Photo: Deacon Finn, winner of Development Level Most Promising Player of the Year for the second year running.
These awards look to celebrate those players who are the backbone of the development leagues and who it is hoped this format will enable many to hopefully progress to play at national level. Three award winners had reached the shortlists for these honours last year but most are new nominees, so we hope demonstrates that the structure is developing the game as intended.
Four awards and three winners come from Lancashire– all players who are also starting to show their skills in the Lions national league side. Shoaib Nazir won both the Development Level Total Player of the Year and the Development Level Total Fielder of the Year in a season where he scored 88 runs, took 4 wickets with an economy of 6.3 and secured 3 fielding dismissals. He is joined by teammates Mohammed Salim as Development Level Total Batter of the Year who hit 76 runs with a high score of 46 and Nathan Jacques the Development Level Partially Sighted Fielder of the Year with 7 fielding dismissals; Nathan was a returning nominee having been shortlisted for Partially Sighted Player of the Year in 2025.
Another outstanding season for the under 17, Deacon Finn, saw him take the Development Level Most Promising Player of the Year for the second year running. This year he was the top performer for his club, Hampshire VICC, in all three disciplines with 219 runs, 11 wickets and 6 fielding dismissals surpassing his feat of scoring 158 runs, taking 3 wickets, 6 catches & 2 run outs in 2025. He is now establishing himself in the very strong Sussex Sharks side as a real success story for the development work at Hampshire.
The other winner this year from the shortlist in 2025 was Emma Gilfoyle of Durham VICC who secured the Development Level Low Partial Player of the Year having been shortlisted in that category in 2025; Emma is the team’s wicketkeeper and scored 185 runs at an impressive strike rate of 149 and took a catch.
Surrey Disability Cricket had two players take awards – Yongendra Limbu as Development Level Partially Sighted Player of the Year as he scored 305 runs, took 6 wickets and 10 fielding dismissals; and Scott Harvey- as Development Level Partially Sighted Bowler of the Year with 6 wickets at an impressive economy of 5.6.
The final two awards went to Dorset Cricket, as Albert Jordaan became the Development Level Total Bowler of the Year with 6 wickets including an impressive 3 for 27 when dismissing the top three of Hampshire’s title winning side, while Tim McKenzie-as well as being the best development wicket keeper, was awarded the Development Level Partially Sighted Batter of the Year award after scoring 269 runs.