Tonight the glad-rags will be out and the who’s who of Wellington Cricket will be in attendance at the annual Norwood Awards to celebrate the successes of the 2009/10 season.
The prestigious awards bring together top cricketers from both the men’s and women’s competition, from club to First Class level and recognise excellence in all facets of the game.
The Norwoods, which are rich in history, were first held during the 1949/50 season and were originally funded by the Norwood Trust, founded by Sir Charles Norwood, a Wellington philanthropist who was also involved with setting up the Wellington Free Ambulance.
These days the Trust is still involved with the awards and works with a committee of dedicated personal to decide the winners. Those include Trust member Earl Cooper, Firebirds head coach Anthony Stuart, Blaze head coach Mark Borthwick, international scorer Ian Smith and Cricket Wellington CEO Gavin Larsen.
Larsen, who has won five Norwood Awards including Cricketer of the Year for the 1992/93 and 1994/95 season, said although Wellington has had a turbulent season at the top level, a number of players shone through and these awards recognise their efforts and determination. “A number of players stepped up in different roles during the season and in turn made a huge impact on their respective teams,” he said. “Those people deserve to be recognised for their achievements and tonight we will celebrate their accomplishments.
“It is something special to win an award and it is something recipients will fondly remember as one of the highlights of their career.”
The awards cover a number of categories including Cricketer of the Year, Outstanding Batsman, Bowler, Allrounder and Fieldsman, Most enterprising captain, Umpire of the Year, and The Bruce Murray Medal for sportsmanship.
The evening also sees a new award presented, the Mike Curtis Cup, recognising volunteer service to club cricket. We are confident that the award, named in honour of one of club cricket’s most dedicated servants, will immediately become recognised as a highly regarded trophy, most respected and sought after.
Celebrations start at 6:30pm in the Norwood Room at the Allied Nationwide Finance Basin Reserve
