking Premiership season of 1938.

Born in Mount Koorong near Wedderburn in 1908, William Edward Cresswell Crisp inherited the lifelong nickname “Mickey” for good reason. According to Patricia: “When he was a kid his pants used to fall down so they’d call him Mickey Dripping Draws’”.

Joining Carlton in 1931, Crisp’s early days at Carlton were spent with “Soapy” Vallence up forward where the former booted a career high 53 goals in the ’32 season then topped the club’s goalkicking with 44 in ’34.

Diane Frazer and Patricia Robertson with their prized possession. (Photo: Carlton Football Club)

Ultimately, he forged his reputation as a centreman for both Carlton and Victoria, representing the Blues in 183 matches through 11 seasons to 1941 and the Big V on four occasions through the 1930s.

Crisp was called upon for active service through the war years, and served with a coastal artillery unit based in Darwin. He returned with the rank of Sergeant in December 1945, and reacquainted himself with Carlton in an official capacity. As committeeman, he was inadvertently drawn into the 1957 Francis-Hands dispute, but as Patricia stressed his allegiance to the club never waned.

“For Dad, Carlton was at the forefront,” she said. “Even after 1979 when he was living in Queensland he’d come back for Carlton games, although he wouldn’t go to Grand Finals if the Blues were playing because he’d get too churned up. So he’d wander around Moonee Valley on race day, and glance occasionally at the telly.”

Crisp was 93 years old when he died on April 15, 2001, but his memory lives on through three subsequent generations of family, all of them Carlton Members - including Patricia, who’s now packing her bags for Saturday’s twilight match at the Gabba.