Easterns honours top performers
The 2013/2014 Eastern Cricket Union season recently came to a conclusion and as usual the Willowmoore Park-based union held its annual prize giving ceremony, to give back to the local clubs, players and administrators who excelled this season.
At a ceremony at Willowmoore Park, on Thursday, May 29, president of Easterns Cricket Andy O’Connor listed a number of challenges facing the game of cricket in South Africa, in general.
He stated that the number of semi-professional (amateur) fixtures will be decreased in the next season, in order for teams to field more provincial players in local club matches.
On the awards front, it was Easterns’ semi-professional all-rounder Grant Thomson who scooped the most awards.
He was selected as the Top Semi-professional Batsman, Semi-professional Player of the Year and Semi-professional Players’ Player of the Year.
Thomson also made his debut.
Benoni Northerns Cricket Club’s GC Pretorius claimed the Semi-professional Bowler of the Year award.
Trophies were handed out to the winners of the various club leagues.
Etwatwa Cricket Club were the winners of the Saturday Fifth League, while Actonville Spurs Cricket Club were handed the trophy for finishing as top dogs in the President’s League and President’s T20.
Benoni Northerns’ Promotion League skipper Juan Schaerer collected his team’s award for winning their league by a single bonus point.
In the individual awards, Actonville Spurs received the Administration Excellence Award and Alpheus Gawe was honoured as the Umpire of the Year.
Northerns’ Ernest Kemm (currently playing overseas in Ireland) was rewarded for achieving the best bowling average in Easterns’ elite league.
The Women’s Cricketer of the Year accolade went to Zante Steyn.
More award winners and images from the prize giving can be found at www.benonicitytimes.co.za.
