Patel takes top gong at end of season awards

Players and their partners, backroom staff, committee members, members and sponsors joined together at Trent Bridge to celebrate Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club's momentous 2017 at the End of Season Dinner and Player Awards Evening.
Samit Patel. Pic by Mark Fear.Samit Patel. Pic by Mark Fear.
Samit Patel. Pic by Mark Fear.

Chairman Richard Tennant’s speech welcomed attendees to the Derek Randall Suite as the club reflected on a summer where the club won both white ball trophies - The Royal London One Day Cup and the NatWest T20 Blast - and also earned promotion back to Division One.

Overall Player of the Season was all-rounder Samit Patel, who had a superb season with bat and ball, scoring 1,840 runs and taking 44 wickets as an ever-present across all three formats.

Winner of Specsavers County Championship Player of the Season was fellow all-rounder Steven Mullaney, who scored 620 runs at 41.33 at the top of the order and took 25 wickets at 19.44 with the ball.

The Royal London One-Day Cup Player of the Season was batman Alex Hales, who led from the front with 187 not out in the final at Lord’s against Surrey and accumulated 434 runs at 72.33 in seven matches.

Chosen as NatWest T20 Blast Player of the Season was Riki Wessels, whose consistency saw him finish as the Outlaws’ leading run scorer in the competition with 559 runs at 43.00, including the Club’s first ever T20 century, against Derbyshire.

Batsman Billy Root was selected as Uncapped Player of the Season after scoring vital centuries in the Royal London One-Day Cup against Lancashire and Specsavers County Championship against Sussex.

A presentation was made to retiring captain and wicket-keeper Chris Read by Diana Peasey on behalf of the club’s members.

The Academy’s Most Improved Player – winning the Charles Vernon Price Memorial Plate – was off-spinner Jordan Cook.

Awards presented by head coach Peter Moores, director of cricket Mick Newell, elite pathway manager Matt Wood, team sponsor representative Adam Pye, of John Pye Auctions, bowling coach Andy Pick and assistant head coach Paul Franks.

Messages of support were played out from overseas players Dan Christian (Australia), who captained the T20 side, Ish Sodhi (New Zealand) and Cheteshwar Pujara (India). The evening was hosted by BBC East Midlands Today’s Colin Hazelden.