Glamorgan Cricket: Sam Northeast sweeps board in awards
- Published
Sam Northeast made a record 410 not out for Glamorgan at Leicestershire in July and also hit a club best unbeaten 177 in the One Day Cup
Glamorgan batter Sam Northeast has won all three of the county's senior awards in his first season at the club.
Northeast, 32, was named Player of the Year as well as taking the Championship and white-ball prizes.
He set new records for the county's highest first-class and limited-overs scores.
Tom Bevan is Young Player of the Year, while seamer Michael Hogan was inducted into the county's Hall of Fame after a ten-year stint with Glamorgan.
Callum Nicholls was named Academy Player of the Year.
The awards were presented at a dinner in conjunction with the St Helen's Balconiers, whose awards also went to Northeast, Bevan and Hogan, as well as Callum Taylor for most improved uncapped player.
The supporters' group marked individual run-scoring records and partnerships by captain David Lloyd, Colin Ingram, Eddie Byrom and Chris Cooke, as well as 17 year old Sophia Smale's part in winning the women's Hundred title with Oval Invincibles.
There was also a tribute to mark the 80th birthday of long-serving wicket-keeper Eifion Jones.
Northeast heads west
Former Kent and Hampshire captain Northeast joined Glamorgan on a three-year deal in 2022 after brief spells with Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire following his departure from Southampton.
"It was just the ambition [director of cricket] Mark Wallace and [coach] Matt Maynard were talking about, but also the family feel, the fact they really wanted me to be a key part of the side, I'm so glad and it was never in any doubt," said Northeast of his decision to move west.
He scored 1189 Championship runs, 510 runs in the T20 Blast, where he led the team twice, and 291 in seven One-Day Cup matches.
Despite Glamorgan's narrow failure to gain Championship promotion or reach the knock-out stages of the One-Day Cup, Northeast gathered national attention for his exploits and fresh discussion of why he has never won international recognition.
"I've really enjoyed this year, coming to Glamorgan I was a bit unsure of what was going to happen but I feel really settled, working with Matt, being convinced by Wally," said Northeast, who is on the books for a further two summers.
"I'm glad I ended up at Glamorgan though it was a shame we didn't get promotion and it was a little bit of a disappointing end to the season personally but overall I'm happy with the start to my Glamorgan career."
But the innings that captured global headlines was the unbeaten 410 at Leicester, the third highest ever score in the Championship and part of Glamorgan's all-time best team total (795) and partnership (461) unbeaten with Chris Cooke.
"When you look at the record books, it's unbelievable and you don't quite know how you've done it, then to go on and get the win, it was just a fairy-tale four days so how I'm going to replicate that, I don't know," Northeast told BBC Sport Wales.
"It's one of those moments in your career you look back with absolute fondness. Not playing for England or getting an England cap, but then to get in the record books, I'll always look fondly on this season for that."
Bevan blitz
Bevan, 23, earned a first team call-up on the back of consistent second-team runs, and hit 134 in a One-Day Cup win over Hampshire at Neath.
He also made 48 on Championship debut against Derbyshire, and is likely to be rewarded with a first full senior contract.
"I'm absolutely over the moon with these awards, at the start of the season I would have never said to you I'd be young player and second team player of the year, but I'm very happy to have achieved those awards," said Bevan, who is the son of former England fitness coach Huw.
"There's been a lot of hard work, sweat and tears, a lot of balls thrown by my dad which I'm grateful for, and self-belief.
"It was a dream come true to score a hundred, the game before I got a duck and there was a lot of self-doubt but my dad kept telling me to forget about it and back my ability, and stick to my ability."
Bevan now heads to Spain to represent England in the European T10 event, as he did last year, before another spell in South Africa with the Gary Kirsten academy.
Meanwhile Hogan, 41, is leaving Glamorgan after taking 654 wickets across the three formats for the county since joining in 2013.
He is returning to his native Australia and is unlikely to play full-time professional cricket again.
Glamorgan will shortly announce a number of contract extensions, and are seeking bowling reinforcements after Hogan's departure, together with the release of bowlers Lukas Carey, Ruaidhri Smith, James Weighell and Joe Cooke as well as wicket-keeper Tom Cullen.