Brynley snares bonanza after brilliant season

BRYNLEY Richards capped a powerhouse season by being named South Coast Junior Cricketer of the Year on Friday night.

More than 200 people attended the ceremony, which capped a watershed year for junior cricket on the South Coast, which included Twenty20 games.

Richards won was presented the Bob Milgate Memorial Trophy, named in honour of the late South Coast Junior and Senior Cricket Association secretary Bob Milgate, by Bob's son, Stephen, who skippered Albion Park's first grade side in 2006-07.

The Oak Flats junior, who also starred for The Rail's first grade, beat a hot field to snare the prestigious award.

He took out a rare double, also winning the Kristian Carruthers Memorial Trophy, awarded to Southern Zone's junior cricketer of the year.

He won the award after averaging 204 for Southern Zone during its Bradman Cup campaign.

However, it was Richards' exploits on the local scene that made headlines " he was a member of the South Coast Gold team that won the Southern Zone title and represented the association at Jeffrey Cup level.

Richards was also inducted into the Illawarra Academy of Sport cricket squad and the South Coast Combined High Schools team.

He scored a century for the Oak Flats under 16As in their semi-final and backed that up with a ton for the Razorbacks in first grade that afternoon.

He topped the South Coast averages with 555 runs at 185.

The Richards' family narrowly missed an unprecedented double, with Zoe Richards, a player in the South Coast Under 14s Gold team, finishing runner-up to Kiama's Melissa Harrison in the Val Whiteman Trophy for Female Junior Cricketer of the Year.

Richards' South Coast teammate, Blake Hutchinson was named South Coast Gold's representative player of the year, while Jonathan Kelly was the under 16 Green's player of the year.

Kerrod White capped a golden season with the under 14 Gold player of the year, while Josh Duncan won the under 14 Green's award.

Albion Park's Drew Hutchinson won the under 12 representative player of the year award.