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Bay of Plenty Cricket Players pick up awards at Northern District Cricket Prize Giving

Four Bay of Plenty cricket players and the Greerton Cricket Club, received awards at the recent SKYCITY Northern Districts Cricket Association Prizegiving held in Hamilton.

The Northern Knights Bowler of the Year, was presented to a true warrior of the ND professional side in Graeme Aldridge, who recently announced his retirement.

An indication of the longevity of G, is that you have to go back to February 1989, to find his first class debut for ND against Wellington. Such has been his impact on New Zealand Domestic Cricket that Graeme has retired as the all-time best ND first class wicket-taker, with an amazing 364 bowling scalps. He was also a more than useful batsman with 2339 runs to his name, in 123 first class encounters. In addition he took a myriad of wickets and blasted a truckload of runs in the many One-Day and T20 matches he played in the Northern Knights uniform.

Dean Brownlie, who is registered to Mount Maunganui Cricket Club and resides in Mount Maunganui, won the Northern Knights Batsmen of the Year. While he has yet to face a ball in anger in Baywide premier cricket, Dean had an immediate impact in his first season in the Northern Knights, with a multitude of runs. His highest first class score of 334 testifies to the skills of the hard hitting batsman.

Brett Hampton was adjudged the Northern Districts A Player of the Year. The talented all rounder, who loves nothing better than to blast the ball to the boundary in both representative and club cricket, was one of the lynchpins in the ND Second XI during the 2013/14 season.

Bay of Plenty Senior Men’s Representative player Mitch McCann took out the ND District Association Player of the Year. Mitch posted 347 runs during the Fergus Hickey Rosebowl season, at an average of 43, with a highest score of 65. McCann also bowled great line and length throughout the season taking 14 wickets and fielded like a demon in his nine appearances in the Bay of Plenty uniform.

Greerton Cricket Club won the Eric Petrie Cup awarded to the ND Club Champions. In January 2015, the Greerton First XI won a high scoring ND Club Champs semi-final match-up with Waikato Valley team Kaipaki. Greerton batted first at home at Pemberton Park and posted 302/8, before bowling the visitors out for 266.

The Bay of Plenty team defeated Northland side Maungakaramea in the ND Club Championship Final at Pemberton Park in February, to lift aloft the Eric Petrie Cup in triumph. Maungakaramea batted first and were restricted to a relatively modest 175 all out, with Dan Spencer in grand form with the ball taking a five wicket bag. Led by a gritty knock of 71 not out from Brett Hampton and a half century by Can Neal, the Western Bay team ground out  a hard fought four wicket win.

Greerton, are currently representing Northern Districts in the National Club Championships in Auckland, being played 7/12 April 2015.

Northern Districts Cricket Association Prizegiving 2015

SKYCITY Northern Knights Bowler of the Year  Graeme Aldridge - Bay of Plenty
SKYCITY Northern Knights Batsman of the Year: Dean Brownlie - Bay of Plenty
ND “A” Player of the Year    Brett Hampton - Bay of Plenty
District Association Player of the Year   Mitch McCann - Bay of Plenty
Eric Petrie Cup (ND Club Champions)  Greerton Cricket Club