Tom Bruce, Natalie Dodd Take Out Major 2022/23 Awards

It was a top night for prolific Taranaki batters at the 2023 Central Districts Cricket Awards, Natalie Dodd named Central Hinds Player of the Year and Tom Bruce lifting the award for Central Stags Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.

Set to captain the Stags in the rescheduled Ford Trophy Grand Final against Canterbury in Napier on Tuesday, before leading New Zealand A against Australia A in Lincoln, Bruce was also voted by his peers as the Players’ Player of the Year for the second year in a row.

Hallyburton Johnstone Shield captain Dodd also receives the premier award for the second time in her career, having previously won the silver salver in 2021, her first year with the team.

Several players were first-time winners of key awards, presented on Saturday evening at the Napier Conference and Events Centre.

Hometown left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox was named the Stags’ Super Smash Player of the Year after his best T20 season yielded 16 wickets from nine games and a career-best haul of 4/28. Lennox was the equal top wicket-taker nationally this summer.

Brett Randell was named Ford Trophy Player of the Year in his first season with the Stags, having switched from Northern Districts in order to get more playing opportunities across all formats. Randell is also the equal top wicket-taker nationally in the one-day Ford Trophy, with 18 from eight games, including a five-wicket bag.

Young Hawke’s Bay left-hander Flora Devonshire was named Central Hinds Emerging Player of the Year (an award that can only be won once) and Stags acquisition Jack Boyle picked up the trophy for Hawke Cup Player of the Year in his first season in Hawke’s Bay.

Other major awards saw Manawatu and WHITE FERNS star Hannah Rowe named Hinds’ Super Smash Player of the Year, after a season in which the allrounder posted her maiden half century, to go with outstanding work in the field and with the ball.

Fellow Manawatu allrounder Jess Watkin received the trophy for Hallyburton Johnstone Shield Player of the Year for the second year in a row, after a summer in which she scored four half centuries with a best of 96 to go with 13 wickets - often making key breakthroughs for her side with her dangerous off-spin.

Another Manawatu allrounder, Mikaela Greig, took home the coveted trophy for Hinds Players’ Player of the Year, after having been voted by her peers as an award that considers overall contribution to the team, on and off the field.

With one match still to play in their extended first-class season, the Central Stags’ Plunket Shield Player of the Year will be named in April, with the team able to lift the national first-class title if they can defeat the Auckland Aces in Nelson, on 1-4 April.

The evening ended with a presentation of a specially commissioned artwork to Ajaz Patel to mark the Test spinner’s rare feat of 10 wickets in a Test innings, in Mumbai with the BLACKCAPS in 2021.

The full list of 2022/23 Central Districts Cricket Award winners:

Central Stags

Player of the Year: Tom Bruce (Taranaki)

Super Smash Player of the Year: Jayden Lennox (Hawke’s Bay)

Ford Trophy Player of the Year: Brett Randell

Plunket Shield Player of the Year: to be announced in April 2023

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

Central Hinds

Player of the Year: Natalie Dodd (Taranaki)

Super Smash Player of the Year: Hannah Rowe (Manawatu)

Hallyburton Johnstone Shield Player of the Year: Jess Watkin (Manawatu)

Emerging Player of the Year: Flora Devonshire (Hawke’s Bay)

Players’ Player of the Year: Mikaela Greig (Manawatu)

Central Districts Cricket Age-Group and Inter-Districts

Men’s Under-17 Player of the Year: Jacob Cotter (Hawke’s Bay)

Men’s Under-19 Player of the Year: Sam Cassidy (Hawke’s Bay)

Women’s Under-17 Player of the Year: Caitlin Marshall (Taranaki)

Women’s Under-19 Player of the Year: Emma McLeod (Wairarapa)

Mike Shrimpton Trophy Player of the Year: Jessica Ogden (Manawatu)

Hawke Cup Player of the Year: Jack Boyle (Hawke’s Bay)

Chapple Cup Player of the Year: Bevan Small (Manawatu)

Officials

Umpire of the Year: John Dempsey (Nelson)

Scorer Recognition Award: Euan West (Nelson)

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