Amelia Kerr wins inaugural Debbie Hockley Medal at NZC Awards
Mar 23, 2023
Auckland [New Zealand], March 23 : New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr on Thursday won the inaugural Debbie Hockley Medal at the New Zealand Cricket Awards in Auckland.
Kerr, the first player to be awarded the newly-minted Debbie Hockley Medal for the most outstanding women's cricketer of the year, was also named the ANZ Women's T20I Player of the Year.
The leg-spinning all-rounder was her T20I team's second-highest run-scorer with 423 runs at 32.53 (strike-rate 112.20) and equal second-highest wicket-taker with 17 at 20.41, achieved with an economy rate of 5.52. She also averaged 40.66 with the bat in ODIs.
Kerr's team-mate Suzie Bates was named the ANZ Women's ODI Player of the Year following significant contributions with the bat against both the West Indies and Bangladesh, against whom she struck three half centuries, a highest score of 93 not out, and averaged 55.55.
On the domestic front, Kate Anderson was recognised for a break-out year for Canterbury with the bat, winning the Ruth Martin Cup for domestic women's batting, the Dream11 Women's Super Smash Player of the Year award, as well as being named the Women's Domestic Player of the Year.
Anderson's exceptional summer included breaking Suzie Bates' run-scoring record for a Super Smash season with 536 runs at 59.55 (strike-rate 115.02), while striking a total of 59 boundaries - the most for either the men's or women's competitions.
She also posted the highest score in the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield competition - 141, while closing out the competition as the fourth-equal highest run-scorer.
Anderson's Canterbury team-mate, Gabby Sullivan, was awarded the Phyl Blackler Cup for women's domestic bowling, after another strong season in which she dominated the wicket-taking charts in both the 50-over and 20-over formats.
Sullivan led all wicket-takers in the Dream11 Super Smash with 21 at 12.38, including an economy rate of 5.89, and was also top of the list in the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield, in which she took 21 wickets at 15.05, with an economy rate of 3.88.
