Astle named NZ player of the year (28 April 1999)

28 April 1999

Astle named NZ player of the year

Geoff Longley

Canterbury cricketer Nathan Astle dominated New Zealand Cricket's annual awards, winning three prizes including the ultimate accolade, player of the year.

In a season where several of New Zealand's leading players, including Chris Cairns, Stephen Fleming, and Astle himself were sidelined by injury for substantial periods, Astle produced enough innings of quality to earn the player of the series title from the games against India and South Africa. He also collected the Walter Hadlee Trophy for best batting in one-day internationals at the annual awards ceremony in Christchurch last night.

In the four tests he played against India (one) and South Africa (three) he averaged 58.6. He missed the one-day series against India with a broken hand, but quickly returned to form to average 51.2 against the Proteas in the one-day arena.

Astle, 27, played a vital role in the two one-day matches when the Black Caps beat South Africa, making 90 in the first game at Dunedin and an unbeaten 100 in Auckland.

Astle also contributed some miserly one-day bowling performances, no more so than in New Zealand's last-ball loss to the Proteas at Napier, where he delivered eight overs for 18 runs. In that game Astle also produced a miraculous outfield catch, diving full length to remove Shaun Pollock.

Central Districts medium-fast bowler Andrew Penn won the Winsor Cup for best first-class bowling without having played for New Zealand during the season. Penn was perhaps fortunate that he did not play on some of the lifeless pitches in the test series against South Africa. His return was 40 wickets at 19.07, narrowly heading Shayne O'Connor.

Matthew Horne won the Redpath Cup for best batting for the second successive summer, having scored consistently.

Geoff Allott's growing stature as a one-day bowler was reflected in his earning the one-day international bowler's title, taking 18 wickets during the BNZ series at 20.83.

Debbie Hockley again received the batting award for women's cricket, while her Canterbury and New Zealand team-mate Katrina Withers captured the bowler's title.

Jacob Oram, of Central Districts, collected two awards as the best under-23 male player of the year and was adjudged the best performer in domestic cricket by opposition coaches. Aucklanders Rebecca Rolls and Clare Nicholson won the female equivalents.

Former player Mark Greatbatch was awarded the coach of the year title. He guided the New Zealand development team and is Central Districts' coaching director.

Otago's Steve Dunne was the umpire of the year for the fifth successive year, while fellow southerner Mark Perham is the groundsman of the year.

Source :: The Christchurch Press (https://www.press.co.nz/)