Cricket hands out annual awards

A day after celebrating their Plunket Shield championship triumph, the Northern Knights were celebrating again at the 2012 Northern Districts Cricket Annual Awards, held at Sky City Hamilton.

International right-arm seam bowler Brent Arnel took out the season's top individual honour at the gala occasion on Friday night.

He won both the supreme Northern Districts Cricketer of the Year trophy and Bowler of the Year award after a superb season in which he helped lead a particularly strong ND pace attack.

Arnel's consistent form and rejuvenated pace had already seen him recalled to the Black Caps' test attack against South Africa in Hamilton in March.

Experience was also to the fore as Hamish Marshall picked up the Batsman of the Year award for his consistent performances across all three formats of the game this summer, while his twin brother James won the Fielder of the Year trophy for a second consecutive year.

Rising stars got among the silverware when Hamilton's 22-year-old White Fern Morna Nielsen was named Northern Districts' leading woman's player for the first time, after a strong all-round season.

For the more youthful players, the most recent Knight to have made his first-class debut, Daryl Mitchell, was named Young Player of the Year, while New Zealand U-19 representative Nick Kelly was named Craig Investments Partners Academy Player of the Year.

Bay of Plenty's strength at district competition and representative level was reflected by no less than five awards, while special recognition was also made of Hamilton's outstanding Hawke Cup season.

The team remained unbeaten throughout the summer, a rare achievement in NZ cricketing history.