The 2016 Willowfest awards dinner was a joyous occasion for the Hutt River faithful. Having won the tournament for the second time in three years, the celebrations were well deserved.
Sovereign's MDP Award
The vote count for the Sovereign's MDP (most dedicated player) award was one of the closest in recent memory, with many players exhibiting stand out performances in different games throughout the week. Matthew Brooks took an early lead after the first game, but having played only the one game for the week, he was always going to struggle to maintain top position. Mitch Smith polled well in games 2 and 3, whilst Jack Leo's last ball heroics shot him to the lead after game 3. Jake Sluiter consistently polled votes for reasons nobody could fathom. Game 4 saw Mitch Rogerson clean up after his innings-saving 66, whilst the votes from the grand final were spread across many different heroes. In the end, Mitch Smith eked out a victory, closely followed by Jarryd Mills in second place.
Final rankings:
1st: Mitch Smith
2nd: Jarryd Mills
3rd: Mitch Rogerson
4th: Jack Leo
5th: Matthew Brooks
Horse's Ass Award
The 2016 horse's ass award was a close-run affair. The first three games of the tournament saw remarkably few points awarded, but in the final two games, several players made a charge for the award. Tyler Hankinson, Jakob Sluiter, and Jason Harris put themselves firmly in contention by turning up two overs late for the second innings on day 3, whilst Haydn Falconer and Keegan Macdonald missed every ball hit at them to boost their own scores. In the end, there was a tie for first place, with Keegan Macdonald and Jakob Sluiter jointly taking the prize. Macdonald, having played only two games, now has the record for the most horse's ass points per game for a Dedication player.
Willowfest Awards
Hutt River also saw success in the tournament-wide awards presented last night. Keeper Jarryd Mills was awarded Wicketkeeper of the Carnival after a flawless performance in all five games. On top of this honour, Mills was also named captain of the Willowfest XI - the team picked from the best players across all grades for the tournament. Batting at number 11, however, Mills clearly needs to work on his batting for next year. This is not the first time that Mills has won the keeper of the carnival award, but it is the first time a Hutt River player has been named captain of the Willowfest XI - congratulations to Jarryd Mills!
Sovereign's MDP Award
The vote count for the Sovereign's MDP (most dedicated player) award was one of the closest in recent memory, with many players exhibiting stand out performances in different games throughout the week. Matthew Brooks took an early lead after the first game, but having played only the one game for the week, he was always going to struggle to maintain top position. Mitch Smith polled well in games 2 and 3, whilst Jack Leo's last ball heroics shot him to the lead after game 3. Jake Sluiter consistently polled votes for reasons nobody could fathom. Game 4 saw Mitch Rogerson clean up after his innings-saving 66, whilst the votes from the grand final were spread across many different heroes. In the end, Mitch Smith eked out a victory, closely followed by Jarryd Mills in second place.
Final rankings:
1st: Mitch Smith
2nd: Jarryd Mills
3rd: Mitch Rogerson
4th: Jack Leo
5th: Matthew Brooks
Horse's Ass Award
The 2016 horse's ass award was a close-run affair. The first three games of the tournament saw remarkably few points awarded, but in the final two games, several players made a charge for the award. Tyler Hankinson, Jakob Sluiter, and Jason Harris put themselves firmly in contention by turning up two overs late for the second innings on day 3, whilst Haydn Falconer and Keegan Macdonald missed every ball hit at them to boost their own scores. In the end, there was a tie for first place, with Keegan Macdonald and Jakob Sluiter jointly taking the prize. Macdonald, having played only two games, now has the record for the most horse's ass points per game for a Dedication player.
Willowfest Awards
Hutt River also saw success in the tournament-wide awards presented last night. Keeper Jarryd Mills was awarded Wicketkeeper of the Carnival after a flawless performance in all five games. On top of this honour, Mills was also named captain of the Willowfest XI - the team picked from the best players across all grades for the tournament. Batting at number 11, however, Mills clearly needs to work on his batting for next year. This is not the first time that Mills has won the keeper of the carnival award, but it is the first time a Hutt River player has been named captain of the Willowfest XI - congratulations to Jarryd Mills!