BENDIGO all-rounder Kyle Humphrys lived up to his tag as pre-count favourite by winning the Bendigo District Cricket Association’s Cricketer of the Year award on Wednesday night.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Humphrys capped his first season with the Goers by polling 16 votes to take out the BDCA’s Bill Stephenson Trophy.
Recruited from Nestles in the Warrnambool competition, Humphrys was the Goers’ leading run-scorer with 741 and joint leading wicket-taker with 28 in a brilliant all-round debut season.
The hard-hitting left-hander was quick to make his mark on the competition, cracking a pair of centuries – 115 n.o. against Huntly-North Epsom and 136 against Bendigo United – in his first two games for his new club.
Humphrys polled votes in seven games, with his 16 votes edging out Kangaroo Flat’s Brent Hamblin, Strathfieldsaye’s Ben Devanny and Sandhurst’s Nayana Palamandadige, who were in a three-way tie for second with 14 votes each.
Strathdale-Maristians’ all-rounder Sam Johnston was third with 11 votes.
In a thrilling count Humphrys clinched victory with a three-vote performance in the final round – the last votes read of the count – for his 57 and 4-30 in the Goers’ win over Huntly-North Epsom that secured their finals return.
Humphrys is only the fourth Bendigo player behind Rohan Sadler (1994), Chris Squib (2003) and Mark Ryan (2006) to win the Cricketer of the Year award.
As well as polling the most votes, Humphrys was also the winner of the Leon Grose Trophy champion player with 949 points.