JJ SMIT was the big winner when he won three awards including the Sportsman of the Year trophy at Wanderers Cricket Club’s annual prize giving function on Friday night.
Smit also won the Best All Rounder award and the Best Fielder award, to complete a great season on a personal level, as well as for Wanderers and Namibia.
He played a major role in Wanderers’ success on the field as they won the Premier League title for the second year in a row.
In the final against Windhoek High School Old Boys on 6 April, he scored 60 not out and took two wickets for 38 runs to help Wanderers win the match by seven wickets.
In all matches played for Wanderers, he scored 447 runs at an average of 49,67, with a top score of 81 not out, while he also took 11 wickets at an average of 13,45, with a best performance of three wickets for 15 runs.
He also excelled at a national level, when he helped Namibia to win the World Cricket League Division 2 tournament which they hosted in April. He also won the Player of the Tournament award, after scoring 221 runs at an average of 55,25 and taking 13 wickets at an average of 14,53.
His performances there helped him become the first Namibian cricketer to be signed up by an international T20 cricketing franchise, when he joined the Vancouver Knights in the Global T20 Canada tournament in Ontario in July.
Numerous other players and administrators were recognised for their achievements at the function.
All rounder Karl Birkenstock won the Player’s Player of the Year award, while club captain Nicolaas Scholtz won the Chairman’s Award.
Wessel Myburgh won the Premier League Best Batsman award after scoring a total of 575 runs at an average of 44,23 with a top score of 101 against CCD Tigers.
Bernard Scholtz won the Premier League Best Bowler award after taking 20 wickets at an average of 17,15 and a best performance of three wickets for 37 runs against United.
Collin Peak won the Fielding Excellence award; JC Balt won the Young Up and Coming Junior award and Jan Izak de Villiers won the Best Junior award, while Rhyan Smith won two awards – the Most Improved Player and the Most Dedicated Player awards.
In the Second League, Ewald Steenkamp won two awards for the best batsman and the best all rounder, while Tommie van der Merwe won the Best Bowler award and Gerhard Lotter the Best Fielder award.
Thalia Louw won the Best Administrator of the Year award and Wessel Myburgh senior the Most Loyal Supporter award.
SOURCE: https://www.namibian.com.na/83722/read/Smit-the-big-winner-at-Wanderers-awards
