Big haul for Tigers of all stripes at awards night

By Owen Sinclair

Mar 7, 2025

Rising Star nominees Hugh Hyde, Kepler Lukies (winner) and Tyler Green. Photo by Contributed

Local talent found the spotlight at the annual MVCA seniors presentation evening at Club Tocumwal on Wednesday, March 5.

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With awards across best-and-fairest, life membership, and teams of the year in C, B and A-grades announced, it was an evening jam-packed with ability.

Katamatite left-arm spinner Kepler Lukies may just need another trophy cabinet after cleaning up best-and-fairest, MVP, and the highly regarded Guthrie Medal on 19 votes.

In the count for the Guthrie, Lukies was followed by Brodie Bennett (Deniliquin, 15 votes), Griegan French (Deniliquin, 14 votes) and Shaun Downie (Cobram, 13 votes).

The 2025 MVCA Rising Star award also went to Lukies for his effort of 336 runs, 36 wickets and 11 catches across the season.

A handful of local talent followed closely, with Cobram’s Hugh Hyde (324 runs, five wickets and seven catches) and Tyler Green (Katamatite, 403 runs, three catches and 6 stumpings) also making a name for themselves.

Cobram’s Bryan Eddy and Travis Thompson of Katamatite shared the Gemmill Award for B-grade best-and-fairest.

Meanwhile, Shaun McAllister (Katunga) took the award for the highest bowling average in the B-grade with 31 wickets @ 7.74.

Col McDonald, who was inducted into the MVCA Hall of Fame in November 2023, was made a life member of the association.

Cobram Cricket Club Secretary Alison Brooks and co-coach Lachlan Hyde accepted on behalf of their club the Pat Barrett Club Championship award. It is the seventh year running that the Cobram Cricket Club has received the award.

The ceremony was held just days before Cobram faces Deniliquin in the A-grade grand final.

A-grade Team of the Year: Griegan French (Deniliquin), Tyler Green (Katamatite), Riyaad Henry (Barooga), Brodie Bennett (Deniliquin), Andrew Hogan (Deniliquin), Matthew Ross (Berrigan), Kepler Lukies (Katamatite), Harry Wilkinson (Finley), Jacob Bartlett (Berrigan), Dylan Cunningham (Nathalia), Matt Taylor (Deniliquin) and Jeremy Baden (Cobram).

B-grade Team of the Year: Bryan Eddy (Cobram), Rohan Allport (Katamatite), Andrew Erickson (Katamatite), Mark Wilson (Nathalia), Hunter Hardwidge (Cobram), Daniel Henderson (Katunga), Darcy Edis (Katamatite), Braydon Kearns (Nathalia), Travis Thompson (Katamatite), Jawid Iqbal Anwar (Katamatite) and Shaun McAllister (Katunga).

C-grade Team of the Year: Brandon Meloury (Tocumwal), Luke Bauer (Cobram), Scott Bray (Katamatite), Darby Salter (Katunga), Zander Quinn (Nathalia), Indika Deshapriya De Zoysa (Strathmerton), Lachlan Marshall (Deniliquin), Lachlan McDonald (Tocumwal), Greg Vallender (Nathalia), Samuel Stokes (Strathmerton) and James Bray (Katamatite).

Photos courtesy of the MVCA.