NICHOLS Point rising star Lewis Dichiera has claimed the 2022/23 Sunraysia Cricket Association John Hall Medal.
The all-rounder finished with 18 votes at Monday night’s count to decide the top Under 16 player, adding his name to an impressive list of past winners that includes Mark Thomson, Campbell Vadlja and Paddy and Seamus Keogh.
Dichiera finished five votes clear of Merbein’s Angus Smith on 13, while Mildura West’s Josh Driscoll, Mildura Settlers’ Beau Kiel and Mildura East’s Surendra Prajapat all scored 12 votes.
At Under 16 level, Dichiera scored 275 runs at 45.8 for the season including two half centuries, also nabbing nine wickets with best bowling figures of 4/11.
The young gun has doubled up almost every weekend to play senior cricket as well, impressing in eight games in First Division where he has taken 11 wickets.
Dichiera was quick to praise teammates at junior and senior level after winning the award.
“It’s been a pretty good year, the team went pretty well,” he said.
“We’ve been going well this year, especially in the ones, coming into finals hopefully we can go pretty well.
“I had a bit more of a role with the ball in the seniors because we’ve probably only got one opening bowler, so I’ve had to fill in a few overs which was good.
“It’s great to learn from the senior guys, especially batting with ‘Alfie’ (Kaushik Aphale), Shannon (Bowen), Shaun (Mathews), Leigh (Thomson-Mathews), it’s really good to see how they go about it through the innings.”
Dichiera is a member of the Cricket Victoria Emerging Players Under 17 program, alongside Mildura Settlers player and good mate Monty Maloney.
Nichols Point was defeated in the Under 16 semi-final over the weekend and opponents Mildura East will face the combine side of Merbein Settlers at Chaffey Park in this weekend’s grand final.
