Young Cooper caps off season with top award

Henry Cooper capped off an impressive 2010-2011 cricket season by collecting the Bellahomes Northland First X1 Cricketer of the Year.
The Whangarei Boys High School First X1 senior player was unable to attend last night's Northland Cricket Association Awards Dinner at Mark Cromie Holden Indoor Cricket Centre as he was at a New Zealand Under-19 Squad training clinic along with Boys' High skipper Ben Hyde.
The two top order batsmen were included in the national squad at the end of last year and were consistent performers for their premier club side, Northland First X1 and the Northern Districts Under-18 side.
Fellow Boys' High cricketer Tom Herman also represented ND at the national tournament, while Aiden Millar and Alex Seymour were non-travelling reserves.
During the Lion Red Premier Grade One Day Competition, 17-year-old Cooper hit a high score of 137 for the school boys, and totalled 515 runs for the season.
Meanwhile, Black Cap Tim Southee picked up the Bellahomes Northland Cricketer of the Year again.
City's Ian Page won the Premier Club Batsman of the Year along with the Resident Player of the Year award, while Premier Wicketkeeper of the Year award went to City's Bert Horner, and Bowler of the Year went to Matt Taylor from the successful Kaipara Flats Cricket Club.
Kaipara won the premier Twenty20 championship and the HRV Trophy, along with the premier 50-over (Lion Red Trophy) and 55-over Mark Cromie Holden Trophy, while City picked up the two-day competition title and the Oxford Trust Trophy.
Northland players selected for higher honours during the season were also acknowledged at the awards dinner, including Southee and Northern Knights Hamish Marshall, James Marshall, Brad Wilson, Joseph Yovich and Michael Parlane.