Willey is named County’s top man at annual awards

The all-rounder, whose excellent season included a man-of-the-match display in the Friends Life t20 final, a County cap and a call into the England Lions squad to tour Australia this winter, picked up the prize for being the side’s star performer.

Willey scored nearly 800 runs and took 75 wickets across all forms of the game in 2013.

Head coach David Ripley was named clubman of the year and also, in a twist from tradition, picked up the media’s award as well.

That prize is normally reserved for the player the press consider to have performed best. However, to acknowledge the remarkable impact the head coach has had this year it was given to Ripley instead.

The award for the best Friends Life t20 player went to Mohammad Azharullah, Lee Daggett picked up the YB40 prize while the star turn in the LV= County Championship was Andrew Hall.

The Frank Rudd Shield for the young player went Rob Keogh who scored his maiden first-class century, and turned into a double hundred, against Hampshire.

The other awards were went to Jo Gardner as the Women’s Player of the Year, Disability Player of the Year was won by Tom Law while the Dorothy Radd Shield - which goes to the age group’s player of the year, was won by under-17 star Aiden Fowkes.