And the award goes to...

Now that the season is done and dusted, the league is sorted out and disciplinary hearings have taken place it’s time to discuss who did what during the season and dish out a few awards.

Who was the player of the season? Who makes the team of the year? Who hit the biggest six and which was the best game?

Wonder no more as the answer to those questions are here (or not as is probably the case).

Curtain raiser of the year award

There’s many a fine ground in Pembrokeshire yet it was a makeshift ground that provided the best backdrop to 2017 as a load of U9 cricketers did battle at Pembroke Castle in a pre-season festival.

Eight teams came together to joust on the Castle grounds making for a wonderful scene fit for any gladiatorial battle that may have gone on when the Castle was occupied by royalty.

The kids loved it, the parents loved it and the Castle loved it too. Hopefully it will be an annual event.

It should be.

Player of the season

A simple one to start off, it has to be Daniel Sutton.

With 936 runs to his name, five centuries and a body of a Greek God to show off, the Johnston ace had a season to rival the greats of yesteryear such was the brilliance of his batting.

A week didn’t go by where he didn’t perform. Win or lose he was in the runs and virtually no team could contain him,

He was so good that the exploits of his team mate Lee Summons went virtually unnoticed yet even he managed 532 runs which is a good season in anyone’s money and let’s not forget Iwan Izzard’s 618 splendid runs to his name.

Neyland’s Andrew Miller deserves some credit too, his nicely flighted leggies picking up 36 wickets, one more than Carew’s Tom Davies who very well could have eclipsed Windy had his team not declared on 18-1 in the final game of the season!

Chump of the season

Every club could nominate someone for this category but the award this year goes to Daniel Sutton

He scored 936 runs at an average of 72. Another 64 runs and he would have reached a 1000.

Had he scored 4.2 runs more in each of his 15 innings he would have made it.

Just another four runs per innings! What's that when you've already scored around 72?

Game of the season

Plenty of games resulted in talking points, none more so than the last game of the season between Carew and Cresselly while the Women’s final between Hook and Burton went down to the wire but the award for this game has to be the Harrison Allen semi-final between Cresselly and Haverfordwest.

As usual Pembroke Dock was a batsman’s paradise and both sides made hay.

Cresselly had the upper hand throughout but then Haverfordwest came back to draw level forcing the game into a super over and what a super over it was for Cresselly.

They came out on tops to break Harfat hearts.

Breakthrough Artist of the year

Tom Mansbridge shone brightly for Saundersfoot with two centuries, plenty of other consistent scores and a host of wickets to boot while Llangwm’s Noah Davies also showed his class with bat and ball but the award for best young player of the year has to go to Haverfordwest’s Johnny White who literally arrived on the scene with a blast.

Left arm quicks are few and far between yet he’s the real deal, you have to be when you eclipse your opening partner and he certainly did that even with Adam James steaming in from the other end.

The duo must have been a nightmare to play against with batsmen being unable to settle against the right, left arm partnership.

He finished with 25 wickets with best bowling of 5-22.

Like Mansbridge, Davies and a host of other quality juniors, the boy can play and they're only going to get better.

Comeback performance of the year

Paul Murray and Nick Koomen rescued Neyland from the brink in the Harrison-Allen final against Cresselly with the home team reducing Neyland to 12-3 in the second innings yet Murray's masterful knock and Koomen’s calm collected manner helped them post a winning total but the award here goes to Simon ‘Doc’ Holliday.

Playing for Haverfordwest at Whitland the Town were something like 25-5 after 20 overs before Holliday and Adam James went a bit bonkers and ended up posting 266.

Holliday finished with over 150 to his name, making the home team’s bowlers look helpless as the Town posted a winning total.

Biggest six of the year

Holliday and James blasted a few in that game at Whitland while Alex Bailey’s monstrous hit at Pembroke Dock in the super over against Haverfordwest landed in the second row of houses behind the Castle End but the biggest here has to be Dean John’s hit for Herbrandston at Cresselly.

Not only is John one of the county’s quickest bowlers he’s also one of the biggest hitters and in a brutal assault against Creselly’s bowlers he smashed one over the clubhouse and into the farmyard and beyond.

Cresselly stalwart Glyn Cole has hit a few big uns in his time but even he struggled to remember one as big as John’s that day.

Even the Cows waiting to be milked were impressed.

Bat over ball award

Centuries are the norm these days in Pembrokeshire cricket and it looks like double centuries will be too.

There were two scored this year with Llechryd’s John Curran and Laugharne’s Kevin Pearce both hitting 204 not out.

Curran scored his against Pembroke seconds while Pearce’s came against Pembroke Dock.

Ball over bat award

Ok, so taking just one wicket in your allotted overs is nothing to shout about but when you bowl them without conceding a run then that is.

Hook seconds’ Nicky ‘Bamby’ Absalom did it in a game against Hundleton finishing with figures of 9-9-0-1.

Not a bad effort from the left arm spinner.

Butter fingers award

In a game between Lamphey and Hook the hosts dropped eight catches to allow Hook off the hook to win the game. It came a few weeks after the Stags dropped ten against Herbrandston to gift the game to them too.

Had they won both they would have been promoted to division two to mix it against Carew but alas they’ll have to be content with another season in division three to mix it against, erm, Carew.

Something to smile about award

They’re quite possibly the most welcoming cricket club in the county, definitely one of the most family friendly yet Lawrenny’s year was tinged with great sadness when it was revealed that second team player Lance Osbourn died mid-season.

His death put cricket in perspective and Lawrenny would have had good reason to just see the season out without much consideration towards winning matches.

Winning however, is a great tribute to absent friends and it was fitting they won the Alec Colley the year their second team regular passed away.

The get on with it award

Who says rain needs to stop play? In an earlier round of the Alec Colley Lawrenny were at Carew when it started to drizzle and it didn’t really stop.

The drizzle was heavy enough for the Ridgeway to disappear behind a blanket of misery yet the umpires didn’t bring them off and the game went to a conclusion to the bemusement of everyone watching.

Team of the season award

Carew can lay claim to this award given they won division one and Laugharne for remaining  unbeaten in division five but the award here goes to Llangwm.

Unlike in season’s past they kept going till the end and were crowned champions with around three games to go to make a return to division one after a period of absence.

Always a talented bunch having Chris Inward return mid-season was a boost and if his brother could be persuaded to return next year it would be even better.

Time will tell whether they’ll be able to compete with the big boys next season.

Depends how many Stag do’s they have planned!

Team of the year

1. Daniel Sutton (Johnston)
2. Simon Holliday (Haverfordwest) 
3. Tim Hicks (Carew)
4. Iwan Izzard (Cresselly)
5. Adam Chandler (Cresselly)
6. Lee Summons (Johnston)
7. Kyle Marsh (Kilgetty)
8. Peter Bradshaw (St Ishmaels)
9. Andrew Miller (Neyland)
10. Tom Davies (Carew)
11. Daniel Flynn (St Ishmaels)
12. Tom Mansbridge (Saundersfoot)