NatWest PCA Awards nominees ready for big night

All 12 players who have been shortlisted for the main accolades at the NatWest PCA Awards have given their thoughts on their season highlights and the honour of being nominated by their peers ahead of the prestigious ceremony at the Roundhouse this evening.

Up for the NatWest PCA Players’ Player, Rory Burns and Rikki Clarke have focused on their County Championship triumph as their top achievement while fellow nominees Joe Denly and Matt Henry have expressed their views on being honoured by fellow professionals.

Five players are up for the John Arlott Cup which is awarded to the NatWest PCA Young Player of the Year with Pat Brown, Ed Barnard, Sam Curran, Matthew Parkinson and Ollie Pope who have spoken about their season below.

Also voted for by their fellow players, three members of the England Women’s side are shortlisted with Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt and Sophie Ecclestone up for the NatWest Women’s Player of the Summer.

Highlight of the season: the win against Lancashire where we came from behind to sneak a 6 run win!

To be nominated is a pretty special feeling particularly when it’s by your peers whom you playing with and against over the course of a season and to be considered worthy of a nomination for the award means a lot to me personally and I’m very proud.

Highlight is without doubt winning the County Championship with Surrey. All the hard work that has gone in from the start of pre-season in November and throughout the season from all the lads makes it so rewarding.

It’s extra special, knowing that your peers have recognised your contributions throughout the season and have taken their time to vote for you.

Can’t look too far past the hundred and hat-trick in same T20 game v Surrey as a personal highlight for the season.

To be nominated by fellow players around the country for the NatWest PCA Players’ Player of the Year is extra special, to get that recognition makes me very proud.

Highlight of the season, is tough as it’s been a memorable season for a lot of reasons like making the Lord’s final and personal achievements, but my highlight would have to be getting promoted. To get promoted takes consistency and a lot of special performances throughout the summer from the whole squad, so to get rewarded at the end with promotion after that win over Glamorgan was a real highlight.

It’s always special to get nominated for awards, but to get nominated from your peers is even more special. These are the guys you play with and against, week in and week out. So it’s more than just being judged on pure numbers but also how you play the game, and what you have contributed. So to get recognised and nominated for Players’ player of the year is a real honour.

Highlight of the season is undoubtedly winning the Vitality Blast at Edgbaston. It was a huge moment for the club and something that has been a long time coming!

It means a lot especially as it’s a nomination that has come from our peers which makes it that little bit more special and it’s a huge honour to be acknowledged by the fellow players! Really looking forward to having a good night and celebrating the season.

On a personal note my highlight of the season would have to be the 19th over of the semi-final Vs Lancashire, picking up three wickets for one run was really quite surreal and for that to contribute to a win made it all the more special. Obviously my overall highlight of the season is winning the Vitality Blast, to finish top of our group and then go on to win at Finals Day after not being given a chance by most people was amazing and a feeling that we need to cherish.

To be nominated for the NatWest PCA Young Player of the Year is something that I had never even considered. There are so many brilliant young players in the County game, for my fellow players to recognise me as being in the top 5 in the country really does mean a great deal to me and is something that I will be able to look back on with immense pride in years to come.

Winning the County Championship was very special, a season where we managed to get on a good run and win games back to back. My debut series against India was very special, to see Cooky go out with a 100 and Jimmy to overtake Glenn McGrath was very special to be involved in.

It’s a great feeling being nominated by fellow players for such a big award, all the other players nominated have had great seasons and I’m sure whoever wins the award will deserve it.

My highlight of the season would probably be getting Man of the Match in the T20 quarter-final at Kent, after a tough week before that, it was nice to put in a performance.

Obviously I’m very proud to be nominated by my fellow professionals and make all hard work in the winter worthwhile.

For Surrey, my highlight was of course winning the Championship and lifting the trophy but more specifically probably the win early in the season at home against Yorkshire. To beat the side with Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Chet Pujara was very special and contributing runs in the first innings was a good feeling.

Personally, the England cap was an amazing feeling. To make my debut at Lord’s against the Indians was a dream come true and it was very special to receive my cap from Stewie.

It’s nice to be recognised by fellow players of course. It makes it that bit more special if you’re getting recognised for what you have done by people in a similar boat to myself.

My highlight was probably scoring that 100 at Canterbury. It’s a special ground for me having grown up watching Kent play there. But also in terms of it was to chase the score and win the series, especially when I could hardly lay a bat on the ball for the first ten overs!

It means a lot to be nominated for this award for the third year running. Especially as it is voted for by the girls themselves. It’s great to be recognised for contributing to the team. And I’m up against two great players this year.

Highlight was reaching my highest ever ODI score at Worcester…. it was about pride and fight that day and I was just very happy to have had the opportunity to be taken seriously with the bat for a change.

Being nominated by your peers is a better feeling than any other award or accolade because they are the people that see all the blood sweat and tears that go into what we do, they share those times with you and so their opinion means the most. Plus, it means they must kinda like you a little!

My highlight of the season was getting player of the T20 series over the summer and I’m very happy to know other people have thought about me and my performances over the summer!

All winners will be revealed first via the PCA’s social media accounts on the evening and you can view all previous winners at the NatWest PCA Awards here.