Further awards given at the 2023 annual Swardeston CC awards dinner at Number 47 St Giles were as follows.
The John Betts Cup for the most outstanding performance of the year was awarded to Jordy Taylor for his fantastic batting in the Thurlow Nunn East Anglian Premier League match at Copdock & Old Ipswichian on the penultimate league game of the season.
Jordy’s unbeaten 90 from 101 balls steered Swardeston to a seven-wicket victory win to seize the EAPL title for a record eighth time with one week of the season to go.
Club President Peter Thomas said the season had brought many candidates for the award and gave honourable mentions to the season’s century makers Lewis Denmark 133no, Freddie Jupe 125no, Alfie Cooper 116, Sagi Rajaguru 115, Paul Speakman 114no and Oli Browne 103no. He also said there had only been six bowling performances of five wickets or more throughout the season.
Overall Peter felt Jordy deserved to be named the outright winner for 2023 as the league title had such significance for the club, having not won it since 2016, and the victory was sandwiched between two defeats.
View the scorecard. https://swardeston.play-cricket.com/website/results/5514231
Lawry Williams was the winner of the Neville Herathge Trophy for the outstanding youth player of the year.
Peter Thomas said that Lawry had a good season in the club’s junior and adult teams and was developing into a fine cricketer. He had been a key player for the Swardeston CEYMS Sharks Under-19 team who went on to reach the final of the Norfolk Vitality Club Under-19 Trophy for the fifth year running. But it was for his performances in the Saturday teams in a season were he made is 1st XI debut that made Lawry stand out for the award.
The club was delighted to welcome Sheila Sturman and daughter Sally Anne once more to the annual presentation awards dinner. They were there to present for the third time a trophy the Sturman family has donated to the club in memory of Sheila’s husband Phil who passed away in September 2020.
Phil was a former Swardeston committee and club member forever remembered for the lasting legacy he left behind – the building of the scorebox which sits proudly at the top of The Common
The winner of the trophy which is for the best young player at Under-16 level was awarded to Oli Longdon. In his citation Director of Youth and Women and Girls Cricket Neil Taylor said Oli had developed into a fine batsman and had played major role in the Under-13 team during the summer. His performances on Saturday in the adult teams had also shown him more than capable of playing in open-age cricket.
John Betts Cup – Outstanding performance of the year: Jordy Taylor
Neville Herathge Trophy – Most outstanding youth player: Lawry Williams
Philip Sturman Memorial Trophy – Outstanding youth player aged Under-16: Oli Longdon
Players of the year were also honoured, see separate report.
