Mr ANDREW CORNWELL (Charlestown) [12.45 p.m.]: On Friday 27 April 2012 I attended the Newcastle District Cricket Association Awards 2011-12. The Newcastle District Cricket Association is one of the longest-running cricket associations in New South Wales; it is an absolute powerhouse in cricket. Outside the Sydney grade competition there is no other competition of the same standard as that of the Newcastle District Cricket Association. I place on record some of the fantastic performances that were acknowledged that evening. The Denis Broad, OAM, Cup was won by Newcastle City and Eastern Districts. In the under 21 competition, the Robert Holland Trophy was won by Jesse Major of Newcastle City, and the Albert Aitkin Shield was won Newcastle City and Eastern Districts.

In fourth grade, the batting average was won by Tom Anderson of Newcastle City, bowling average by Neil Bailey of Hamilton-Wickham, and wicketkeeping by Haydon Potter of Cardiff-Boolaroo. The W. J. Smith Memorial Shield, awarded to the winners of the fourth grade minor premiership, was won by Merewether. The Tom Brown Shield, awarded to the winners of the fourth grade major premiership, was won by Hamilton-Wickham. In third grade, the batting average was won by Sam Logan of Charlestown, bowling average by Mitchell Gray of Newcastle City, and wicketkeeping by Craig Evans of Wests. The H. L. Wheeler Shield, awarded to the winners of the third grade minor premiership, was won by Newcastle City and Eastern Districts. The Rogers The Jewellers' Shield, awarded to the winners of the third grade major premiership, was won by Toronto Workers.

In second grade, the batting average was won by Daniel Hughes of Wests, the bowling average by Steve Threadgold of Charlestown, and wicketkeeping by Andrew Casey of the university club. The Wilson Shield, awarded to the winners of the second grade minor premiership, was won by Merewether. The E. Tiplady Shield, awarded to the winners of the second grade major premiership, was won by Stockton-Raymond Terrace. Merewether was the winner of the T20 competition and was awarded the Tom Locker Cup for the limited overs competition. In first grade, the batting average was won by Simon Moore of Merewether. Simon is also the captain of the Merewether club and I can attest, as someone who once played for that club, that his straight drive is a deadset bowler killer. The H. Heath Trophy and first grade bowling aggregate were won by Sam Webber of Hamilton-Wickham. The NDCA Trophy, awarded for the most number of dismissals by a wicketkeeper in first grade, was won by Dane Macourt of Charlestown.

The Commonwealth Bank Shield, awarded to the winners of the first grade minor premiership, was awarded to Hamilton-Wickham. The Dr E. P. Barbour Shield, awarded to the winners of the first grade major premiership, was won by Merewether. The player of the match in the first grade final was bowler Tim O'Neill of Merewether, who took 6/80. The W. E. Bramble Shield, awarded to the winners of the club championship, was won by Merewether, which was also named the Newcastle Herald team of the year. The award for curator of the year went to Tom Anderson from Charlestown. The deck of the oval on which Charlestown plays is easily the best wicket in the region and is a credit to Tom Anderson. The Kingsgrove Sports Centre Trophy was won by Cameron Roxby of Wallsend, and the Warren Tennant Memorial Scholarship and Gordon Fraser Trophy was won by Matthew Wicks of Wallsend. I had the pleasure of attending the first grade final. Even though Wallsend was the losing team in the final, Cameron and Matthew are players with enormous potential. They are both very young but the Wallsend club will be well served by them in the future.

The Warren Tennant Contribution to the Game award went to George and Brenda Piggford. George has been a reporter of Newcastle cricket for some 50 years and his wife, Brenda, has collated the scores religiously every Saturday night, despite some very challenging names and trying to work out who is on the other end of the phone. George and Brenda have been absolute servants to the game. The Newcastle Herald Player of the Year award went to Sam Webber of Hamwicks and the Representative Cricketer of the Year award went to Andrew Maher of Hamwicks. It was a fantastic evening that highlighted the strength of Newcastle grade cricket. As I said, outside the Sydney grade competition the Newcastle grade competition is the strongest competition in the State. It is represented by some absolutely fantastic players, and some brilliant cricketers have played in it in the past. The Newcastle district competition continues to go from strength to strength.