Leading from the front, two Central Districts captains claimed the premier trophies at the 2021/22 Central Districts Cricket Awards.

The awards evening at the Napier War Memorial Centre (postponed from the end of last summer due to the Omicron outbreak) saw Central Stags white-ball captain Tom Bruce named Central Stags Player of the Year for the first time, and Central Hinds T20 captain Jess Watkin was named Central Hinds Player of the Year for the third time in six seasons.

Bruce will add the CD men’s silver salver to the NZC Domestic Player of the Year trophy he won jointly with Auckland batsman Robbie O’Donnell earlier this year. 

The 31-year-old was also named the Stags’ Plunket Shield Player of the Year for first-class cricket, and in the category voted for by the players themselves, the Men’s Players’ Player of the Year. 

Currently touring India as co-captain of the New Zealand A team, the Taranaki batsman enjoyed a brilliant finish to the 2021/22 summer that saw him go on a career-best run spree, producing back-to-back unbeaten first-class double centuries in the last two matches of the season - a feat never before achieved in more than a century of Plunket Shield cricket, as well as leading the Stags to The Ford Trophy national Final.

Hinds T20 captain Watkin was named both the Central Hinds Player of the Year and the one-day Hallyburton Johnstone Shield Player of the Year, after another strong season with the bat and ball.

The 24-year-old power hitter and off-spinning allrounder will add the summer’s top award to Hinds Player of the Year trophies for the 2016/17 and 2019/20 seasons.

Napier-based WHITE FERNS seamer Rosemary Mair was named T20 Player of the Year for the Hinds while Manawatū wicketkeeper-batsman Dane Cleaver — also in India on the New Zealand A tour — was named the Stags’ T20 Player of the Year after a standout season that saw him strike his maiden T20 century and force his way into the BLACKCAPS

PHOTOSPORT

Other major category awards went to:

Nelson swing bowler Claudia Green (the Central Hinds’ Players’ Player, for the second year running); fast bowler Adam Milne (The Ford Trophy Player of the Year); and young Wairarapa allrounder and newly contracted Hind, Ocean Bartlett (below, left) who was named the Central Hinds' Emerging Player of the Year.

PHOTOSPORT

Central Districts CEO Lance Hamilton congratulated all finalists and winners and said it was important to recognise last summer’s top achievers, albeit belatedly.

“With the prevalence of COVID-19 in the community at the time, the stars were not aligning for a ceremony at the end of last summer and, as an organisation, we elected to take a common-sense approach.

KERRY MARSHALL | PHOTOSPORT

 

“The silver lining has been a small ceremony that has doubled as our new season launch.

"A few players are competing abroad, but it’s been an opportunity for the majority of us — staff, board, and our two flagship representative teams — to reconnect and rekindle our excitement as we look forward to a fresh summer of Domestic cricket.”

The evening began with a minute's silence for Queen Elizabeth II, whose passing was announced earlier on the day.

Central Districts Cricket is proud to congratulate all our 2021/22 season winners.

2021/22

CENTRAL DISTRICTS CRICKET AWARDS

Central Stags

Player of the Year — Tom Bruce (Taranaki)

Super Smash Player of the Year — Dane Cleaver (Manawatū)

Ford Trophy Player of the Year — Adam Milne (Manawatū)

Plunket Shield Player of the Year — Tom Bruce (Taranaki)

Players’ Player of the Year — Tom Bruce (Taranaki)

Central Hinds

Player of the Year — Jess Watkin (Manawatū)

Super Smash Player of the Year — Rosemary Mair (Hawke’s Bay)

Hallyburton Johnstone Shield Player of the Year — Jess Watkin (Manawatū)

Emerging Player of Year — Ocean Bartlett (Wairarapa)

Players’ Player of the Year — Claudia Green (Nelson)

 

Ashtuti Kumar, Anna Gaging, Curtis Heaphy, Will Clark, Claudia Green & Rosemary Mair were all among the 2021/22 winners

Category Awards

Mike Shrimpton Trophy Player of the Year — Anna Gaging (Nelson)

Hawke Cup Player of the Year — Will Clark (Hawke’s Bay)

CD U19 Player of the Year (Men) — Curtis Heaphy (Manawatū)

CD U19 Player of the Year (Women) — Ashtuti Kumar (Manawatū)

CD U17 Player of the Year — no award made

(tournament not held due to COVID-19)

CD Umpire of the Year — Glen Walklin (Hawke’s Bay)

Scorer Recognition Award — Duncan Mitchell (Manawatū)

COACH NOTES

Jamie Watkins

Central Hinds head coach

“Central Hinds Player of the Year Jess Watkin had an impactful season as our leading wicket taker in the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield one-day season — which was unfortunately highly impacted by rain. 

