Hartley edges out shield rivals
The Age
Tuesday March 16, 2010
THAT Chris Hartley can deservedly win the Sheffield Shield player of the year, by finishing fifth in runs and second in catches, and still not be in the frame for national selection is indicative of the superb depth among Australia's wicketkeepers.The Queenslander's 774 runs at 48.4 and 41 dismissals were enough for him to garner 17 votes for the season to edge out Victorian paceman Damien Wright by a single vote, although the latter played only the second half of the season.Victorian stalwart Brad Hodge claimed the Ford Ranger Cup award for his 622 runs at 69.1, which included four centuries, while the Big Bash award was shared by Twenty20 specialists David Warner (NSW) and West Indian Kieron Pollard (SA).Hodge's stellar limited-overs form also earned him the captaincy of the Big Bash all-star team and vice-captaincy of the Ford Ranger Cup team.Victorian all-rounder John Hastings received another accolade when he was the only player named in all three all-star teams. While Victoria again led the shield competition, the 24-year-old was, surprisingly, the only Bushranger chosen in the team. David Hussey was 12th man.Twenty seven-year-old Hartley was chosen for the four-day team, while Tasmanian Tim Paine got the nod for the Big Bash team.The wicketkeeping role for the Ford Ranger Cup team went to Victorian Matthew Wade, 22, who scored 324 runs at 40.5.South Australia's recent confirmation as the wooden-spooner in the shield was partly offset by the Redbacks receiving the Benaud Spirit of Cricket Award.In the Women's National Cricket League, NSW won the award in the 50-over series and Queensland claimed the prize for the Twenty20 series.Acting Australian captain Alex Blackwell won the Twenty20 player of the series, while the 50-over player of the series went to Victorian all-rounder Sarah Elliott, 28.
© 2010 The Age
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