Emerging cricket players and administrators were recognised for their efforts this past season at the annual Northerns Cricket Union Awards on Friday evening at SuperSport Park.
The awards recognise the hard work and dedication of those involved in developing and sustaining the game of cricket in the northern regions of Gauteng.
The evening highlighted a memorable season for the ETA Northerns Senior Provincial team, which saw JP Triegaardt’s men finish joint-winners with Eastern Province in the CSA 3-Day Provincial Cup and runners up in the CSA Provincial One-Day Challenge.
Leus du Plooy, who is currently in England and contracted to Derbyshire County Cricket Club, was awarded the coveted Player of the Year. The 24-year-old enjoyed a fruitful season with the willow, having finished the leading run-scorer in the 50-over competition. His form in the longer format also earned him the Batsman of the Year accolade.
“The purpose of the annual awards is to give recognition to every single person that participated in and performed well within the leagues under the umbrella of Northerns Cricket Union, including clubs and school teams,” commented Cricket Operations Manager Johan Muller.
As Northerns Cricket Union continues to make strides in developing the women’s game, the Under 19s were recognised for their heroic feats, after winning 18 out of 19 matches during the National Weeks.
Proteas and Northerns Women all-rounder Suné Luus dominated the women’s categories, with the 23-year-old named Batsman of the Year, Bowler of the Year and Player of the Year.
Notably, Lauren Agenbag, who became the first women’s female umpire to officiate a T20 International between South Africa Women and Sri Lanka, in February this year, was named Umpires’ Umpire of the Year. The Union also recorded 20 National Awards.
“It is exciting to see the growth in the women’s and girls’ categories. Lauren stood in a number of high level competitions and tournaments, competing with male counterparts and she always came out on top in terms of ratings. She’s really worked hard to get to the level that she’s at,” expressed Muller.
Off the field, a new category, the HUB of the Year, has been added. This award acknowledges strong administrative performances by the region’s respective HUBs, with Atteridgeville named the first-time recipient.
“I would like to congratulate Atteridgeville on being named HUB of the Year. It is an award that we introduced to recognise the hard work that the HUBs put into our development structures,” Muller concluded.
Full list of award winners attached.
