- Lee Hodgson, Marske CC
Former Yorkshire and Surrey player Lee Hodgson has received a national honour after being adjudicated the League Cricket Conference National Cricketer of the Year.
A staggering 2016 season for Marske in the North Yorkshire and South Durham ECB Premier League saw Hodgson as the clear winner of the most prestigious individual award in league cricket. Lee racked up no fewer than 1,520 runs in league matches alone, this tally including 7 centuries and 1 double century and giving him an average of 90 per innings. This was not only a club record at Windy Hill Lane, but it also ranked amongst the very best performances ever recorded in ECB Premier Leagues since their introduction in the year 2000.
Alongside his prolific run making he also collected 30 league wickets, and his overall record in NYSD matches was 1724 runs and 40 wickets.
The LCC, an ECB backed organisation dealing with issues relating to the running of leagues and clubs, represents cricket leagues throughout the country. Each were given the opportunity to nominate their own League Player of the Year for an inaugural “Wisden” type selection of five club cricketers who had excelled in 2016.
The final five names were selected from leagues around the country and the following players each received inaugural Neil Edwards Memorial Awards:
Chris Ashling – Bowdon C.C. – Cheshire County League
David Ball – Dorridge C.C. – Birmingham and District Premier League
Garth Davison – High Wycombe C.C. – Home Counties
Lee Hodgson – Marske C.C. – North Yorkshire & South Durham
Mattie McKiernan – Leigh C.C. – Liverpool Competition
With Hodgson having polled a significant number of the overall votes cast he was then announced as the National Club Cricketer of the Year.
The awards were presented at a ceremonial luncheon at Nantwich Cricket Club last weekend, attended by the ECB and National Cricket Conference representatives, with YCB Chairman Chris West hosting the event. Durham’s Director of Cricket, ex-England and Northants player Geoff Cook, took part in an intriguing Q&A session before doing the presentational honours in his role as LCC President.