Owen remaining upbeat despite ‘disappointing’ CTPL awards error

One of Tasmania’s biggest cricket competitions has been forced to apologise for an embarrassing mistake which saw the wrong player awarded the league best-and-fairest. See why and what the original winner thinks of it all.

MITCH Owen is taking a positive approach to the controversial news from Cricket Tasmania that his name is to be wiped from the record books as the winner of the 2023 Emerson Rodwell Medal.

Cricket Tasmania announced in a statement on Tuesday it had made an ‘administrative oversight’ in awarding Owen the prestigious honour last week after discovering he was in fact ineligible for the award due to a code of behaviour breach.

Earlier in this season Owen was found guilty of breaching the CTPL’s code of behaviour for comments made about umpiring in a captain’s meeting at the conclusion of a match.

While the talented all-rounder received a suspended two match sentence for the incident, and therefore did not miss any matches, the by-law states specifically that a guilty outcome is grounds for ineligibility for any CTPL Player of the year Award.

While the controversial error was only made public on Tuesday afternoon, Owen revealed he was told on Friday that he would lose the award after a member of the community informed Cricket Tasmania that Owen was technically ineligible.

Mitch Owen was originally awarded the Emerson Rodwell medal last week but has since had it stripped. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

North Hobart pair Jack White and Yousaf Iqbal, who finished tied on 16 votes behind Owen’s 22, have now been declared joint-winners of the award.

While Owen admitted it was a disappointing outcome, the 21-year-old rising star said he was more frustrated on behalf of the competition.

“It’s less than ideal but mainly from the competition point of view,” he said.

“It’s a competition I play in and feel I play a big part in and so to see it brought into a negative light is disappointing.

“To have the medal taken off me is disappointing as well but I understand that in my career and where I want to get to that hopefully this doesn’t play any part in stopping that.”

While Owen was prepared to move on from the awkward situation, he was firm in his belief that the interaction with the umpires in question did not warrant a suspension and therefore any ineligibility.

“Basically I gave feedback in a direct manner as we had a particular umpire a couple of weeks in a row and I believed a few of the decisions made impacted the results of the game negatively on New Town,” he said.

“They took the feedback negatively but it came from a good place as I just want to see the completion get better and the umpiring get better and the comp to be the best it can be.

“I don’t believe it deserved a report and like I said, my words came from a good place and a place of wanting to see improvement in the comp.”

CTPL T20. Mitch Owen New Town. New Town V University. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Owen said he was never made aware that despite not missing a match it would rule him ineligible for the league best and fairest award.

“I never received that information, the club never received that info, and perhaps if we did we may have gone about the tribunal stuff differently.”

While his name will no longer be etched in history, Owen said he was still immensely proud of his season and that the recent events would in fact drive him to become even better.

“At the end of the day I received the award and I received the recognition for my season and it doesn’t take away from the season,” he said.

“If my name isn’t up on a board that has the Emerson Rodwell winners then I’m not fussed, in fact it gives me more hunger and drive to continue to get better.

“Also we don’t play for individual awards anyway and I’d trade that medal in for a premiership medal any day of the week.”

CTPL forced to announce new medal winners

Tasmanian cricket has been rocked after Premier League officials announced the Emerson Rodwell Medal was incorrectly awarded last week.

In a statement on Tuesday, officials confirmed Mitch Owen, who was presented with the medal last week, was actually ineligible for the award after breaching the competition’s code of behaviour earlier in the season.

It is understood Owen was deemed to have breached the code of behaviour for comments directed towards an umpire in a captain’s meeting.

North Hobart pair Jack White and Yousaf Iqbal have now been declared joint-winners after polling 16 votes in the best-and-fairest count last week.

“The Wilson Homes Cricket Tasmania Premier League (CTPL) regrets to advise that there was an error made at last week’s Rodwell and Fazackerley Awards Night,” the statement said.

“Mitchell Owen of New Town District Cricket Club received the Emerson Rodwell Medal as the Men’s 1st Grade Player of the Season with 22 votes, however, has unfortunately been ruled ineligible to receive the award in accordance with competition by-laws, due to being found guilty of a CTPL Code of Behaviour violation early in the season.

New Town’s Mitch Owen. Picture: Chris Kidd

Jack White of North Hobart. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“While Owen received a suspended sentence and hence was not suspended for any games, the by-law states specifically that a guilty outcome is grounds for ineligibility for any CTPL Player of the year Award.

“Failure to recognise this prior to the awarding of the medal was an administrative oversight and action has already been taken to mitigate such circumstances in the future. Mitchell’s suspended sentence was in place for the remainder of the 2022-23 season and is now no longer in effect.

Yousaf Iqbal bats against Clarence. Picture: Chris Kidd

“As a result, Yousaf Iqbal and Jack White – both of North Hobart Cricket Club – are hereby named joint Emerson Rodwell Medallists for the 2022-23 season, after both players tallied 16 votes. The CTPL congratulates both Jack and Yousaf on their respective seasons. This marks the first instance of joint winners from the same club.

“The CTPL unreservedly apologises to Mitchell, Yousaf, Jack and their respective clubs for the error made and subsequent anguish caused.

“The CTPL commends both Mitchell and New Town on the manner with which they have handled this process and outcome.”