WORKERS Gol Gol’s West Indian import Shacaya Thomas has been rewarded for his ultra-consistent season with his first Sunraysia Cricket Association Innes Medal.
The hard-hitting right-hander’s dominance of the shorter form of cricket was highlighted by his return of 558 runs and 23 wickets this season, making him a deserving winner ahead of Irymple skipper Dan Coghlan at Wednesday night’s count.
Last year’s joint winner Bryson Lush backed up his 2019-20 summer with another brilliant season for Irymple to finish third, while Tom Vadlja, a multiple Innes Medal winner, proved that age is no barrier by placing fourth after starring for Mildura East this season.
Coomealla Wentworth’s Bevan Wade also captured the umpire’s eye this season, placing fifth.
Workers Gol Gol coach Adam Thomson said he was rapt to see Thomas take home the medal, given the work he put in at the club both on and off the field.
“He doesn’t miss a training session and the junior kids around the club just love him,” Thomson said.
“He has two more seasons on his contract and is engaged to a local girl, so we would obviously like to hold on to him as long as possible.
“Any player who makes 600-odd runs and takes over 20 wickets you probably want them to stick around.”
Thomas will play a leading role in Workers Gol Gol’s finals campaign, which begins tomorrow with a semi-final against Mildura Settlers.
If they win on Saturday, they will begin a best-of-three one-day grand final series against the winner of the other semi-final between Coomealla Wentworth and Irymple.
Thomson admitted his West Indian star would play a key role.
“The one-day game suits him, and especially in those Twenty20 games he got a lot of votes because he made 40 or 50 every time and took a couple of wickets at a good economy rate,” he said.
“Obviously he knows cricket well, and knows his own game well. He knows where he wants his fields with the ball.”
Meanwhile, Nichols Point star Annie O’Rourke was a deserving winner in the women’s Most Valuable Player award, finishing on 26 votes, three clear of Mildura Settlers run machine Shania McKinnon.
THE WINNERS
Innes Medal results
Winner: Shacaya Thomas (Workers Gol Gol)
2nd: Dan Coghlan (Irymple)
3rd: Bryson Lush (Irymple)
4th: Tom Vadlja (Mildura East)
5th: Bevan Wade (Coomealla Wentworth)
Batting aggregate: Shacaya Thomas (Workers Gol Gol) 558 runs @ 37.20
Batting average: Chris Williams (Mildura West 421 runs @ 46.78
Bowling aggregate and average: Dan Coghlan (Irymple) 31 wickets @ 7.23
First Division fielding award: Dan Coghlan (Irymple). Runner-up: Wade Hancock (Workers Gol Gol)
Women’s Most Valuable Player
Winner: Annie O’Rourke (Nichols Point Green) 26 votes. Runner-up: Shania McKinnon (Mildura Settlers) 23 votes
Women’s batting aggregate: Shania McKinnon 406 runs @ 206
Women’s batting average: Rhiann O’Donnell (Mildura West) 209 runs @ 209
Women’s bowling average: Annie O’Rourke 18 wickets @ 5.56
Women’s bowling aggregate: Elitama Akima (Nichols Point Gold) 25 wickets
Women’s fielding: Taylor Kemp (Coomealla Wentworth)
MGA Insurances Club Championship: Workers Gol Gol 590 points, Mildura Settlers 585 points
QBE Insurance – Champion players rankings: Dan Coghlan 994 points, Shacaya Thomas 958 points
Curator of the Year: Leigh Penna (Mildura Settlers)
Umpire of the Year: Brad Purdue
Male Rookie of the Year: Zane Hunt (Mildura East)
Female Rookie of the Year: Demi Zanoni (Mildura West)
Under 16s John Hall Medallist: Jackson Malycha (Merbein South)
