Taylor named as Young Cricketer of the Year

Leicestershire's 19-year-old batsman, James Taylor, has been named as the Cricket Writers' Club Young Cricketer of the Year, after a prolific season in which he has scored 1,177 first-class runs in 16 matches at an average of 58.85.

That haul included three hundreds and six fifties, with a highest score of 207 not out against Surrey at The Oval in July.

The award, which is in its 60th year, is given to players under the age of 23 on 1 May of that year. Former winners include Fred Trueman, Peter May and Stuart Broad, whom Taylor pushed into second place in the poll.

Geoff Cook, the Durham coach, took the Peter Smith award for presentation of cricket to the public.