Nick Breslin has claimed the highest cricket honour in in the Shepparton, Victoria, competition. Photo/File
Nick Breslin has claimed the highest cricket honour in in the Shepparton, Victoria, competition. Photo/File
Whangarei's Nick Breslin has been dubbed a "star Kiwi" by Australian papers after cleaning up at his town's cricket prize-giving.
The 26-year-old all-rounder won the Lightfoot Medal for his Shepparton, Victoria, club Old Students, with the medal touted as Shepparton cricket's highest individual honour.
Breslin claimed the prize last monthand received wide coverage in Victorian papers celebrating his season, with one headline saying "Star Kiwi earns medal" and "Breslin named Haisman Shield's best".
The former Kaipara, Onerahi Central, and Northland cricketer noted winning the award for his 409 A-grade runs, at 34.08, and 21 wickets, at 18.62, was satisfying - especially having beaten a bunch of Aussies for it.
"[This season's performances] is the result of hard work paying off," Breslin told the Advocate. "Hopefully [it] shows the young guys at the club that it's the only way you're [going to] do well.
"At the beginning I just enjoyed winning but some teams weren't too happy with a Kiwi doing well in their comp so I do cop a lot, but it is all part of it."
He also won Old Students' Snowy Ingram Medal after being named club champion, while also winning the A-grade awards for the highest number of runs, best batting average, most wickets, and best bowling average.
Breslin rates peer-voted awards above the performance awards he won in March, but only because in years to come he'll be able to look back and see his teammates appreciated his efforts.
Looking back at those performances, Breslin easily picks one innings above the rest.
"My first hundred for the club would be it," he said, adding the standard in Shepparton was higher than Northland's club scene. "I get a lot of support from the club so to see them happy that I was able to do this is pleasing.
"I rate it a lot better, there are more teams and weather conditions help make pitches a whole lot better. In summer, you're getting 35-42 degree days so wickets are pretty hard."
It's no wonder with Breslin's haul that he has been named as co-caption for next season.
Since moving to Victoria in 2012, Breslin, a natural sportsman, has also played local hockey, but said he preferred cricket.
"I played hockey last winter here but it was a really average standard and facilities compared to Whangarei, so I'm just focusing on cricket."
Breslin said he was also trying his arm at golf but he was not very flash - yet.
