GSCA 2025-26: Seb Ballard crowns a magnificent season with bat and ball by taking cricketer of the year award

Kendenup’s Seb Ballard was honoured as the Great Southern Cricket Association’s cricketer of the year at its vote count and awards night at Broomehill on Saturday. With the regular season done and dusted and finals to come, Ballard polled 17 votes, three ahead of Tambellup run machine Flynn Cristinelli and Broomehill’s Max Jordison, to take the season’s top gong. Kojonup’s Harry Taylor was fourth with 12 votes. It has been quite a campaign for Ballard as his overall run tally of 602 included a mammoth 130 off just 56 balls against Australs North. It was an innings in which he pounded 12 sixes and eight fours before falling to Zavier Potter. Although that was his only century in the Bendigo Bank Shield so far, he racked up five half-centuries in his side’s 12 victories from 14 outings as Kendenup finished second to the Bandicoots in the ladder. He has also proved handy with the ball, taking 19 wickets across the campaign including 4-18 against the Bandicoots in round 12. Cristinelli has also been a consistent scorer, with a one century and a 94 – both recorded against Kendenup – among four other half-centuries in his season’s tally of 562. Bandicoots’ Lewis Barritt delivered the award for the best bowling aggregate, taking 24 wickets at 14.64 ahead of Kojonup’s Josh Matthews’ 19 at 11.32. Matthews’ figures were enough to win him the bowling average ahead of Beau Sobey, whose 19 scalps came at 13.26 runs apiece. Ballard’s 602 runs earned him bragging rights in the race for the best batting aggregate, ahead of Cristinelli’s 562. However, Cougar Taylor’s 505, averaging 84.17, won him the best average award, pipping Cristinelli’s impressive 56.2. The lion’s share of Taylor’s total came against the Lions earlier this month as he bludgeoned 218 runs from 131 balls against the side which failed to win a game. Sobey, 14, whose season included a hat-trick, won the under-21 rising star award – a title that, given his age, he could win for the next seven years. He also made the GSCA team of the season which included Katanning Wanderers’ Emily Pinney who took 19 runs in the predominately men’s competition. The GSCA season continues on March 7 with qualifying and elimination finals. Broomehill tackle Kendenup in the elimination showpiece, while Tambellup face Kojonup for the right to play on. GSCA Team of the Year: Flynn Cristinelli (capt, 562 runs); Seb Ballard (602 runs/19 wickets); Max Jordison(wk)(443 runs); Clinton Gilbert (372 runs/16 wickets); Harry Taylor (505 runs); Connor Hawkins (412 runs/13 wickets); Lewis Barritt (24 wickets/201 runs); Emily Pinney (19 wickets); Beau Sobey (19 wickets); Josh Matthews (19 wickets); Peter Robertson (15 wickets) Lomas Ugle (17 wickets).