The pair were named cricketers of the year for their respective teams.
Chu was consistently excellent behind the stumps and was the leading scorer in all three formats for the Volts, while Browning made valuable contributions with both the ball and bat for the Sparks.
Chu made 40 first-class dismissals and scored more than 1000 runs across all three formats.
He is the vice-captain of the Volts and was an incredibly reliable source of runs in the middle of the first-class batting order. He notched two centuries and three half-centuries during an impressive campaign.
He was also named Volts batter of the year, Volts Plunket Shield player of the year, Volts Super Smash player of the year and Volts player’s player of the year.
Browning scored 237 runs at an average of 33.85 and took eight wickets at 37.75 in the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield.
The 22-year-old right-arm spinner nabbed seven wickets at 17.78 in the Super Smash as well.
Polly Inglis also had a good night. She picked up the Sparks player’s player of the year and the Sparks Super Smash player of the year awards.
Emma Black was named Sparks bowler and fielder of the year and Sparks Hallyburton Johnstone Shield player of the year.
Felicity Robertson, who retired at the end of the season, claimed the batting award, while PJ Watkins was named Sparks rising star.
Matt Bacon fought off some stiff competition to win the Otago bowler of the year title, while a contender for that crown, Jarrod McKay, was named Volts Ford Trophy player of the year.
Thomas O’Connor was named the men’s rising star following an epic finish to the season in which the 21-year-old left-armer nabbed 27 wickets in four first-class games, including a staggering haul of 13 for 85 against Auckland at Eden Park Outer Oval.
Gritty opener Jack Boyle was named Volts fielder of the year.
- Taieri’s Ruben Clinton was named player of the year at the Dunedin club awards on Monday night.
The classy all-rounder was the club player of the year in 2024-25 and followed up that season with another productive run for his side this summer.
The left-hander was the second-leading scorer in the competition (641 runs at an average of 42.73) and he also nabbed 18 wickets at 14.17.
The batting title went to Albion’s Joshua Olliver, who plundered 744 runs at an average of 43.76. Team-mate Hugo Bogue would have been another strong contender. He clubbed 521 runs at an average of 65.13.
North East Valley medium pacer Kaleb McKay picked up the bowling award. He was the leading wicket-taker (34 wickets at an average of 11.44) and was instrumental in the Swans’ march towards a third senior title in four seasons.
He headed off some stiff competition from the likes of Albion’s Patrick Arnold (32 at 12.38) and Taieri’s Avinash Shastri (30 at 10.77).
Green Island stalwart Mark Joyce won the award for outstanding contribution to cricket.
He was heavily involved in coaching this season. He coached the Green Island premier squad as well as the Dunedin year 8 team and an Otago Boys’ High School junior team.
The Gordon McGregor award for service to cricket went to Paul Fielding, who has kept cricket going at Logan Park High School for the past 40 years. He has given up about 550 Saturdays in an extraordinary contribution to the game.
