FORMER ENGLAND CRICKET
COACH PRESENTS PRIZES
There was a good turn out recently for the inaugural Cricket
Presentation Evening at St George’s Oval, the new home of Westhoughton Cricket
Club. To make the occasion that little bit more special, former England and now
Lancashire 1st Xl Coach, Peter Moores was
in attendance to present the prizes to junior and senior players and club
members, emphasizing the growing bond between club and county. It seems certain
Lancashire will be making use of the new ground near The Hoskers
off Wearish Lane in the town as early as next season
while groundsmen at Old Trafford prepare to ‘turn the
square’ at the famous old test arena.
Following the introductions, prizes were presented for
batting, bowling, fielding, best performance and players
player starting with the senior sides, going right down to under 11s. Each
team’s captain or manager gave brief summarys of
their team’s season before the prizes were presented. There were then a few
club prizes presented to members and helpers for their outstanding
contributions throughout the year. The prizes were as follows:
Ist Xl PRIZES:
BATTING: From 22 innings, scoring 460 runs
with a highest score of 91 not out and an average of 29 - Mark Atherton – and Mark also scored the fastest league 50 in 23
balls v Eagley and also collected
an award for hitting the most sixes in the league hitting 29 in total.
BOWLING: From 132 overs
bowled, conceding 523 runs and taking 42 wickets and an average of 12 – Steve Parker
FIELDING: With 13 catches – Mark Atherton
HARRY COOP PLAYERS PLAYER: Steve
Parker
BILL SANDFORD TROPHY
FOR BEST PERFORMANCE: Mark Atherton 57 not out v Walkden
2nd Xl - PRIZES:
BATTING: From 24 innings, scoring 728 runs,
with a top score of 137 and an average of 36.4 – Martin Hodgkiss – and for scoring 137 against Egerton,
Martin also collected a prize for the league’s highest 2nd team
score of the season.
BOWLING: The bowling prize this year was a
very close affair with two bowlers going neck and neck, but just edging it on number
of wickets, that being 49 from 196 overs bowled
including 34 maidens no less and at average of 12.7 – the winner was Kieran Edwards.
FIELDING: Taking 14 catches – skipper Pete Hilton
JOE DERBYSHIRE PLAYERS PLAYER: Martin Hodgkiss
W.HARRISON TROPHY FOR BEST
PERFORMANCE: Went to Irfan Puda 127 not out v Bradshaw
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Under 18s – PRIZES:
BATTING: Scoring 208 runs at an average of
34.7, this year’s winner was Daniel
Naylor
BOWLING: Having just missed out on the 2nd team bowling
prize, taking 17 wickets at an average of 9.4 – the winner was Rob Brown
FIELDING: Taking 4 catches, the winner was Kieran Edwards
TROPHY FOR BEST
PERFORMANCE OF THE SEASON: For his 77 not out v Eagley - Daniel Naylor
Under 15s – PRIZES:
BATTING: – Michael King
BOWLING: – Wasim
Nawab
FIELDING: – Wasim
Nawab
BEST PERFORMANCE: There was a new trophy for the under
15s best performance this season. It replaced the existing trophy which had
seen better years and had previously been awarded for something else – and the
winner for his 40 no v Astley Bridge was Charlie Honour
SPECIAL AWARD: From a new trophy to a new award – two
in fact – there was also one for the under 13s and in both cases it’s an award that
not necessarily marked any performances as such – its an award more in
recognition of someone who had shown a keenness to learn and/or put in the time
and effort needed to succeeed, the under 15s special award went to Liam Prosser
Under 13s – PRIZES:
BATTING: – Harry Honour
BOWLING: – Mathew Fanning
FIELDING: – Oliver Turner
SPECIAL AWARD: As with the under 15s, this is a new
award in recognition of someone who has shown a keenness to learn and/or put in
the time and effort needed to succeeed. The under 13s
special award went to Joseph Kippax
PETER FINCH PLAYERS
PLAYER AWARD: Harry Honour
RITA FAIRHURST MOST
IMPROVED PLAYER: Liam Gash
Under 11s – Team manager, Paul Capstick asked his players to come up for
medals and announced the individual awards.
