Just days after the Gisborne and District Cricket Association McIntyre Cup grand final finished in a tie it seemed somewhat fitting that the competition’s Sullivan Medal also ended in a tie.
The best and fairest medal was shared between Diggers Rest Bulla’s Rhys Berry, Sunbury captain Jason McGann and Romsey’s Ben Way – all on 14 votes. So close was the count, another two players – the Burras’ Darren Quarrell and Gisborne’s Tahir Afridi – finished a further vote back on 13.
It’s the first three-way tie for the medal since 2005-06.
Berry, showing his side’s move from B grade to the McIntyre Cup competition was no problem, led the count early pulling three votes in four of the first five rounds. He finished the season with 40 wickets and averaged 18 with the bat.
He and Afridi, who scored two votes in each of his first four games, were the early leaders.
McGann, who won the medal in 2013-14, and Way, who moved across from Premier Cricket club Melbourne in the off-season, scored maximum votes in three games late in the count to join Berry at the top of the count.
McGann, who won this season’s McIntyre Cup aggregate award, averaged 32 with the bat and took 29 wickets.
Way only played in eight games for the year, averaging 48 with the bat and taking 12 wickets.
Sunbury United’s Ryan Billinghurst finished sixth in the count on nine votes with Sunbury’s Heath Boffey and Woodend’s Josh Eastley each getting eight votes.
The top five vote getters were all named in the GDCA team of the year.
They were joined by Gisborne’s Simon Harman and Brook Grumont, Woodend duo Adam Johnstone and Warren Else, Sunbury United’s Ryan Billinghurst and Lance Watts, and Romsey’s Paul Wilkinson.
In other awards, Billinghurst took out the batting average award after making 364 runs at an average of 33.09.
Afridi won the bowling award after taking 42 wickets at an average of 10 during the regular season.
In the B-grade competition, Jason King won the batting and overall aggregate awards. The Ashfield skipper made 427 runs at an average of 42.70.
