The Bendigo District Cricket Association’s premier all-rounders look set to battle out Wednesday night’s Cricketer of the Year Awards.
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Strathdale-Maristians Cam Taylor, Sandhurst skipper Craig Howard and Eaglehawk premiership star Andrew Smith are the favourites, while fellow all-rounders Mitch Winter-Irving (White Hills), Scott Trollope (Golden Square) and Nathan Fitzpatrick (Bendigo) will poll their fair share of votes.
Bendigo United dynamic batting duo Ben Gunn and Heath Behrens and wily off-spinner Nick Crawford will also be in the mix, but they’ll potentially take votes off each other.
Taylor, who won Bendigo cricket’s most prestigious individual award in 2012, had a slowish start to this season by his high standards.
However, if he’s in striking distance of the leaders with four rounds remaining he will be a big chance of winning the title.
He should collect 12 votes in the final four games after stringing together four outstanding performances.
The leg-spinning all-rounder took 9-66 and made 71 against Strathfieldsaye, claimed 6-78 and made 32 against Bendigo United, hit 93 with the bat and took 5-58 versus Bendigo and finished off the home and away season with 6-26 and 36 against White Hills.
Taylor completed the home and away season as the competition’s leading wicket taker with 38 and he made 326 runs.
Should Howard salute on Wednesday night, he will join Kangaroo Flat’s Adam Burns and Golden Square’s Scott Johnson as the only players in BDCA history to win the award three times.
Howard won the award in 2008 and 2009 and was hot favourite to win last year, but finished second to Ben Gunn.
Stasticially, Howard hasn’t had as strong a season as last year, but his 428 runs and 29 wickets, combined with the fact Sandhurst won more games this season, puts him right in the mix again.
Smith, who won this award in 2011, was Eaglehawk’s most consistent performer in a premiership season.
The 43-year-old made 438 runs and took 18 wickets and it wouldn’t be a shock to see him poll up to five lots of three votes.
Of the other contenders, Winter-Irving made two centuries in his 418 runs and 21 wickets, but White Hills probably didn’t win enough games.
Trollope polled well in this award last year and, with 29 wickets and 296 runs this summer, he should be Square’s top vote getter again.
Gunn made 557 to lead the league in runs, while Behrens added 496 runs and they could both look poll in double figures.
