The Twelfth Man 2016

20 season. The winner of the Eric Sykes Award is Luke Woodhead . John Arlott Award Winner by Brian Marsh We started with eight students with ranging degrees of ability, two taken from net 4 and thereon very much at the deep end. As the weeks progressed we finished up with six through injuries and other commitments. It was not easy for some of the new lads who did their best listening to instructions and made steady improvements. One young man, who caught my eye early in the sessions, especially with his batting, having shots on the front foot, back foot and a solid defence. His bowling left a lot to be desired, but it turned out he is a wicket-keeper so we will let him off for that. This lad is pleasant and willing to learn and if he works hard during the season he will be an excellent cricketer. My most improved player at the 2016 sessions and the runner-up of the John Arlott Award is Harry Morris . The player I am most impressed with is a right-hand leg-spinner and a left-hand batsman. His bowling started a bit wayward in the early weeks, but as soon as he started bowling with flight on a good line and length we started to get positive results. His batting style is destructive and he hits the ball hard, more up in the air than I like so over the weeks we worked on getting his head over his front foot shots taking care not to let his bottom hand take over. Learning a good forward defence he is one to watch in the future my winner of the John Arlott award is Jake Hardcastle . Jack Sokell Award Winner by Andy Bennett This young player has an infectious enthusiasm and ever-present smile. He has shown great levels of concentration and a willingness to listen and learn. He spins the ball a long way for a young player and when batting times the ball sweetly. Both his batting and bowling have improved tremendously and everything he does is always accompanied by a big smile. Keep up the good work. The winner of the Jack Sokell Award is Ralph Patterson . Colleen Morley Award Winner by John Ambler This year’s winner started attending the Society’s winter coaching sessions as a youngster and he has gradually worked his way through varies nets up to senior level. At a very early age he showed great ability with both bat and ball and has developed into an attacking batsman. He also has a good defence. As the years rolled by his bowling improved and is now a medium-pace bowler he has shown he enjoys his cricket and will be an asset to his club. Giving credit where it is due this year’s Colleen Morley Award goes to Matthew Marsh who we wish all the best in the future. Derek Moxon Award Winner by Andy Bennett The runner-up of the Derek Moxon Award is a young player who consistently works hard to put into practice advice and suggestions. His batting and bowling improved during the weeks of the sessions and for such a player he keeps still and hits the ball very powerfully. Congratulations and good luck with your cricket this year. The runner-up of the Derek Moxon Award is Connor Macleod . The winner of the Derek Moxon Award was very difficult to choose as all the players have put a tremendous effort in throughout the winter sessions. The player who has won is a very good listener who takes advice; asks questions and works hard on improving. He has a good bowling action and consistently bowls in the right areas with good reward. His batting showed improvement throughout the course of the coaching sessions, demonstrating good technique and timing. The winner certainly enjoys his cricket and plays with a smile on his face. The winner of the Derek Moxon Award is Leo Blackburn . Dickie Bird Award Winner by Mark Shevill I have enjoyed my first year as a coach with the Wombwell Cricket Lovers’ Society. It’s been great to work with the group I was assigned. All of whom have shown an improvement throughout the course, which has made my decision on the awards much more difficult. Everyone has worked hard