Cricket: Awards wrap up season

2014 Black Cap Adam Milne will speak at the Wanganui Junior Cricket Awards on Saturday night.

The 2013-14 cricket season comes to a close with a big weekend featuring an intermediate school Twenty20 tournament, coaching clinics, and the junior awards ceremony with some high profile guest speakers.

Four teams Huntley, West Country Schools, Hunterville and Wanganui Intermediate will be taking part in the Watsons Intermediate T20 competition at Victoria Park.

They will play each other in pool games on Saturday and Sunday morning, with the top two teams playing off in the final on Sunday afternoon.

Wanganui Intermediate are the defending champions, although the Huntley team is likely to be strong this time around.

Before that starts, a number of intermediate players will have the chance to pick up a few tips from Central Districts Hinds coach and former test player Mike Shrimpton, who will be running two coaching clinics at the Collegiate Grass Nets on the fundamentals of spin bowling and grooving a bowler's action.

The first training session is today from 4-6pm, then Shrimpton will hold two more for secondary school-aged players on Saturday, 10am-12pm and 2.30-4.30pm.

Shrimpton will also be one of the speakers at Saturday night's Watsons Wanganui Junior Cricket Awards, alongside the special guest Black Caps one-day and T20 fast bowler Adam Milne.

The 21-year-old Milne, who has reached the 153.4km/h speed mark when bowling while being able to hit 150km/h regularly, was looking to cement his place in the New Zealand team during the January international series with the West Indies and India, before having to take six weeks off to recover from a side strain.

Wanganui's Under 19 internationals Henry Collier and Nick Blundell will also be guest speakers, while Central Districts professional Ben Smith has recorded a video message.

There will be awards for most improved, most valuable player, best batsman, best bowler, junior cricketer of the year and team of the year.

The ceremony is at 6.30pm at the Cooks Gardens Conference Centre.