M&F SA Cricket Awards Nominees

Three national women’s cricket players have been nominated for the Women’s Cricketer of the Year award at the fourth annual Mutual & Federal SA Cricket Awards 

The nomination committee, chaired by Vince van der Bijl and including Zolani Bongco, Colin Bryden, Steve Elworthy, Aslam Khota and Graeme Pollock, made the announcement ahead of the banquet on Wednesday, 09 May 2007.

The awards recognise the achievements of players at all levels of the game, from Under-15 through to the SA National team, and they also give recognition to the many men and women who work behind the scenes such as groundsmen, scorers, umpires and franchise coaches.

Commenting on the awards and the nominees, Cricket South Africa’s CEO, Gerald Majola, said: “The Mutual & Federal SA Cricket Awards is one of the most important events on Cricket South Africa’s calendar.

“It showcases South African cricket by recognising the achievements of people at all levels of the game from grassroots to the international arena, including cricket for women and the disabled.

“We are most grateful to Mutual & Federal for making it possible for people from all walks of cricketing life to rub shoulders, and bring recognition to those who have made outstanding contributions to the progress of cricket”.

The South African’s Women’s team may not have played much international cricket this past season, but their recent home series against Pakistan was a resounding success.

That  tour unearthed some of the exciting talent to be found in the country’s domestic leagues, and reassured the nation of the current potential, which is sure to shine when the team visits the Netherlands in July, in a tour comprises five ODI’s and one four-day match.

Up for the Women’s Cricketer of the Year award are Cri-Zelda Brits (North West), Ashlyn Kilowan (Western Province) and 2005/06 winner Johmari Logtenberg (KwaZulu-Natal).

In addition to the ladies performing on the field, three more ladies enter consideration as chairs of their respective Scorer’s Associations, including Gauteng’s Odette Allen, Griqualand West’s Christa Gordon, and North West’s Danika Venter.

In a mixed category, two ladies are nominees in the Bakers Administrator of the Year Award category, where the judges will consider Eastern Province’s Belinda Alie, Griquas’ Helene van der Riet and Boland’s Hennie van Uys.