Award's history thrills Page

When allrounder Chris Page heard he had won the Northland First XI Cricketer of the Year award, he was surprised. On reflection, the 21-year-old said he was honoured to be part of Northland Cricket's rich history.
"There have been a lot of great players who have come out of Northland and who have received this award. To be on the same list as them is special," Page said.
The City premier grade cricketer also collected the Batsman of the Year award, and the Fielder of the Year accolade for his efforts in just his second season playing for the Northland First X1.
Page was informed of his achievements ahead of last night's  awards dinner at Cobham Oval, as he flew out to Liverpool on Thursday, to play his first English cricket season for club side, Southport and Birkdale.
The affable cricketer was raised in Durban, South Africa.
He emigrated to Auckland with his family in 2004, before moving to Whangarei. After originally playing for Kamo Cricket Club two seasons ago, Page made the switch with his older brother Ian to City, where he said both had enjoyed the change and competitive culture.
In the offseason, Page spent countless hours working on his "grey" area of fitness, under the direction of City stalwart Joseph Yovich, who at one point had Page nearly "chundering" after doing shuttle runs.
"Training hard in the offseason definitely helped my play this summer ... I was fitter than I have ever been, and I could really feel the difference when I got to 40 or 50, and still had energy to go on," Page said.
Page's consistent batting this season, totalling 291 runs at an average of 36.37, and his classy performances for Northland meant he stood out from the rest, in the eyes of skipper Brett Hood.
"Not too many people stood out this season - Brad (Wilson) had a couple of good innings, and he received the most meritorious performance by a 1st X1 cricketer for his 94 and 47 against Counties Manukau, but there were no big hauls of wickets, and no person who consistently got runs for us, except for Chris ... he did everything we could ask him to," Hood said.
"His primary role was to bat in the middle order and he scored the most runs, so him taking out the Batsman of the Year award was a no-brainer. There were a couple of occasions where we were wobbling a bit at the top of the order and Chris steadied the ship for us. His highest score of 96 against Waikato Valley was a standout performance."
The left arm spinner could not match Jake Phillips' bowling efforts, however. Phillips won Northland's Bowler of the Year award, taking 13 wickets, at 17.69.
While Northland struggled to find their form at start of the season in the one day competition, Page said the team came right after Christmas, and the challenging season was still an enjoyable one.
"Northland cricket is special. There's so much history and so many good players who are from here, everyone gets involves and they all look after each other," he said.
Page intends to return to Whangarei next season after his stint in England.
Perhaps the most prestigious award - the Northland Cricketer of the Year - went to another absent player Tim Southee, who has enjoyed a stellar summer with the Black Caps, and is currently away at the Twenty20 World Cup.
 Northland's Senior Women Player of the Year went to a deserved candidate Emily Bailey, who completed her second consecutive season with the Northern Spirit.