Legendary Golcar and Huddersfield cricketer Steve Whitwam has won the Jack Gledhill memorial trophy for a 10th time. The award is for the Huddersfield Cricket League’s best all-rounder in a single season.
Following a career littered with personal accolades, Whitwam particularly excelled with bat and ball in the last campaign.
The league’s record-breaking cricketer shows no sign of slowing down even at the age of 39. In 2021 he amassed a total of 801 runs in Premiership and Sykes Cup matches. He has been particularly deadly with the ball too, taking 60 wickets at an average of 12.05.
Melbourne-born ‘Cobber, as he is widely known, first won the award in 2005, claiming it every season until 2009. He then went on to win it in 2011 and 2013 before he was victorious in 2018, 2019 and now 2021. The trophy was not awarded during 2020.
On winning the award for a 10th time Whitwam said: “To win it once is a great achievement never mind 10 times. To do it when I’m 39 too shows I can still perform at the highest level.
“I thought I had a very good season personally and really helped the team to drive on. As good as it is to win individual awards it’s all about the team.”
Whitwam said: “My game has had to change with me getting older. I take things slower now, I haven’t got to 1,000 runs for a few seasons but then again last season no one did so that tells you everything you need to know about what sort of season it was.”
Whitwam has also previously won the Tom Oldham trophy for batting and bowling in the 2011 season, and came within a decimal point of taking this season’s award too, pipped at the post by Kirkburton’s John Keeling. His personal achievements started way back in 2000 when he was honoured with the Reg Haigh Trophy for most promising young cricketer.
READ MORE: Steve Whitwam – This is your Life!
Golcar finished third in the Premiership last season and Whitwam was pleased with where the club ended up.
“Finishing third was a great achievement,” he said. “Look at the top two and the money they spent and it’s hard to get higher. I thought there were some outstanding contributions in the team last season.
“As a club we are always looking to improve and so we want to have a better cup run next year as we went out in the early rounds this time.
“We want to challenge at the top of the league and have a good cup run that should always be Golcar’s aim.”
Whitwam says he has a few more seasons in him yet and hasn’t ruled out winning an 11th Gledhill trophy before he hangs up his boots.
He said: “I still feel fit to play and feel I am contributing well to the team. If I didn’t think that I might consider stopping but for the moment I’m still doing my bit.
“Like I said, to win one trophy is good but to win it 10 times is a real honour and if I won it again it would be just as much as an honour as it was winning it for the first time in 2005.”