SPECIAL AWARDS
TEDDY GERRARD AWARD:
As in previous
years the trophy committee have looked to replace some of the older, tired
looking trophies and its fair to say this year it was the turn of the Teddy
Gerrard trophy. It was damaged and had seen much better days but has since been
repaired and will remain on display in the trophy cabinet at the club. The new
trophy though, is a fitting tribute to Teddy who for anyone connected with
local cricket will know unless they are younger than 30 to 35 years of age , so
for those who didn’t know Teddy, he played for Westhoughton in the 1940s and as
well as becoming a league umpire spent a lot of summer evenings at the Tyldesleys coaching in the 70s and devoted a massive part
of his life to developing young cricketers including a certain Mike Watkinson
but sadly wasn’t around to see Mike turn pro in 1982.
So how
fitting this award went to a young lad who made leaps and bounds in his
development this year. He was a consistent performer at junior level, became a
key player in the under 18s side and made contributing performances in the 2nd
team. A hard hitting batsman and more than a yard of pace with the ball, it’s
exiting to think he’s still another season in the under 15s – this seasons winner of the Teddy Gerrard
Trophy was Michael King
JIM HOLDEN TROPHY
This is
another new award for the season in memory of one of our best servants who
sadly died this year. Jim was also a former player and umpire and was also a
committee member and life member. A true legend and will be greatly missed by
all. In his memory Jim’s family have kindly donated a trophy to be awarded to
the junior player of the season and this young man truly deserves it. He went
from the fringes of the second team to becoming an essential part of the side
that got so close to the league title. An opening bowler who consistently took
wickets finishing with 49 in his first full season in the 2nds and also played
a role in the first team’s 20/20 campaign – the winner of the Jim Holden Trophy
is Kieran Edwards.
SIDNEY RADCLIFFE TROPHY
This trophy
is awarded to the player who is the most promising player in the club.
This young man made himself a key part in any side he played. An entertaining
batsman who can alter his game whatever the situation - he turned himself into
an essential part of the 2nd team top order – a key performer for
the under 18s, he’s a great fielder and rediscovered his bowling towards the
end of the season – a very deserved winner –
Daniel Naylor
SECRETARY’S AWARD
Tony
Sharples who resigned from his position as Club Secretary at end of the season was
rightly so still asked to select the individual most deserving of the Secretary’s
award for this year. The winner of this prize truly got his hands dirty for the
club in the last twelve months. He came to the club like a lot of people by introducing
his son to playing cricket. He’s now a committee member who helped ease the
burden on the secretary with his voluntary efforts in what has been one of the
clubs most tying years. He’s always willing to work whether it be moving
benches or cutting grass to make sure the club is ready for action at all age
levels. He’s a junior team manager,
who’s coordinated with the help of the other juniors section for the last two
years. Now chairing the junior committee
and making every effort to progress the future of our cricket club. All this,
not to mention his effort to push the clubs commercial revenue with advertising
boarding for the next season which is a real credit to himself and the club, a
true clubman and deserved winner of the secretarys
award for 2009 - John Harrison.
FRED BARTON TROPHY
Former
chairman Stephen Barton announced the winner of this trophy – Martin Hodgkiss
YOUNG CLUB PERSON OF THE YEAR
Chairman, Maudine Morris announced the winner – Jack Harrison
PRESIDENTS PRIZE
Gary Dixon
& Martin Hodgkiss for their work on ensuring the move to the new ground
went as smooth as possible.
CHILDREN IN NEED
After the
presentation there was a disco and £75 was
raised for BBC Children in Need with a bucket collection and ‘Request a Tune’
as Children in Need was on the same night. Thanks to all who donated.