Mathew Sinclair wins inaugural MVP competition

State Central Stags captain Mathew Sinclair has been awarded the title of Most Valuable Player in domestic cricket for the 2008-09 season.

Sinclair has taken out the inaugural State MVP competition, finishing well ahead of the field. State Wellington Firebird Graham Napier came in second, while Sinclair’s Central team-mate Ewen Thompson took third place.

Sinclair has performed consistently in all three domestic competitions this year, averaging over 80 with the bat in the State Championship and State Shield, and over 50 in the State Twenty20.

Despite being on the losing side in the State Championship final against the State Auckland Aces this week, Sinclair said he was thrilled to take out the first MVP title.

“The State MVP is a great initiative, and I am really proud to have won it,” Sinclair said. “The fact that it was developed by players means a lot – there’s been quite a bit of dressing room banter over it this season, and I’m sure that will grow as the competition gets more established.

“I’ve really enjoyed my batting and being captain this year, and winning the MVP is the icing on the cake for me”.

Sinclair’s prize is a 52 inch Series 6 LCD TV and Blu Ray home theatre system from Samsung.

Other MVP prize winners were:

* Overall MVP Bowling – Neil Wagner (State Otago Volts)
* Overall MVP Batting – Mathew Sinclair (State Central Stags)
* Overall MVP Fielding – Kruger van Wyk (State Canterbury Wizards)
* Overall MVP Game Average – Tarun Nethula (State Auckland Aces)

The MVP ranking system was launched by New Zealand Cricket and the New Zealand Cricket Players Association at the beginning of the summer. Originally developed by the Professional Cricketers’ Association in England, it allows all aspects of a player’s game to be assessed together, providing a ranking in relation to other players.

The MVP works on a cumulative points system that rewards players for every run scored, every wicket taken and every catch held throughout the season. A player also achieves bonus points based on other criteria important to the outcome of the match.

More information, including a video interview with Mathew Sinclair, is available at:
http://www.blackcaps.co.nz/content/domestic/mvp/default.aspx

The full MVP bulletin is available at:
http://www.blackcaps.co.nz/uploadGallery/MVP/PDFImages/bulletin-issue-14.pdf