Lara leads TT awards sweep

West Indies captain and triple world batting record-holder Brian Lara was the easy choice for the First Citizens WI Cricketer of the Year and the Supreme Ventures Limited Test Player of the Year titles.

The 37-year-old left-hander was also presented with a special award by WIPA for surpassing Australian Allan Border as Test cricket’s most prolific run-scorer, in the third Test against Australia in Adelaide last November.

The awardees were selected upon the respective criteria — cricketing skills, performing under pressure, leadership qualities and contribution outside the field of play — during the period January 1 to December 31 2005.

The judging panel comprised senior regional team selectors Joey Carew (chairman), Gordon Greenidge, Clyde Butts, WI Under-19 coach Roddy Estwick and women’s team administrator Gayle Daniel-Worrell.

While he missed three out of 11 Tests due to the messy contractual row between WIPA and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), Lara racked up a mammoth 1,069 runs at an average of 71.27 with five centuries, including the knock of 226 at Adelaide.

Denesh Ramdin, who made his international debut during the tour of Sri Lanka last July and was the lone wicket-keeper used for the trips to Australia and New Zealand, was named as the WIPA Emerging Player of the Year.

The Under-15 and Under-19 categories were dominated by Trinidad and Tobago, who claimed both the Teams of the Year and Players of the Year in the respective divisions.

At the Under-15 level, Adrian Barath was the overwhelming choice for the CLICO Player of the Year.

The right-handed middle-order batsman amassed 429 runs in the regional contest.

In the Under-19s, off-spinner Sunil Narine copped the TCL Player of the Year on the basis of his 31 wickets at an average of 7.03.

Jamaica, who lifted both the Carib Beer Cricket Series and International Challenge trophies last year, took home the Carib Beer Team of the Year while ex-Leeward Islands and West Indies wicket-keeper Ridley Jacobs was the Carib Beer Player of the Year.

In his final First-Class season, Jacobs tallied 816 runs at 62.76 with four hundreds and three half-centuries, in addition to 27 dismissals (26 catches and one stumping).

Guyana, the KFC Cup (regional one-day) champs, were the TGIF One-Day Team of the Year while in-form middle-order batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan was the TGIF One-Day Player of the Year, after he posted three centuries and two half-centuries en-route to his 462 runs at an average of 111.3.

Left-handed all-rounder Ian Bradshaw was adjudged as the Supreme Ventures Limited One-Day International Player of the Year, after he snared 20 wickets with his medium pace at an average of 26.90.

Fellow Barbadian Pamela Lavine, cousin of Greenidge, emerged as the First Citizens Women’s Cricketer of the Year, by virtue of her 185 runs and six wickets for Barbados during the 2005 championships in St Vincent.

The two-hour-long ceremony also had addresses from Junior Sports Minister Eddie Hart and Larry Howai, chief executive officer (CEO) of First Citizens Bank.

There were also entertaining performances from Lord Relator, Soca Monarch champ Shurwayne Winchester, rhythm section band Hands of Rhythm and a collaborative effort between the Shiv Shakti Dance Group and Malick Folk Performers.