An enormous congratulations to Todd Gill, who has claimed the 2017 Read/Waterer Medal in his first season at the Leeming Spartan Cricket Club!
Since making the move to the Spartans in September last year, Gilly has enjoyed a sensational season, leading the run scorers in the Association in First Grade!
With a hint of hindsight, there was simply no other contender for this year’s Club Champion Award, such is the extent of the miraculous season Gilly is having.
He has racked up an incredible 622 runs in 2016/17 – 568 of them in the top division.
Perhaps even more remarkable is his scores in the last five innings. His lowest is 53, in a list that also features his unforgettable 144 a few weeks ago against CBC.
Last night’s Read/Waterer Club Champion victory only further highlights the incredible season Todd is having, and it has certainly been great to watch!
Todd Gill (two from the left) won the 2017 Read/Waterer Medal on the back of a fine season in the First Grade. Here, he is pictured alongside President Peter Coombs (left), Lydia Read (right) and Platinum Sponsor Robert Coombs (far right).
With seventeen runs to his name from the first three matches, Gilly was not to be deterred, smashing 91 against Thornlie in round four, 54 against East Fremantle the following Saturday, and 48 not out against Armadale the next to round out 2016.
What has followed since is nothing short of unbelievable.
Scores of 76, 58, 144, 53, and 61 tell part of the story. Gilly’s efforts are made even more incredible because of the fact that he has achieved them when the team was 5 wickets down for less than one hundred on the board.
“In his past five games, Todd has scored 61, 53, 144, 58, and 76!”
Just last week, his 61 in a close defeat to Armadale almost took the game away from the men in red and black, who had seemed destined for victory when the Spartans were 5/67.
Gilly, batting at six, was not dismissed until 165 was on the board.
The game previous, a victory over Bicton Attadale, saw the Spartans 5/79, before Gill’s 53 (and 2 wickets) ensured the chase of 110 would be assured, finally departing when the side had 142 on the board.
The preceding round 12 clash against CBC is where he annihilated the record books, with Leeming 5/46 chasing CBC’s 228 in a must-win match proving to be his finest hour.
Todd cracked 144 (130 runs coming in boundaries), and ensured that Leeming Spartan emerged victorious in one of the greatest games in recent history.
With a rematch against CBC this weekend in our semi-final (also at John Connell), we’re certainly hoping he can replicate even a small part of that mammoth score!
Rightfully so, he polled a maximum seven votes in this round, the only player in any grade to score that number of points from a single match, and with it, the 2017 Read/Waterer was all but his.
Congratulations Gilly on winning the 2017 Read/Waterer Medal!
In front of a large crowd, the 2017 Read/Waterer Medal proved to be among the most successful held, and the result at the end certainly upheld the night’s triumphs.
Feedback acclaimed the pace of the event, which in recent years been considered to be ‘sluggish’, and a change in format ensured that there would be no such complaint in the 2017 edition.
A great crowd turned out last night to celebrate the Leeming Spartan Cricket Club and Todd Gill!
A placing of second on the ladder in the First Grade this season is a fine turnaround from last year when we didn’t qualify for the finals, and this significant resurgence has certainly been aided thanks to the efforts of Todd Gill.
It goes without saying, but that 144 he scored last month is amongst the greatest individual batting performances in the history of the Leeming Spartan Cricket Club. The fact it came in the First Grade makes it even more special.
It is the highest score by a First Grader at John Connell Reserve, surpassing Greg Dudley’s 143 not out in 1994.
Humble as always, Gilly made mention that as honoured as he is to have received the Read/Waterer Medal, but beyond personal performances, it is a semi-final and premiership victory in the First Grade that he is striving for this season.
It’s also not just his on field efforts that have everyone talking, with Gilly regularly helping out off of it whenever he can.
From contributing behind the bar more often than not, to providing much needed assistance during Club events and functions, he has quickly established himself as an invaluable asset to Leeming Spartan, and it was fantastic as a Club to have the opportunity to award him with one of our most prestigious individual honours.
Gill finished with 36 votes, putting him eight clear of second placed Brad Mant (28), and eleven clear of third placed Sre Natarajan.
Last year’s victor, Ryan Buckley, won the 2016 Medal with a record 41 votes, but even he did not have as comfortable a victory as Gilly’s last night.
Gill was without any doubt the standout amongst all Spartans in all grades in 2016/17, quickly making the Club his own in his first year at Leeming.
His victory is truly well deserved, and comes on the back of a lot of hard work on and off the field.
“With 36 votes, Gilly comfortably finished atop of the leaderboard, eight votes clear of second place!”
Congratulations Todd Gill on a fantastic season and your victory in last night’s Read/Waterer Medal Count, and we wish you and the team all the best in tomorrow’s First Grade Semi Final!
Well done mate!