On Sunday 17th September 2023 we had the privilege of welcoming our players, parents and guardians, extended family members, employees and guests to the Pathway Awards Ceremony held at the magnificent Wormsley Estate in order to celebrate and draw closure to the 2023 season. 

The Pathway Awards Ceremony is a key date in the pathway programme in which we come together to reward, recognise and celebrate individual achievement and team success. The event was moved to a Sunday lunchtime in 2023 with the intention of enabling the event to be more accessible than the Saturday evening time slot in previous years, whilst also affording families the chance to enjoy the broader range of activities scheduled throughout the day. 

We were delighted to welcome Jerome Sale from BBC Radio Oxford as host of the Pathway Awards Ceremony in 2023, with the new Chair of Oxfordshire Cricket, Peter Tervet welcoming the attendees to the event. Before presenting the awards we expressed our gratitude to everyone who contributed to a successful and memorable year. We also took the opportunity to welcome and introduce our special guests, including former Oxfordshire Pathway player, Linsey Smith from the Southern Vipers and Northern Superchargers as the prize giver, Brian Clarke from Kidz in Focus to capture photos of our Award winners and our sponsors, Serious Cricket. We thank Linsey for her support with the Q&A prior to the Ceremony and hope her story gave inspiration to our pathway players who strive to follow in her footsteps into the professional game.

We were delighted to welcome over 400 people to the ceremony, first looking back fondly on the 2023 season with a short video capturing special moments from the year. We thank our parents, guardians and employees for sharing their special moments of the year, and Nick Pinhol for his integral role in putting the video together. A printed Awards Ceremony booklet was again made available, along with an online version accessible HERE to share a brief summary of the season from each of our pathway age groups and we hope that you have the chance to digest the series of reports at your leisure. 

The Awards Ceremony would shortly commence in which we recognised, and rewarded the performances and achievements of individuals and teams by presenting the following awards;

1. Individual Performance
2. Individual Recognition
3. Team Performance
4. Batter of the Year
5. Bowler of the Year
6. Disability Award
7. Players’ Player
8. Player of Year
9. Phil Garner Award
10. Felix Byam Shaw Award

Further information on Award winners across each of the categories for 2023 can be found below.

Individual Performance

Introduced in 2018, the performance awards recognise successful individual performance and were awarded to players for their performances within the final squads in 2023. Within the Foundation Pathway (Under 13’s and below), individual performance awards were presented to players who scored fifty or more, or who took more than four wickets in an innings. Within the Talent Pathway (Under 14s and above), individual performance awards were presented to players who scored a hundred or more, or who took more than five wickets in an innings. The individual performance were presented to the following players;

Individual Recognition

Introduced in 2023 in order to recognise an individual’s selection, with players receiving a round of applause from the audience for;

• Recognition for selection within teams beyond the pathway during the season.
• Recognition for selection onto an academy or first-class county programme

Team Performance

The following team performances received recognition and applause from the audience to recognise outstanding team success in 2023.

Batter of the Year

Introduced in 2021, the batter of the year award was presented to the leading run scorer from across the Age Group and/or, a player who has made match winning or game influencing performances and/or a player who has statistically performed above, or significantly above their peers relative to the number of games they have played. The Batter of the Year awards were presented to the following players who were deserving recipients in 2023; 

Bowler of the Year

Introduced in 2021, the bowler of the year award was presented to the leading wicket taker from across the Age Group and/or, a player who has made match winning or game influencing performances and/or a player who has statistically performed above, or significantly above their peers relative to the number of games they have played. The Bowler of the Year awards were presented to the following players who were deserving recipients in 2023; 

Disability Award

The Oxfordshire Disability Cricketer of the Year Award was introduced in 2018 and has been presented annually since to recognise an individual for their performances and contribution to the disability cricket programme and/or an individual’s connection with, and support of their peers. This year the disability award was accompanied by the addition of an annual cup that recipients will keep for 12 months. The Disability Award was presented to the deserving recipient in 2023; 

Players’ Player

Introduced for the first time in 2018, the players’ player of the year award is presented to the player who, as voted by their peers, is deemed as the most deserving for their performances or contributions on or off the field. This award may be presented to the player who has scored runs or taken wickets, an individual who has contributed to the team, or a teammate who players’ enjoyed playing with throughout this season. The Players’ Player of the Year awards were presented to the following players who were deserving recipients as recognised by their peers;

Player of the Year

A long standing award which is accompanied by the presentation of an annual shield of prior winners that players can keep for 12 months. The Player of the Year award is presented to the outstanding performer from the age group and/or, a player whose performances have been above or significantly above their peer group and/or, the most impactful player or an individual who has contributed across multiple disciplines with the bat, ball, in the field or in a leadership capacity. The Player of the Year awards were presented to the following players who were deserving recipients in 2023; 

Phil Garner Award

The Phil Garner Award is presented for both excellence and for placing Oxfordshire on the national stage. The prestigious award is only presented on occasions where there is a deserving winner, rather than on an annual basis. 

The Phil Garner Award was presented to Tom Price for putting Oxfordshire on the national stage when becoming the 17th person in history to score a hundred and take a hat-trick in the same first-class game, and in the process, becoming the first cricketer to score a century and take a hat-trick on the same day. The rarity of such an excellence is an achievement recognised with being presented as the winning recipient of the Phil Garner Award for 2023. Click here to listen to Tom Price reflect upon winning the Phil Garner Award in 2023.