just_cricket
Club Captain
Oceania Premier League
Sponsored by Coca Cola
Grand Final
Southern Stallions v Northern Eagles
AMI Stadium, Christchurch
The Awards and Prizes Presentation
Welcome back to AMI Stadium for the presentation of awards and prizes. You can see the list of awards to be made on your screen now - as you can see we've got a lot to get through - so let's get stuck in right away...
The Silver Plate is awarded to the winner of the Preliminary stages - in other words the top qualifier from the Super 8 stage and the hosts of the Major Semifinal. This year the award goes to the Tasmania Diablos! Their captain Ricky Ponting - who has been here watching the whole match - will collect the award on behalf of the team.
The Fielder of the TournamentThe recipient of this award has been chosen by a select panel of well-known past cricketers, including Richie Benaud, Ian Chappell and Jeremy Coney to name but a few. The nominees are:
- Umar Akmal (Northern Eagles)
- Martin Guptill (Northern Eagles)
- AB De Villiers (Tasmania Diablos)
... And the winner of this award is Martin Guptill, with four catches, two superb run-outs and many diving saves throughout the tournament.
This has been a hotly contested prize with several serious contenters. Note that an all-rounder is anyone who specializes in more than one discipline - whether it be bowling and batting, or batting and keeping. The nominees are:
- Brendon McCullum (Southern Stallions)
- Jacques Kallis (United-Territories Gators)
- Jesse Ryder (Capital Pulse)
The panel said this was the most difficult award to decide as all 3 staked real claims for it. Brendon McCullum scored 287 runs and effected 4 stumpings, Jesse Ryder amassed 273 runs and took 5 wickets, but the winner of this award, with 251 runs and 7 wickets, is Jacques Kallis.
As you can see there was some fierce competition - Eoin Morgan topped the averages with 336 runs at 112.00, but in the end it is Mahela Jayawardene, with 390 runs at an average of 78.00, who will take it home!
Note: If players have taken an equal number of wickets, the placings are decided on a runs-per-wicket basis
The Southern Stallions' star opening pair top the list with 11 wickets apiece, but it will be Shane Bond who wins the Golden Wickets, as his average of 16.36 just shades Neil Wagner's 17.82.
Fans' Choice Awards
The following awards are decided by the fans:
The Individual Performance of the Tournament
The nominees are:
a) Mahela Jayawarene: 130 off 59 balls vs Queensland Thunder
b) Jesse Ryder: 134 off 59 balls vs Western Waccas
c) Clint McKay: 4-0-35-5 inc. hat-trick and 4 wickets in 5 balls vs Western Waccas
d) Daniel Vettori: 4-0-13-4 vs Tasmania Diablos
The Player of the Tournament
The nominees are:
a) Mahela Jayawardene: 390 runs @78.00 and part of a winning team
b) Umar Akmal: 381 runs @76.20 and part of a winning team
c) Eoin Morgan: 336 runs @ 112.00 and part of a winning team
d) Jesse Ryder: 273 runs @ 68.25 and 5 wickets @ 31.20
e) Shane Bond: 11 wickets @ 16.36 and part of a winning team
f) Jacques Kallis: 251 runs @ 62.75 and 7 wickets at 21.57
g) Sachin Tendulkar: 359 runs @ 89.75 and part of a winning team
h) Neil Wagner: 11 wickets @ 17.82 and part of a winning team
i) Tim Southee: 8 wickets @ 25.25 and the hero of the Super Over
j) Brendon McCullum: 287 runs @57.40, 5 stumpings and captain of a winning team
k) Daniel Vettori: 10 wickets @ 19.80 and captain of a winning team
Post your choice of performance and player of the tournament and be in to win $15,000 vcash!
