QC Celebrates 2023-24 Season
A host of first-time winners have been the highlight of tonight’s 2023-24 Queensland Cricket Awards Gala at Brisbane City Hall.
Prodigal son Ben McDermott capped off an eye-catching return season to his home State, winning the Ian Healy Trophy and Queensland’s Marsh One Day Cup player of the year awards for the first time.
Rising allrounder Charli Knott claimed her inaugural win in the Jodie Purves Trophy for performances across the season with the Queensland Fire and WBBL Brisbane Heat.
Knott, currently playing club and county cricket in England for the first time, was joined as a maiden winner by fellow allrounder Georgia Voll, who was awarded the Queensland Fire player of the year trophy.
Continuing the first-time trend, Bulls batter Jack Clayton took out the Marsh Sheffield Shield award while wicket-keeper Jimmy Peirson was presented with his inaugural Bulls players’ player honour.
In acknowledgement of his achievement, Peirson received the Andrew Symonds Medal, which was presented for the second time since the untimely passing of the Queensland and Australian allrounder.
BBL|13 championship winner Xavier Bartlett’s effort in finishing as the competition’s leading wicket-taker was further highlighted with his inaugural win as the BBL Heat MVP to cap off a memorable campaign.
Breaking the trend, New Zealand star Amelia Kerr was awarded the WBBL Heat MVP award for the second season in a row, producing key innings across the competition including top scoring in two Finals matches.
McDermott, 28, had been clear that he wanted to revitalise his game at first class level with his return to his home State after eight years in Tasmania, and his efforts late in the Sheffield Shield season to score 146no were clear signs that he had a red ball game to match his successful limited overs career.
The right-hander, Queensland’s leading runs-scorer in the Marsh One Day Cup including a top score of 143 and two half centuries, played for Australia against India at T20 International level during the year and was recalled to the ODI squad late in the summer against the West Indies.
Knott, 21, took out the premier women’s cricket award that was launched last year to recognise the contribution of former Queensland and Australian captain Jodie Purves.
Knott flourished in the Weber Women’s Big Bash League and Women’s National Cricket League, taking her to the fringes of national selection.
Playing predominantly as a middle to lower order finisher for the Heat, she scored 220 runs at a strike rate of 147.65, while taking 10 wickets, often bowling with the new ball.
She was named as the WBBL Young Gun award – for players aged 21 or under during the tournament – by the National Selection Panel.
In the WNCL, her stand-out innings came in the Final, hitting 11 fours in a career-best one-day knock of 73 from 61 balls as the Fire made 248.
She was also named captain of the CA Gold team that played a three-day match at the end of the summer.
Other awards presented on the night included the Pike-Maher Medal to Fire and Heat batter Mikayla Hinkley for her strong commitment to advancing the growth and impact of Indigenous cricket.
Hinkley, a proud First Nations woman, featured in the development of Queensland Cricket’s inaugural Reconciliation Action Plan launched last year and the on-going education and promotion process around the Brisbane Heat’s Indigenous playing strip worn in the WBBL and BBL that she helped to design.
She again was a passionate advocate for the Heat club’s First Nations story-telling contained on the playing shirts, taking part in jersey presentations to the WBBL squad this season which incorporated members of the Queensland Women’s Indigenous team.
Hinkley, who toured with the Australian Indigenous team last year to Vanuatu where she filled a mentoring role within the squad, spent valuable time with young female Indigenous players across the season to help them successfully navigate a pathway in their chosen sport.
The Pike-Maher Medal is named in honour of former Queensland and Australian players Kirsten Pike and Jimmy Maher and presented to a Queensland male or female player who has played a major role in creating a positive difference in their communities through charitable and community contributions.
Wicket-keeper Georgia Redmayne capped off a triumphant return from a serious Achilles injury with the Queensland Fire voting her their Players’ Player in light of her determination to return to the playing arena, culminating in her captaincy of the Fire in the WNCL Final.
In other representative cricket recognition at the dinner, Queensland Country Cricket’s feat of winning both the male and female titles at the Toyota Australian Country championships for the first time was acknowledged.
Experienced Townsville batter Sam Lowry and Sunshine Coast wicket-keeper Mikayla Wrigley each received the respective male and female player of the year awards for the success enjoyed by the Brahmans and Brolgas at the championships.
The enormous contribution of volunteers to cricket was again celebrated at the event, with Palmwoods CC president Mel Shelley named as the Queensland Cricket Volunteer of the Year.
She was joined at the dinner by other members of ‘Kaspa’s Crew’, the Queensland Cricket Volunteer Recognition Program that came into existence 21 seasons ago when Queensland and Australian pace bowler Michael Kasprowicz agreed to be the face of the inaugural initiative.
2023-24 Queensland Cricket Award Winners
Ian Healy Trophy – Ben McDermott
Jodie Purves Trophy – Charli Knott
Pike-Maher Medal – Mikayla Hinkley
Queensland Fire Player of the Year – Georgia Voll
Marsh Sheffield Shield Player of the Year – Jack Clayton
Marsh One Day Cup Player of the Year – Ben McDermott
Andrew Symonds Medal (Bulls Players’ Player) – Jimmy Peirson
Queensland Fire Players’ Player – Georgia Redmayne
Brisbane Heat WBBL MVP – Amelia Kerr
Brisbane Heat BBL MVP – Xavier Bartlett
Qld Country Player of the Year (male) – Sam Lowry
Qld Country Player of the Year (female) – Mikayla Wrigley
Queensland Cricket Volunteer of the Year – Mel Shelley, (Palmwoods CC, Sunshine Coast)
Graham Dixon Award for Staff Achievement – Trent van Hout .
Name of Author: Queensland Cricket
Queensland Cricket, previously the Queensland Cricket Association, is the governing body for cricket in Queensland, Australia. Established in 1876, it oversees the Queensland Bulls, Queensland Fire, Allan Border Field, and Queensland Premier Cricket. Terry Svenson is the current CEO, and Kirsten Pike is the Chair of the Board of Directors.
