Kensington all-rounder Jake Brown hot favourite for Grade Cricket’s Bradman Medal
KENSINGTON captain Jake Brown is the hot favourite to win Grade Cricket’s highest individual honour, the Bradman Medal, for the first time.
KENSINGTON captain Jake Brown is the hot favourite to win Grade Cricket’s highest individual honour, the Bradman Medal, for the first time ahead of tomorrow night’s count at Adelaide Oval.
All-rounder Brown, who has played five Sheffield Shield games for SA, has been a perennial contender in recent years but never taken out the award.
The 28-year-old paceman and top-order batsman finished as the two-day competition’s third-most prolific bowler this season with 36 wickets at 13.03 and also scored 264 runs at 26.4.
Five of the eight club coaches polled last week tipped Brown as the likely winner.
“We keep saying his name every year but Jake’s had another good season,” East Torrens coach Wayne Bradbrook said.
“He’s taken a lot of wickets, made runs and being skipper as well, he’s always in the game.”
Kensington coach Andrew Rumbelow said Brown would be a worthy winner.
“He does a bit of everything,” Rumbelow said.
“And historically blokes that both bat and bowl win the Bradman Medal.”
The coaches expected Brown’s likely challengers to be Woodville paceman Carl Tietjens, Glenelg skipper Cullen Bailey and Sturt wicketkeeper Brad Davis.
Bailey, who once had a Cricket Australia contract as a leg-spinner, was the competition’s leading batsman this season with 585 runs, including two centuries, at 48.75.
Woodville coach Dean Sayers said Bailey was the “best player going at the minute”.
“He’s a mile in front, I’d think,” Sayers said.
“He’s been consistent and when he’s made runs, he’s converted.”
Sayers and Port Adelaide coach Paul Finnie said Tietjens, who snared a competition-high 42 wickets at 17.02, was a dark horse.
“I think he’s had a terrific second half of the season,” Sayers said.
“He won’t be far away.”
Southern District’s Mal Condon was the only coach to predict Davis, who was second behind Bailey with 573 runs at 52.09, would win but expected an even count.
“He’s batted very impressively and had good, solid numbers all year,” Condon said.