Players, coaches, staff, partners and supporters came together on Saturday evening to celebrate the culmination of a historic season at Worcestershire County Cricket Club.
On a memorable evening, efforts from all areas of the club were recognised by CEO Ashley Giles and Chair Dominic Riley, with both reflecting on what has been another groundbreaking year on and off the pitch.
With the men’s side celebrating their unforgettable Metro Bank Cup victory and a resurgent display in the later stages of the Vitality T20 Blast, a challenging year in Division One of the Rothesay County Championship saw the Pears show resilience throughout.
The Women’s Rapids continued their improvements in Tier 2 of both 50-over cricket and the Vitality T20 Blast format, putting together an impressive run of results as they mounted a late charge for knockout qualification.
The end of season awards were dominated by all-rounder Ethan Brookes, who scooped five awards in what has been an outstanding year for the 24-year-old starlet.
Brookes, was awarded the Richard Shaw Shield for white ball performance of the year, after his match-changing half-century in the Metro Bank One Day Cup final against Hampshire, having taken a wicket and two catches in the first innings of the match, a performance which also saw him bag the Kenyon Award for match-winning performance.
Recording 33 catches and playing a crucial role for the side in the field across all-formats, Brookes was also awarded the Fans Forum Fielder of the year award.
A remarkable season was quite rightly honoured further, with the talismanic all-rounder picking up T20 Player of the Year, after a stellar blast campaign saw Brookes score 380 runs with a high score of 57, including a jaw-dropping 18-ball-50 against Leicestershire Foxes in the group stage to see his side to victory.
Arguably one of the most prestigious awards to receive, voted for by the players themselves in recognition of an outstanding individual campaign, the Graveney Players Player of the Year award was awarded to Brookes also, completing his sweep for the evening.
Another man who has enjoyed a record-breaking season for the Pears, is Tom Taylor, who finished the year as the leading wicket-taker in Division One with 58 wickets to his name.
Tom’s tireless contributions with both bat and ball saw him crowned Worcestershire Supports Player of the Season, while coach Alan Richardson paid tribute to Taylor’s relentless work ethic off the field and character around the dressing room as he presented the seam bowler with the Dick Lygon award for his embodiment of the club’s values across 2025.
Matthew Waite’s superb individual performance that saw him make a first-innings score of 73 and follow it up with figures of 6-19 in the County Championship win over Essex saw him take the inaugural John Curtis Cup home, whilst academy star Henry Hawes was awarded the Damien D’Oliveira Academy Player of the Year for his rise across the summer.
For the Women’s Rapids, skipper Clare Boycott was presented with Women’s Player of the Year after another inspirational year, which saw the captain flourish in the Metro Bank One Day Cup, where she scored 396 runs across the tournament, with a career-best score of 112 against Derbyshire during a crushing 170-run victory.
Leading from the front with the ball, she also recorded standout bowling figures in the Blast with a stunning spell seeing her take 4/9 against Leicestershire.
It was 15-year-old Caitlin Baker-Smith who was awarded Young Player of the Year for her breakout season, debuting for the Rapids midway through the campaign, she excelled on her first appearance taking figures of 3-7 in an eye-catching performance.
