Despite the severe winter weather there was an impressive turn-out for the Munster Cricket Union 2010 Awards ceremony hosted by MCU President, Gerry Horan, and MCU Chairman, Jack Filen at Cork County’s splendidly refurbished clubhouse at the Mardyke last Saturday night.
The weather did have some impact, however, as members of Waterford District CC were unable to travel to collect the trophy and winners’ medals which they were due to receive for winning the Division 3 title in their inaugural season in MCU competition.
Cork County CC’s Bruce Koch took the premier individual award when he was named MCU Player of the Year for 2010.
The award was due recognition for what was a golden summer for Koch whose performances with both bat and ball were the key factors in leading Cork County to the Division 1 and Senior Cup double.
Bruce’s batting average was a remarkable 118.25 as he compiled an aggregate of 473 runs from nine visits to the crease with a top score of 100 not out and his equally impressive bowling average saw him take 25 wickets at 12.08.
Earlier in the evening the impressive progress being made at underage level in the province was acknowledged with the presentation of individual awards for the MCU Players of the Year in the U17, U15, U13 and U11 age group categories.
MCU U17 Player of the Year was presented to Cork County CC’s Chris Banon who topped the Munster U17s XI batting averages in the team’s debut season in the LCU U17 League with 181 runs in 7 innings at an average of 36.2 with a top score of 85.
In announcing the award Munster CDO James Doran noted that apart from his contribution with the bat, Chris’s shrewd captaincy had also been a major factor in the Munster U17s highly successful campaign in Leinster which saw them reach the final of the competition at the first attempt.
Ruadhan Jones of Cork Harlequins CC was named MCU U15 Player of the Year following an outstanding interprovincial tournament for the Munster U13s averaging 71.66 with the bat with a top score of 139 and key contributions to the Munster U15 and U17 teams in 2010. For the U17s as an opening bat he had totalled 111 runs at an average of 18.5 and featured in three of the top five partnerships including the only century partnership of the campaign – a match-winning 120 for the first wicket with Rory O’Keeffe in a winner-takes-all final group match against YMCA.
The MCU U13 Player of the Year award went to John Kelly Jnr of Clonmel CC for his achievement in being the leading wicket taker for Munster at the U13 interprovincial tournament taking in total 5 wickets for 83 runs at an average of 16.2 which was the best economy rate of the Munster bowlers at 3.52. He was also third in the Munster batting averages with 29 runs in two innings for an average of 14.5.
The last of the individual awards, the MCU U11 Player of the Year, was presented to Nathan Bryan of Lismore CC who was Lismore’s leading performer with the ball in 2010 for both the club’s U11 and U13 XIs.
The evening concluded with the presentation of the Division 1 and Division 2 trophies and winners’ medals to the Cork County 1st and 2nd XIs capping a remarkable year for the Leesiders who only a year before had seen their ground and clubhouse devastated by floodwater.
Jim Doran
(courtesy of the Munster Cricket Blog)