Cricket: Bates, Broom take top prizes

Neil Broom
Neil Broom
Neil Broom and Suzie Bates scooped the major prizes at the Otago Cricket awards last night.

Broom was named both batsman and player of the year, while Bates was named player of the year.

Broom, who returned to the province after a year with Canterbury, was excellent in all three formats this summer. He was the leading scorer in the one-day tournament with 508 runs at an average of 84.66, including three hundreds.

He was the rock in Otago's twenty20 batting line-up with 299 runs and had a very solid first-class season with 633 runs at an average of 52.75, including two hundreds.

The 32-year-old has signed with Derbyshire and left for the United Kingdom on Monday. The intention is he will return for Otago next season as an overseas player.

Suzie Bates
Suzie Bates
Bates had yet another fine season. She bowls, she bats, and is an excellent fielder and skilled captain. There is not much the classy all-rounder cannot do on a cricket field.

She was the second-highest scorer in the one-day competition with 495 runs at an average of 61.87 and Otago's leading wicket-taker with 13 at an average of 30.46.

Katey Martin had a stronger twenty20 tournament with the bat than Bates and picked up the batsman of the year award, while spinner Leigh Kasperek was named Otago bowler of the year.

Kasperek claimed 16 wickets across the twenty20 and one-day tournaments, while Martin scored two hundreds in the one-day competition.

Jacob Duffy claimed the men's bowler of the year award. He was in good form with the white ball, taking 30 wickets in limited-overs cricket.

Bella James was named women's fielder of the year and Michael Bracewell took the men's title. Otago Cricket Association chairman Murray Hughes was presented with the services to cricket award.

He has been on the board for 16 years and served nine of them as chairman.

North Otago player-coach Stephan Grobler was named coach of the year for helping North Otago win the Hawke Cup for the second time in the minor association's history.

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