Katich is Blues' best

[Donny]

Katich the Blues best

Fox


TEST batsman Simon Katich tonight headed an unusual trifecta as three former Western Australia representatives filled the placings in the Steve Waugh Medal for the NSW Cricketer of the Year.

Prolific left-hander Katich polled 219 votes to win comfortably from paceman Matthew Nicholson (144) and leg-spinner Stuart MacGill (130).

Katich and MacGill were both born in Western Australia and made their first class debut for the Warriors before moving to NSW.

Nicholson was born in Sydney but broke into interstate cricket with WA before returning to NSW for this season.

Katich, who is in his second year with the Blues, also won the team's Pura Cup Player of the Year award for the second year.

MacGill, who moved east several summers ago, claimed 20 ING Cup wickets at 15.90 and won the Blues ING award ahead of Steve Waugh, who was NSW's leading run scorer in the competition, with Katich third in that category.

Votes were cast on a 3-2-1 basis by the players after they participated in every one-day and four-day fixture.

The votes for both competitions were combined to produce the final tally which Katich headed with 219 from Nicholson (144) and MacGill (130).

Katich, who added six Test appearances this season to his debut game in 2001, received the Steve Waugh Medal from the recently retired NSW and Australia captain at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre.

He scored a team high 896 first class runs at an average of 99.55 with three centuries and five fifties, despite missing four matches.

Katich added two centuries in six ING Cup innings in which he scored 345 runs at an average of 69.00 and strike rate of 99.14.

Nicholson, 29, was the Blues leading first class wicket taker with 39 at an average of 30.35 and their second most successful bowler in one day competition with 18 wickets at 24.33.

NSW and Australia opening batter Lisa Keightley was the inaugural winner of the Belinda Clark Medal presented to the NSW Breakers Cricketer of the Year for performances in the Women's National Cricket League.

Keightley, who scored 394 runs at an average of 35.81 for the title winning Breakers, polled 158 votes to win from Lisa Sthalekar (140) and Shannon Cunneen (120).

Keightley's tally was the second highest in the competition behind Victorian captain Clark, who was on hand to present her with the award which was voted on by the Breakers players after each of their games.