GCB and Lions congratulate award winners

With the afterglow of the Cricket South Africa 25 Year Awards still very much in the air, the Gauteng Cricket Board (GCB) is giving credit to its players and staff who were recognised.

In total, Lion’s players and GCB staff were the recipients of 21 awards.

“It still seems like a bit of a dream but the reality is that each and every one of these awards was so very well deserved and is the result of tremendous hard work,” commented Greg Fredericks, CEO of the GCB.

Fredericks said the GCB has been focussing on building performances on and off the field brick by brick. “We have made great progress and identified the direction that we want to grow in,” he said.

Fredericks also expressed his delight at seeing players such as Kagiso Rabada, Temba Bavuma and Stephen Cook being recognised at the awards after coming through the Lion’s cricket pipeline and succeeding beyond expectations at international level.

Wiaan Mulder, a St Stithians Boys’ College pupil dominated the youth awards categories and has been described as a modern day all-rounder. He scored a total of 428 runs and claimed 22 wickets under the year in review, both internationally and at domestic level.

Bethuel Buthelezi, only the second black South African to prepare a Test pitch after Wilson Ngobese did so at Kingsmead in Durban, was also recognised for his first outstanding season as the head groundsman at the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium and was named as Groundsman of the Year.

“I am proud by the manner in which Buthelezi was rewarded for an outstanding first season as the head groundsman at Bidvest Wanderers

Stadium,” said Fredericks.

President of the GCB and chairman of the Bizhub Highveld Lions, Thabang Moroe said,”The past has not always been rosy for the GCB, and the Lions remember all too well that there was a time that we hit bottom of the log in all three competitions. I am proud to be associated with these sports bodies,” he said.

Moroe hoped that this was only the beginning of a significant contribution from his cricket organisation to South African cricket and society at large.

“To echo the sentiment of the late Nelson Mandela, sport has the power to unite us and inspire a better South Africa,” he concluded.

Professional awards: National

• SA Cricketer of the Year – Kagiso Rabada
• Castle Lager Test Cricketer of the Year – Kagiso Rabada
• Castle Lager ODI Cricketer of the Year – Kagiso Rabada
• SA Players’ Player of the Year –: Kagiso Rabada
• SA Fans’ Player of the Year – Kagiso Rabada
• KFC ‘So Good’ Award – Temba Bavuma
• RAM Delivery of the Year – Kagiso Rabada
• International Newcomer of the Year – Stephen Cook

Professional awards: Domestic

• Momentum One-Day Cup Cricketer of the Season – Alviro Petersen
• Domestic Newcomer the Year – Nicky van den Bergh
• SACA Most Valuable Player Award – Dwaine Pretorius

Professional awards: Operations

• CSA Groundsman of the Year – Bethuel Buthelezi – GCB
• CSA Scorers’ Association of the Year – Gauteng Cricket Board