A standout white-ball season from winning Central Stags T20 captain Tom Bruce was likewise recognised at NZC's ANZ New Zealand Cricket Awards where Bruce was named 2018/19 Burger King Super Smash Men's Player of the Year.
At the CDCA Awards held at The Old Church in Meeanee, Napier, Taranaki's Bruce was named joint winner of the Central Stags' award for T20 Player of the Year, sharing the award with Hawke's Bay pace bowler Blair Tickner who was elevated to the Black Caps for the first time during the Stags' successful campaign. It is the second season in a row Tickner has collected this award.
Hawke's Bay's Dean Foxcroft, 20, who was called into the Stags squad as a injury replacement a few matches into the Ford Trophy season and went on to make his debut in all three formats, capped a dream summer by taking home the award for Central Stags Ford Trophy Player of the Year (one-day cricket). Manawatu-based White Fern Hannah Rowe received the award for Burger King Super Smash Women's Player of the Year after another excellent all-round season.
Central Districts Cricket Association CEO Pete de Wet said it was very special to see three of the five national trophies — the Plunket Shield, Burger King Super Smash (men's) and Hallyburton Johnstone Shield — all on display.
"Winning these trophies reflects and rewards the commitment of the many people on and off the park who are striving together towards a common goal. To have a season in which both our men's and women's flagship teams reach the top is something we treasure.
"I am privileged to have seen the work behind the scenes that goes in and know that what we are seeing is the result not just of this season, but of cumulative seasons of dreaming, planning, working, and above all, believing in ourselves."
The evening began with each guest lighting a candle of remembrance to respect the victims of the Christchurch Mosque tragedies one week earlier.
The final presentation of the night was made to outgoing Central Stags head coach Heinrich Malan, who is stepping down after six years with the team. Malan can look back on having led the side to success in all three formats, including back-to-back Ford Trophy titles and, this week, back-to-back Plunket Shield championships, which has been achieved only once before in the team's history, in the mid-1960s.
This season also became the first summer that the Stags won both New Zealand's first-class and T20 trophies in the same season, while the Central Hinds, under coach Jamie Watkins, won the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield grand final for the first time since 2009/10 after an outstanding one-day campaign across the season.
Award winners were:
Age Group and Development: Under-17 Player of the Year, Sam Ferguson (Hawke's Bay); Under-19 Player of the Year, Thomas Zohrab (Nelson); Under-21 Player of the Year, Rosemary Mair (Hawke's Bay); Chapple Cup Player of the Tournament, Mason Hughes (Manawatū); Hawke Cup Player of the Year, Matthew Thomas (Taranaki).
Central Hinds: Super Smash Player of the Year, Hannah Rowe (Manawatū); Hallyburton Johnstone Shield Player of the Year, Natalie Dodd (Taranaki); Emerging Player of the Year, Claudia Green (Nelson); Players' Player of the Year, Claudia Green (Nelson); Player of the Year, Natalie Dodd (Taranaki).
Central Stags: Super Smash Player of the Year — joint winners, Tom Bruce (Taranaki) and Blair Tickner (Hawke's Bay); Ford Trophy Player of the Year, Dean Foxcroft (Hawke's Bay); Plunket Shield Player of the Year, Greg Hay (Nelson); Players' Player of the Year, Greg Hay (Nelson); Player of the Year, Greg Hay (Nelson).