ND award caps outstanding year for Thorn

THORN PARKES: Northern Districts Young Male Cricketer of the Year. Picture by Paul Rickard

Gisborne-born-and-bred Thorn Parkes has been named Northern Districts young male cricketer of the year.

The award was announced last night as part of the 2018/19 Northern Districts Cricket Association Annual Awards.

Black Cap Ish Sodhi won the Daniel Vettori Medal as male cricketer of the year and Katie Gurrey won the Nicola Browne Medal as female cricketer of the year.

Parkes has had a run of strong performances this season. Last month he scored 104 not out for Northern Districts A against Auckland A in a three-day match in Manurewa.

In December, the 18-year-old left-handed batsman was the leading run-scorer at the national under-19 tournament in Lincoln.

Parkes captained the ND team to fourth out of six teams, and scored 379 runs at an average of 75.

Parkes attended Te Hapara School and Gisborne Intermediate before a five-year stint at King’s College in Auckland.

He was Auckland’s junior cricketer of 2018. In early December, he led the King’s first 11 to third in the six-school National Gillette Cup Tournament in Lincoln. He scored 264 runs at an average of 88.

He is also a useful leg-spin bowler and outstanding fielder.

Parkes came to prominence early in Gisborne cricket. In 2011 he was the first Year 6 cricketer to be selected for the Poverty Bay boys’ primary representative team. He scored 98 not out for Te Hapara as they took the MCC Bat off Central.

The following year he scored two Milo Cup centuries for Gisborne Intermediate, and in 2013 scored 200no in a Gisborne Intermediate syndicate challenge game.

Parkes played his first A Grade game in Poverty Bay club cricket when he was 12 and opened the batting for the senior representative team against Hamilton when he was 14.

In 2015, he was named most valuable player of the New Zealand boys’ junior secondary schools’ tournament.

He has been in ND development squads for seven years.

Parkes is also a talented rugby player, and last year was vice-captain of the King’s first 15, having made his debut in 2016 at halfback.

This year his plan is to major in accounting as part of a commerce degree at the University of Otago.

Other awards — Cricketers of the year: Emma Baker (young female); Oliver White (Maori); Freddy Walker (district association); Kate Anderson (Northern Premier League and and Hallburton Johnstone Shield); Ish Sodhi (Plunket Shield); Joe Carter (Ford Trophy); Daryl Mitchell (Super Smash, men); Katie Gurrey (Super Smash, women).

Umpire of the year: Ash Mehrotra.

Service to cricket: Murray Child.

Service to junior cricket: Karen Kyle.