Glenelg District wins monthly Spirit of Cricket award

Cricket Australia today announced that the Glenelg District Cricket Club has won the national Spirit of Cricket award for the month of December.

In an A-grade match against West Torrens, Glenelg's playing coach Ben Hook, took what appeared to be a catch at first slip.

The umpire officiating at the bowlers' end commented in his report that he thought the ball had carried to the slips fieldsman. Before a decision was required, however, Hook indicated that the ball had indeed bounced beforehand.

Cricket Australia Chief Executive Officer James Sutherland encouraged cricketers throughout Australia to follow Ben's lead.

"It can be tempting for a fieldsman to claim a catch of this nature, particularly in grade and local cricket, as the view is sometimes obscured to the umpire," Mr Sutherland said.

"I congratulate Ben on his honesty and hope cricketers around Australia continue to play the game in the spirit in which it was intended."

Glenelg is the third club to receive a national Spirit of Cricket award nomination. The two previous awards have gone to local Queensland Under-14 side the Everton Comets, and country Victorian club Barkers Creek.

Winners of the monthly award receive an autographed bat signed by the Australian team.

A separate Spirit of Cricket award for the Pura Cup and ING Cup competitions will be awarded at the end of the year and the next points update will be published on Wednesday 11 February. The West End Redbacks, Cascade Tasmanian Tigers, and the Victorian Bushrangers currently head the table on 42 points from 12 matches this season.