Photo Credit: Professional Cricketers’ Association
Bryce claims Overall MVP while Davidson-Richards tops Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy charts
- Kathryn Bryce finishes the summer with 394.36 MVP points
- Alice Davidson-Richards takes South East Stars to the final with 188.50 points in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy
- Bryce said: “I have a lot of pride in what we have achieved”
Kathryn Bryce has won the PCA Women’s Domestic Overall MVP following an excellent summer with The Blaze, which included winning the Charlotte Edwards Cup.
The Blaze all-rounder capped off a fruitful summer with 868 runs and 32 wickets across three tournaments, which included a hat-trick in The Hundred for Manchester Originals.
Over the campaign, she accumulated 394.36 points – 236.05 points coming in the Charlotte Edwards Cup, 108.33 points in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and 49.98 whilst playing in The Hundred.
Bryce has won a bespoke gold MVP trophy produced by Mappin & Webb and £7,500 prize money, largely thanks to earning five Match MVPs, four of which came in the 20-over format, including one in the final against South East Stars where she was named the Charlotte Edwards Cup Player of the Year.
Her best display of the season came in the aforementioned final, where she earned 40.80 points, including 31.36 points for her efforts with the bat. The Bryce sisters helped The Blaze win their first T20 title with Kathryn scoring 62 runs off 45 deliveries while Sarah notched up 52 from 46 balls. She also took the all-important wicket of Georgia Redmayne.
The 26-year-old’s second highest MVP score in a game came against Central Sparks in the group stage of the Charlotte Edwards Cup where she contributed a 57-run knock off 47 balls and picking up two wickets along the way. She secured 34.56 points for her all-round efforts.
Bryce’s only Match MVP in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy came in the game against Sunrisers where she showed her all-round pedigree and earned 28.96 points as The Blaze recorded a six-wicket victory. The Scotland captain first picked up 4-41 before starring with the bat and scoring an unbeaten 87 from 95 balls, her highest score this summer.
However, her standout bowling performance of the summer came in The Hundred for the Manchester Originals. Against the Northern Superchargers, the seamer took 5-13 from her 20 balls, including a hat-trick.
Western Storm’s Amanda-Jade Wellington finished runner-up in the Overall MVP standings, ending the summer on 344.69 points. Meanwhile, Bryce’s fellow Blaze teammate Kirstie Gordon finished third on the table with 321.60 points.
The Women’s Domestic Overall MVP is selected by the PCA Most Valuable Player Rankings, with the all-rounder leading for the vast majority of the season, despite missing the first block of 20-over fixtures. The formula enables players to score or lose MVP points on every ball based on their expected performance for that ball in comparison to CricViz’s extensive historical database, with the venue being played at also taken into account.
After being named the Women’s Domestic Overall MVP, Bryce said: “It has been a fantastic summer with The Blaze. Looking back, I have a lot of pride in what we have achieved.
“It was obviously disappointing to miss the start of the season, but it was quite nice to come back into the group with a bit of a reset moving into T20 competition and be able to get going and carry on the form that I had from the World Cup Qualifiers. To take that into winning performances for The Blaze was really pleasing and to lift that trophy was really special.
“T20 cricket can be a very up and down game, but I just had real clarity in my game and the way that I was going out there to execute it. That freedom in my mind and just backing the ability that I had, not thinking about it too much and being able to back yourself knowing that you had good performances behind you was just really key.”
Bryce now shifts her attention to international cricket. She will lead the Scotland squad which will compete at the 2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. They have been drawn alongside Bangladesh, England, South Africa and the West Indies in Group B.
Davidson-Richards crowned Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy Player of the Year
Alice Davidson-Richards has claimed the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy Player of the Year after topping the run-scoring charts this summer. Her excellent form with the bat saw South East Stars reach the final of this year’s tournament.
Davidson-Richards has been a consistent performer all season long. She ended the 50-over competition with 650 runs at an average of 46.42, scoring at a very healthy strike-rate of 85.19.
She also had a helpful impact with the ball, picking up five wickets in the competition with a best of 2-22.
Capped 15 times by England, she showed her international pedigree by topping the MVP points table with 188.50, with the majority of these coming from 148.50 batting points. She also secured three Match MVPs this season.
Davidson-Richards showed her batting prowess when it mattered the most in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy final. She was the highest run-getter in the final for the South East Star, scoring 93 off 105 balls and built the innings after her side were two down for just six runs. This innings saw her win the Match MVP with 22.49 points.
The right-hand batter also played a crucial role in the semi-final to help her side reach the final. The 30-year-old scored an unbeaten 90 from 109 deliveries. Whilst chasing 221, the Stars found themselves at 28-2 before Davidson-Richards saved the day. The match-winning knock saw her pick up 32.12 MVP points.
However, her first Match MVP came in the game against the Sunrisers back in May, where the Stars recorded a five-wicket victory thanks to Davidson-Richards’ all-round display. She took two wickets in the game and scored 50 off 67 balls to end with 15.81 MVP points.
Meanwhile, the aforementioned Gordon finished second in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy MVP standings with 163.35 points while fellow finalist and Sunrisers player Jodi Grewcock came home in third place with 160.22 points.
After being named the 2024 Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy Player of the Year, Davidson-Richards said: “It was nice to get a few runs. It is just a shame to not be on the winning side today.
“The tournament was a bit of a mixture. It has been frustrating not being able to bowl but it has been very pleasing to help the team with the bat. It is nice to contribute but wanted to go one step further.”
Eventually, the Sunrisers won the 2024 Rachael Heyhoe Flint by beating the South East Stars in the final by 27 runs (DLS). Chasing 213, they reached 121-3 in 25 overs before the rain had the final say in Leicester.
Check out the full Women’s MVP Table here.
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Name of Author: Professional Cricketers Association
The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), founded in 1967 by former England fast bowler Fred Rumsey as the Cricketers’ Association, represents past and present first-class cricketers in England and Wales. In the 1970s, the PCA established a standard employment contract and minimum wage for professional cricketers. It also helped create a pension scheme in 1995 and launched the magazine All Out Cricket and the ACE UK Educational Programme in 2002.
