28 April 1999
Astle named NZ player of the year
Geoff Longley
Canterbury cricketer Nathan Astle dominated New Zealand Cricket's
annual awards, winning three prizes including the ultimate accolade,
player of the year.
In a season where several of New Zealand's leading players, including
Chris Cairns, Stephen Fleming, and Astle himself were sidelined by
injury for substantial periods, Astle produced enough innings of
quality to earn the player of the series title from the games against
India and South Africa. He also collected the Walter Hadlee Trophy
for best batting in one-day internationals at the annual awards
ceremony in Christchurch last night.
In the four tests he played against India (one) and South Africa
(three) he averaged 58.6. He missed the one-day series against India
with a broken hand, but quickly returned to form to average 51.2
against the Proteas in the one-day arena.
Astle, 27, played a vital role in the two one-day matches when the
Black Caps beat South Africa, making 90 in the first game at Dunedin
and an unbeaten 100 in Auckland.
Astle also contributed some miserly one-day bowling performances, no
more so than in New Zealand's last-ball loss to the Proteas at
Napier, where he delivered eight overs for 18 runs. In that game
Astle also produced a miraculous outfield catch, diving full length
to remove Shaun Pollock.
Central Districts medium-fast bowler Andrew Penn won the Winsor Cup
for best first-class bowling without having played for New Zealand
during the season. Penn was perhaps fortunate that he did not play on
some of the lifeless pitches in the test series against South Africa.
His return was 40 wickets at 19.07, narrowly heading Shayne O'Connor.
Matthew Horne won the Redpath Cup for best batting for the second
successive summer, having scored consistently.
Geoff Allott's growing stature as a one-day bowler was reflected in
his earning the one-day international bowler's title, taking 18
wickets during the BNZ series at 20.83.
Debbie Hockley again received the batting award for women's cricket,
while her Canterbury and New Zealand team-mate Katrina Withers
captured the bowler's title.
Jacob Oram, of Central Districts, collected two awards as the best
under-23 male player of the year and was adjudged the best performer
in domestic cricket by opposition coaches. Aucklanders Rebecca Rolls
and Clare Nicholson won the female equivalents.
Former player Mark Greatbatch was awarded the coach of the year
title. He guided the New Zealand development team and is Central
Districts' coaching director.
Otago's Steve Dunne was the umpire of the year for the fifth
successive year, while fellow southerner Mark Perham is the
groundsman of the year.
Source :: The Christchurch Press (https://www.press.co.nz/)