Northern Diamonds marks the end of an era with special awards celebration

The Northern Diamonds celebrated the 2024 season at the team’s final annual awards ceremony at The Queens Hotel, Leeds, yesterday (Monday, September 23).

The event, hosted by former BBC Sports presenter Tanya Arnold, brought together the senior squad, academy, support staff and Yorkshire Cricket team for a special evening.

On the night, there were a number of special tributes to mark the Diamonds’ final farewell, and several blue caps were presented by Diamonds captain Hollie Armitage and experienced leg-spinner Katie Levick, both of whom won the award on the night.

In terms of performance, this year the Diamonds reached the semi-final stage of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy (RHFT), winning nine of their 14 matches to finish top of the table heading into the knockout stages. At the Charlotte Edwards Cup, they finished sixth in the table with three wins from ten matches.

Northern Diamond Awards 2024

At the Academy Awards, left-handed spinner Freya Rook was a double winner on the night. Rook took home the top bowling award after finishing the season as the Academy’s leading wicket-taker with 41 wickets at an incredible average of 11.54. Rook also won the ‘Coaches’ Player of the Year’ award with her performances resulting in a call-up to the Diamonds 2nd XI and selection for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) North v North event later in the season.

Amelia Oliver took home the ‘Batter of the Year’ award after scoring 328 Academy runs, highlighted by 55 not out against Southern Vipers to help chase down 147 off the final ball in a T20. Oliver’s performances at the Academy saw her selected for the ECB, North v North and School Games events this season.

‘Players Player of the Year’ went to Trudy Johnson after she excelled this year and showed just how good she is. Batting in the middle order, Johnson was described as “reliable in all aspects of the game”, with her batting in particular getting “stronger and stronger” as the season progressed.

In the senior awards, Armitage took home two major honours after receiving the ‘Batter of the Year’ award for an exceptional season. In the T20 competition, she scored 323 runs in 10 matches at an average of 36, while in 50-over cricket, she scored 435 runs at an average of 44, scoring two magnificent centuries. Her standout performances caught the attention of the England selectors and this season Armitage made her senior IT20 debut for her country. Armitage also won the much sought-after ‘Players’ Player of the Year’ award.

Levick, arguably the Diamonds’ most consistent and experienced bowler, once again dominated in the wicket column this season and was rewarded with the ‘Bowler of the Year’ award on the night. Levick took 44 wickets across all formats and another standout season in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy resulted in her taking 20 wickets at an average of 25 and economy rate of 4.2, and an average of just 14 balls per dismissal in T20.

Meanwhile, Emma Marlow won the highly-contested Player of the Year award after hard work and dedication saw her make huge strides in her all-round game. This season, Marlow has taken on the responsibility of opening the bat and thrived in the role, with her performances on the field to prove it. This was evident in her final game for the Diamonds, where she top-scored with 63 off 102 balls in the RHFT semi-final against Sunrisers.

On the night, a special mention was also given to Phoebe Turner, who had a remarkable season with both bat and ball, and a number of new caps were presented to the players. These went to Sophia Turner (Cap No. 33), Erin Burns (Cap No. 34) and Maddie Ward (Cap No. 35).