Batsman takes season accolade

ONE of Inverleigh Cricket Club’s most impressive players over the summer was recognised with the annual Alan Peel Medal.

Seniors player Kobe George was presented with the honour during the club’s presentation night earlier this month.

With nearly 350 runs and four wickets, he said it was great to be recognised for his efforts throughout the summer.

“It feels great and obviously I’ve put in a lot of work trying to better my game which I feel has really paid off this season,” he said.

“It’s good to be rewarded for that. It feels pretty special and I can’t really believe it still.

“I think the medal shows how hard-working I am as a person and that I obviously take it very seriously when it’s cricket season.”

At 16 years old, George first started took to the field in the under 11s and last year played in a combined Inverleigh/East Belmont under 17s team.

With both his older brothers playing the game, and having grown up in a sporting family, he said it was inevitable that he would pick up a bat as well.

George was also recently presented with the emerging player award during a recent league presentation.

Club president Marcus Warton said the Alan Peel Medal pays homage to an iconic Inverleigh cricketer.

“This used to be called the champion player medal,” he said. “We changed it about nine years ago to the Alan Peel medal because most of us were a new committee and we started looking into the history of the club.

“We found this player, Alan Peel, who just had an unbelievable career of Alan Peel back in the 1950s and 1960s and we thought he should be recognised.

“We give this medal to the best player of the season in a best and fairest style.”