KILLARNEY all-rounder Liam Cole is celebrating the Grassmere Cricket Association trifecta – premiership, man of the match honours and league best and fairest.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Cole was named A grade cricketer of the year on Friday night, edging out Englishman-turned-Purnim skipper Tom Smith and Grassmere matchwinner Braden Hotker for the top honour.
He polled 14 votes to pip Smith by one.
Hotker (11 votes), Yambuk’s Jamie Squires (10) and Woolsthorpe’s Shannon Richardson (nine) rounded out the top five at an awards night at Warrnambool Bowls Club on Friday night.
The cricketer of the year victory came five days after Cole starred in the Crabs’ grand final win over Hawkesdale with a game-high 88 runs and three wickets.
Experienced Panmure opener Tim Bryce claimed the batting average award with 51.1 and emerging Hawkesdale top-order talent Tim Huglin the batting aggregate with 474 runs.
Richardson’s 159 was the best individual effort with the bat in a game for the season.
Reliable Panmure left-armer Ken Jones took out the bowling average with 7.46 and Killarney premiership skipper Brayden Buchanan the bowling aggregate with 31 scalps.
Yambuk’s Greg Bull (9-69) was the best individual haul in a game with the ball for the summer.
Grassmere veteran Peter Sedgley took out the wicket-keeping award with 22 dismissals.
Luke McCosh pipped Harrison Cozens to receive the under 19 rising star award.
Mailors Flat scoring machine Shanaka Perumpili (14 votes) pipped teammate Nathan Surkitt by one vote to win B grade cricketer of the year honours.
Purnim’s Kristian Elliott was third with 11 votes.
Perumpuli also secured the batting average award with 73.83 and wicket-keeping award with 14 dismissals.
Mailors Flat batting partner Damian Kenny the batting aggregate with 493.
Kenny also collected the bowling average with 7.94 and Killarney premiership player Heaton Jarrod the bowling aggregate with 17.
A Purnim trifecta in the C grade tally saw Mark Richards and Andrew Kelly (11 votes) win from Bulls teammate Jason Fitzgibbon (nine).
Richards collected the batting average (31.63) and shared the bowling aggregate (21 wickets).
Fitzgibbon took out the batting aggregate with 295 runs. Killarney’s Matthew Murphy scored the bowling average (8.38) and bowling aggregate (21) double.
Crab Nathan Gould won the wicket-keeping award with 21 dismissals.
The presentation night capped off a season in which Killarney collected all three senior flags.
The Crabs won the A grade two-day and the B and C one-day titles.
Perennial finalists Panmure won the one-day A grade premiership.
Justine McCullagh-Beasy
Sports journalist with an interest in feature reporting. Email: justine.mc@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Sports journalist with an interest in feature reporting. Email: justine.mc@austcommunitymedia.com.au
