Samit Patel and Jamie Porter land PCA award success

Samit Patel and Jamie Porter shared top billing as the Professional Cricketers’ Association presented its awards at an annual dinner in London.

Nottinghamshire all-rounder Patel added the NatWest PCA Players’ Player award to his table-topping status as this summer’s Most Valuable Player (MVP).

Recognition came Patel’s way for his part in the club’s Twenty20 Blast and Royal London Cup white-ball double, as well as County Championship promotion from Specsavers Division Two.

Essex seamer Porter scooped the PCA’s Young Player of the Year and County Championship top performer awards at the end of a season which saw his club win Specsavers Division One at their first attempt back in the top flight.

Porter’s success followed the Cricket Writers’ Club County Championship player of the year award that he landed on Tuesday.

Patel, who saw off competition from Surrey’s Sri Lanka great Kumar Sangakkara in his last summer of first-class cricket as well as Porter, was presented with the Reg Hayter Cup at London’s Roundhouse on Wednesday evening.

The 32-year-old England all-rounder said: “It’s a great honour to be voted by your peers. It’s a great feeling and demonstrates how well we have done as a team and individually this season.

“I’m a little bit surprised actually. To be up there with a world-class player like Sanga, with the amount of runs that he scored in a short amount of time, is a privilege in itself.

“Jamie has had a wonderful year. Essex have won Division One, and he has been the stand-out bowler. I’ve never been up there for Players’ Player before, so to win it is unreal really. I’m really happy and chuffed to bits.”

Twenty-four-year-old Porter took 75 championship wickets, including career-best innings and match figures of seven for 55 and 12 for 95 against Somerset at Chelmsford in August. He found himself looking for an alternative career up until three years ago, after failing to win a county contract.

“For other players around the country to give their seal of approval means a lot to me and makes this award special,” said Porter.

“I spent six months working in recruitment and I thought that’s where I would be for a long time. I enjoyed it – but coming back into cricket, it means I don’t play with any fear now.

“If I get injured or have a bad season I would be more than happy in the outside world. I want to play cricket for as a long as I can, but I know that I can survive if that fails.”

England all-rounder Natalie Sciver won the PCA’s Women’s Player of the Summer award for her two centuries in the hosts’ successful World Cup campaign – capped by their thrilling win over India in the Lord’s final.

In its 50th year, the PCA also presented its own founder Fred Rumsey with its Lifetime Achievement Award.