“The Hinds were able to play just four of their 10 games, but even that was enough time for Jess to show her class with bat and ball. She contributed a couple of memorable innings with the bat, her 87 off 62 balls against Northern Districts an HBJ highlight. 

“Jess was also in the top two wicket-takers in the Dream11 Super Smash for the Hinds, and hit 70 off 45 balls against Wellington Blaze. 

“She showed yet again that she is the leading six-hitter in the country in the T20 format. Continuing to grow as an allrounder and as a leader, Jess is a hugely vital cog in the success of the Central Hinds.”

 

Rob Walter

Central Stags head coach

“It's no real surprise that Tom Bruce has been acknowledged for these awards this evening. It was a stellar season for the Stags and will ultimately go down in history for his performances in the Plunket Shield at the back of end of the season. 

“Whilst the double hundreds were the most notable, Tom also made significant contributions in both shorter formats last season as well. Beyond the on-field performances though, it's an acknowledgement of the hard work and tireless hours that Tom put into his game in order to give himself a chance to have these successes. 

“Tom was also instrumental in his leadership on and off the field and this is reflected in his award from his peers as the Stags’ Players’ Player of the Year - which is often seen by the players as the number one award to receive on an awards evening. 

“I hope that this is the catalyst for great things to come for Tom, and that his game continues to go from strength to strength. Already the cogs are in motion with his selection for the New Zealand A side currently in India.”

• CDTOGETHER •

STATCHAT

2021/22

JESS WATKIN

Central Hinds Player of the Year

Hallyburton Johnstone Shield Player of the Year

• 128 runs and 11 wickets from four Hallyburton Johnstone Shield games, at a 32.00 batting average, with a season best of 87. Her haul of 4-28 was one of two occasions in the limited opportunities to get on the park that she took four wickets in an innings, at a 15.81 season bowling average
• Leading from the front in the T20s, Jess scored 168 Dream11 Super Smash runs from nine innings with a best of 70. With the ball, she took 9 wickets at 22.88

TOM BRUCE

Central Stags Player of the Year

Plunket Shield Player of the Year

Men's Player's Player of the Year

• Tom Bruce was New Zealand’s top run-scorer at first-class level last season with 358 Plunket Shield runs from 8 matches (13 innings, seven of them unbeaten) at a phenomenal season average of 143.00, including two unbeaten double centuries (a career-best 208 not out v Northern Districts in Whangarei in Round 7 and 204 not out v Auckland Aces at McLean Park, Napier a week later in the final match of the summer), as well as four half centuries
• Bruce’s 2021/22 first-class average places him in the top six all-time season averages in a single New Zealand summer for batsmen with 500 runs or more in a first-class season (including Test batsmen from New Zealand, and visiting teams)
• Bruce is the first Plunket Shield batsmen since the competition began in 1906/07 to score consecutive double centuries, both of which were unbeaten
• Leading the Central Stags to The Ford Trophy Grand Final, as the team’s white-ball captain Bruce contributed 193 runs from 7 matches at a 32.16 average, including two half centuries and top-scoring with 63 in the Final
• In the Dream11 Super Smash, Bruce scored 267 runs from 10 matches at a 38.14 average, including a T20 Domestic career-best 93 not out against the Canterbury Kings at Pukekura Park

DANE CLEAVER

Men’s T20 Player of the Year

• Dane Cleaver was the second highest run-maker nationally with 369 runs at a 46.12 average, including his maiden T20 century and two half centuries at a strike rate of 166.21 from 9 innings
• His century, 114 not out against the Otago Volts in Dunedin, was the Stags’ highest score of the campaign and one of just two men’s T20 centuries struck during the Super Smash summer nationally

ROSEMARY MAIR

Women’s T20 Player of the Year

• Strike bowler Rosemary Mair played 9 T20 matches for the Hinds in 2021/22. Her 12 wickets, including a best of 3-22, made her the top contributor for the team in the wickets column, and ranked her among the top 10 wicket-takers nationally
• With the bat, Mair was twice unbeaten with a high score of 34 - just two runs shy of her personal best

ADAM MILNE

The Ford Trophy Player of the Year

• In his swansong season for the Stags, fast bowler Adam Milne was at his commanding best with 9 wickets from 6 games at a tight economy rate of 4.83
• Milne also scored his maiden List A half century, reaching 50 off just 18 balls in a bonus point win against the Otago Volts in Dunedin, with his season batting average of 28.75 his best yet at Domestic level

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Article added: Thursday 08 September 2022