Ajaz Patel, with the Plunket Shield, was the toast of his CD teammates at the 2017-18 prize giving dinner at the Napier Conference Centre last night. Photo/Paul Taylor
Ajaz Patel, with the Plunket Shield, was the toast of his CD teammates at the 2017-18 prize giving dinner at the Napier Conference Centre last night. Photo/Paul Taylor
Through the seasonal grind of summer, those who are digging their toes in on the batting crease or measuring their run-up at the bowling ends seldom ever entertain thoughts of winning awards.
It's just simply not the Central Districts Stags, Hinds or age-group teams way.
Their mantra, as Stags coach Heinrich Malan will impress, is simply about fitting in as a cog in the wheel to ensure the collective cross the line to reap rewards.
But when the final bails are lifted to signal the end of a gruelling season, players and coaches understandably yearn for a yardstick to gauge their worth.
So when the CD family gathered for the prizegiving at the Napier Conference Centre last night for the 2017-18 prizegiving ceremony they not only had a reunion of sorts, without any distraction, but also acknowledged those who selflessly delivered when push came to shove.
It goes without saying that New Zealand domestic men's player of the year, Ajaz Patel, was the toast of the summer.
You Travel Taradale CC premier club player Patel won the Stags' player of the season, Plunket Shield player of the season and the players' player of the season.
A call-up to represent New Zealand A against England last month punctuated a memorable summer for the left-arm orthodox spinner from Auckland who astonishingly became the highest wicket taker in the red-ball format for the third successive season with a whopping 48 scalps this summer.
He also claimed 13 in Super Smash and 11 in Ford Trophy.
Not far behind with two awards last night was Ruahine Motors Central Hawke's Bay seamer Blair Tickner, of Napier, who claimed the Burger King Super Smash player of the season and shared the one-day Ford Trophy player of the season with Black Caps opening batsman George Worker, of Palmerston North.
Tickner was the white-ball king for the Stags in the domestic arena with the highest number of wickets (21) in Super Smash T20 and 15 scalps, the third highest wicket taker, in the Ford Trophy competition.
The 24-year-old also took 30 first-class wickets, picking himself with little fuss when he nursed strains for a round or two, and is in line to represent his country.
Lefthander Worker had carved up 370 runs (second highest) in the Ford Trophy campaign.
In the division of labour among the batting and bowling tribes, the latter clearly got the upper hand.
"From a consistency perspective our bowlers set the tone for us throughout the campaign in all three formats," said a beaming Malan whose captain William Young gallantly led them to shield euphoria but stumbled in the grand finals of the white-ball formats in what he suspected was the best summer for the Stags in the major association's history.
"Jazzy [Patel] and Ticks [Tickner] have been super consistent in all three formats," he said.
CD Hinds representatives having fun at the awards night at the Napier Conference last night. Photo/Paul Taylor
The South African coach said it took nothing away from the way Black Caps seamers Seth Rance and Ben Wheeler who had toiled.
"All the boys have chipped away at times so that in some ways shows the quality of our squad. Not necessarily the team as players but as a squad. [We] have had the options to go in various ways and have a horses and courses selection policy, which was nice to have in stages."
Malan said accolades were crucial because it not only kept stoking the individuals' fire but essentially made the collective hum to finish second, second and first in the three competitions.
It didn't miss his attention that the batsmen fired on all cylinders bar the "two bigs ones" (white-ball grand finals) when they should have.
"I don't think it's a mental thing," he said when asked to put a finger on what went wrong.
"I think we just wanted it too much rather than just playing the game of T20 stuff."
Blokes in their mid-20s had now played in multiple grand finals and had won the shield.
"Our boys have become men in this environment so they'll be much better for some of the bad experiences - losing twice - which is not that bad before the winning feeling with the shield."
Malan said CD had only won the shield five times so to have their name etched on it for the sixth time was "bloody special" with four days of cricket in 10 rounds.
It was just reward for all those endless days the players and coaches had invested during winter training, he said.
AWARD WINNERS
From the Central Districts Cricket's prizegiving ceremony at the Napier Conference Centre last night:
■ Plunket Shield player of the season: Ajaz Patel.
■ Ford Trophy player of the season: Blair Tickner and George Worker.