Many thanks to KBC for making the official OPL trophies and awards
The Silver Plate
The Silver Plate is awarded to the winner of the Preliminary stages - in other words the top qualifier from the Super 8 stage and the hosts of the Major Semifinal. This year the award goes to the Tasmania Diablos! Their captain Ricky Ponting - who has been here watching the whole match - will collect the award on behalf of the team.
The Coca Cola Spirit of Cricket Award
This award is presented to the team who has been ajudged by the umpires and match referees to have best upheld the spirit of cricket throughout the tournament. This year the award will be presented to the Northern Eagles. Their captain Daniel Vettori will collect this award shortly...
The Fielder of the Tournament
- Umar Akmal (Northern Eagles)
- Martin Guptill (Northern Eagles)
- AB De Villiers (Tasmania Diablos)
... And the winner of this award is Martin Guptill, with four catches, two superb run-outs and many diving saves throughout the tournament.
The All-Rounder of the Tournament
This has been a hotly contested prize with several serious contenters. Note that an all-rounder is anyone who specializes in more than one discipline - whether it be bowling and batting, or batting and keeping. The nominees are:
- Brendon McCullum (Southern Stallions)
- Jacques Kallis (United-Territories Gators)
- Jesse Ryder (Capital Pulse)
The panel said this was the most difficult award to decide as all 3 staked real claims for it. Brendon McCullum scored 287 runs and effected 4 stumpings, Jesse Ryder amassed 273 runs and took 5 wickets, but the winner of this award, with 251 runs and 7 wickets, is Jacques Kallis.
The Golden Bat
This award is presented to the leading run-scorer through the OPL tournament. It has been hotly contested by a number of players - let's take a look at the standings at the end of the tournament:
As you can see there was some fierce competition - Eoin Morgan topped the averages with 336 runs at 112.00, but in the end it is Mahela Jayawardene, with 390 runs at an average of 78.00, who will take it home!
The Golden Wickets
This award is presented to the leading-wicket taker through the OPL. Certainly the tournament generally favoured the batsmen, but plenty of wickets also fell. Let's take a look at the final top 10:
Note: If players have taken an equal number of wickets, the placings are decided on a runs-per-wicket basis
The Southern Stallions' star opening pair top the list with 11 wickets apiece, but it will be Shane Bond who wins the Golden Wickets, as his average of 16.36 just shades Neil Wagner's 17.82.
Fans' Choice Awards
The following awards are decided by the fans:
The Individual Performance of the Tournament
The nominees are:
a) Mahela Jayawarene: 130 off 59 balls vs Queensland Thunder
b) Jesse Ryder: 134 off 59 balls vs Western Waccas
c) Clint McKay: 4-0-35-5 inc. hat-trick and 4 wickets in 5 balls vs Western Waccas
d) Daniel Vettori: 4-0-13-4 vs Tasmania Diablos
The Player of the Tournament
The nominees are:
a) Mahela Jayawardene: 390 runs @78.00 and part of a winning team
b) Umar Akmal: 381 runs @76.20 and part of a winning team
c) Eoin Morgan: 336 runs @ 112.00 and part of a winning team
d) Jesse Ryder: 273 runs @ 68.25 and 5 wickets @ 31.20
e) Shane Bond: 11 wickets @ 16.36 and part of a winning team
f) Jacques Kallis: 251 runs @ 62.75 and 7 wickets at 21.57
g) Sachin Tendulkar: 359 runs @ 89.75 and part of a winning team
h) Neil Wagner: 11 wickets @ 17.82 and part of a winning team
i) Tim Southee: 8 wickets @ 25.25 and the hero of the Super Over
j) Brendon McCullum: 287 runs @57.40, 5 stumpings and captain of a winning team
k) Daniel Vettori: 10 wickets @ 19.80 and captain of a winning team
Post your choice of performance and player of the tournament and be in to win $15,000 vcash!
Many thanks to KBC for making the official OPL trophies and awards
It is implied that they need to improve for next year, perhaps by injecting some spice/zest/sizzle into their forthcoming endeavours. 
