Stevens bags top prize at Kent Cricket Awards

2019’s Spitfire Kent Cricket Awards saw Zak Crawley win three awards on the night, whilst Darren Stevens was named Club Player of the Year after his stellar second half to the season helped propel Kent to fourth in the Specsavers County Championship.

After a Summer where Kent Women won the Royal London Women’s County Championship for the eighth time, the Men’s Second XI won the Second XI Trophy, and the First XI established themselves back in Division One, over two hundred people turned out to commemorate another successful season for the county.

Players, staff, members, stakeholders and sponsors filled the HR GO Recruitment Harris Room on Friday evening and, hosted by Steve Watts, the club honoured those that had excelled during the 2019 season.

The evening was kicked off by awarding County Caps number 218 and 219 to Harry Podmore and Zak Crawley respectively, before this year’s debutants from the men’s and women’s first elevens were given framed scorecards from their first matches for Kent.

After another successful year for the Kent Women, captain Tammy Beaumont and Canterbury Christ Church University Pro-Vice Chancellor Mike Weed awarded this year’s Kent Women Awards winners:

• Batter of the Year – Fran Wilson
• Bowler of the Year – Megan Belt
• Fielder of the Year – Tammy Beaumont
• Players’ Player of the Year – Megan Belt
• Club Player of the Year – Maxine Blythin

The Men’s First XI awards were handed out by Shepherd Neame CEO Jonathan Neame and captain Sam Billings. The winners on the night were as follows:

• Spitfire One-Day Player of the Series – Zak Crawley
• Batsman of the Year – Zak Crawley
• Bowler of the Year – Matt Milnes
• Fielder of the Year – Heino Kuhn
• Players’ Players of the Year – Zak Crawley
• Club Player of the Year – Darren Stevens

The club also unveiled the first details for Kent Cricket’s 150th Year celebrations next year.