Black Caps veteran finally wins supreme award

Black Caps pace bowler Tim Southee has crowned a stellar season by winning the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal at the ANZ New Zealand Cricket Awards.

Southee shared the podium with Bert Sutcliffe Medal recipient Penny Kinsella; the ANZ Test Player of the Year, Devon Conway, and the women's and men's Domestic Players of the Year – Nensi Patel, and joint male winners Tom Bruce and Robbie O'Donnell, respectively.

Southee, who has not previously been awarded NZC's supreme award, the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal, was named the winner on the basis of his sheer consistency throughout the summer; at home and abroad, in red and white ball cricket.

Already named as the winner of this year's Winsor Cup for first-class bowling, he captured 36 test wickets at 23.88, including best figures of six for 43 against England at Lord's and five crucial wickets against India in the victorious ICC World Test Championship Final at Southampton.

Southee has now taken 338 test wickets - 23 fewer than Daniel Vettori and 93 short of the record-holder the award is named after, Sir Richard Hadlee.

"It's a huge honour to win such a prestigious award," Southee said, speaking from India where he is currently playing in the IPL for the Kolkata Knight Riders.

"Like most cricketers growing up I knew all about the exploits of Sir Richard and it's certainly pretty humbling to win his award this year.

"While the accolades are nice, I think it really just reflects the way we have worked together as a group and played our cricket for a long period of time.

"It's been great to be a part of this period and being able to win games for our country which is something that's very special."

Kinsella, a former New Zealand test representative who has since devoted herself to growing the game and particularly the women's game, was awarded the Bert Sutcliffe Medal, considered by NZC to be the most prestigious of the non-playing awards.

The daughter of first-class cricketer and international umpire Dave, Kinsella is a teacher and was a driving force behind re-introducing cricket for girls at Onslow College in Wellington, where she is currently employed as Deputy Principal.

She has fulfilled many voluntary roles in cricket since her retirement as a player, including managing teams, coaching provincial, New Zealand A and South Island teams and squads, and three stints as a White Ferns selector.

As well as this, Kinsella was actively involved in the amalgamation of the New Zealand Women's Cricket Council and the New Zealand (Men's) Cricket Council in the early 1990s and, more recently, was part of the project team compiling the history of women's cricket in New Zealand.