THE CRICKET WRITERS' CLUB
ESTABLISHED 1946
HOUSE OF LORDS HOSTS DOMESTIC JOURNALISM AWARDS WINNERS
Yorkshire Post sports editor Nick Westby, BBC Radio Northampton commentator Alex Winter and The Cricketer's Sam Morshead were all at the House of Lords on March 5 to be presented with their ECB Domestic Journalism 2018 awards at a special reception.
Isabelle Westbury, the winner in the Young Cricket Journalist of the Year category, could not be present as she was reporting on the England Women's team in India, but Westby, Winter and Morshead were also joined by CWC chairman Mark Baldwin at a Lord's Taverners event in which 2018 county champions Surrey and women's One-Day Cup winners Hampshire were presented with their respective trophies.
Westby collected both the Outstanding Newspaper Coverage and Regional Newspaper of the Year awards in a historic double for the Yorkshire Post, a twin recognition which highlighted both the outstanding contribution of YP cricket correspondent Chris Waters and superb overall coverage of the English domestic game.
Winter won the Commentator of the Year award and Morshead, The Cricketer's digital editor, picked up the award for the best Online Coverage of domestic cricket in 2018.
Surrey lifted the Specsavers County Championship trophy for the 20th time in 2018, their first triumph since 2002, on the back of an incredible year which saw enjoy a spell nine consecutive victories - their best run of first-class form since 1999.
The Hampshire Women's side won their first Royal London Women's One-Day Championship after a campaign that saw them win six of their seven games in the competition - a remarkable achievement for a side that was in division three as recently as 2015.
The Lord's Taverners ECB Trophy is the official name of the silverware awarded to the winners of the men's County Championship, while the Women's One-Day champions receive the Lady Taverners ECB Trophy.
This is the 45th year that the county champions have enjoyed a reception with the Lord's Taverners since the trophy was introduced for the first time by the charity's Patron and Twelfth Man, HRH the Duke of Edinburgh in 1973. He had recognised that, until that time, the champions had never received a physical trophy so decided to introduce one.
Rory Burns, captain of Surrey, said: "It's been an honour to be presented with the County Championship trophy at the House of Lords. It was an unbelievable year and I can't speak highly enough of the hard work and dedication from the players, backroom staff and everyone connected with the club that was needed to win the trophy - it was a real team effort.
"The club has waited a long time to lift this trophy again and it was a very proud moment for all of us. We needed to win games from different positions which showed a lot of character and we are fully aware of the hard work ahead as we look to defend the title."
Hampshire Women's 2018 captain and now Director of Cricket, Charlotte Edwards, added: "It's great to be here to be presented with our Royal London Women's One-Day Championship at such an historic building. It's been a fantastic day for the players and staff and caps a great year.
"Winning the trophy was a great achievement and it was the culmination of many years of hard work by a lot of people. It's a fantastic feeling looking back on 2018, but we're also relishing the opportunity to defend the trophy in the year ahead."
The objects of the CWC are to further the interests of those involved with the media coverage of cricket and of cricket as a whole.
The CWC will in no way endeavour to dictate policy or influence opinion in the cricket media nor have any concern with the policy of newspapers and other outlets: and at no time have any concern with the relations between employers and their staff as to who is employed.
Full Membership shall be open to all those employed full-time for not less than four months in any one calendar year in the media coverage of cricket in the United Kingdom. Honorary Life Members may be elected at the Annual General Meeting from those who have given distinguished service both to the profession of cricket writing and to the Club.
Associate Members may be elected by the Committee at any time from those engaged in writing, reporting, photographing, commentating, broadcasting and recording cricket on a part-time basis in the UK. Honorary Associate Members may be elected by the Committee at any time from distinguished former Full Members, senior touring writers, scorers of first-class counties, who may be invited, and such cricketing persons as the Committee may wish to invite.
Only Full Members and Honorary Life Members will have voting rights. Full Members and Associate Members will pay a subscription. Honorary Associate Members will be entitled to attend all meetings and functions and, if based in the United Kingdom, will receive Club mailings. Overseas Members may be elected by the Committee at any time from those engaged in writing, reporting, commentating, broadcasting and photographing cricket outside the United Kingdom and British Isles. They shall be entitled to attend all meetings and functions and may apply, by electronic mail, for all the Club's mailings.
KEY WORDS Cricket Writers' Writers Club Cricket County Test MCC ECB ICC Times Telegraph Guardian Independent Mail Evening Standard Fleet Street News Journalists Journalism Journo Journos Media Press Cricket Box Centre Press Association Events Awards History Derbyshire Durham Essex Glamorgan Gloucestershire Hampshire Ireland Kent Lancashire Leicestershire Middlesex Netherlands Northamptonshire Nottinghamshire Scotland Somerset Surrey Sussex Unicorns Warwickshire Worcestershire Yorkshire ESPN Cricinfo Sportinglife BBC Yahoo Jonathan Agnew John Arlott Richie Benaud Brian Johnston Christopher Martin-Jenkins William Hill Smile Group Travel Investec Waitrose
Find out more about the Club, including its history, honours board and officers.
The CWC is indebted to the generosity and close involvement of a number of sponsors and business partners.
For the latest Cricket Writers' Club news and announcements.