There were no surprises at the Victorian State Awards on Thursday night, with Sam Harper and Meg Lanning receiving top honours for their summers with the Melbourne Stars.
Celebrating the WBBL|11 and BBL|15 tournaments, the Stars presented their Player of the Season medals, in a celebration alongside Cricket Victoria and the Melbourne Renegades.
Following a season of brilliance with the bat and gloves, Harper was not only the Stars’ standout player, he was named the league’s best, earning the BBL|15 Player of the Tournament award.
The 29-year-old was thrown to the top of the order in Melbourne’s second game of the season following an injury to Tom Rogers in the field, and he took his opportunity.
Making 55 in that innings at Adelaide Oval, Harper cemented his spot at the top, before belting a faultless 110* at the SCG three days later.
Harper made 381 runs at an average of 54.42 in a sensational breakout season.
Lanning’s WBBL tournament was just as impressive, averaging 53.22 from her 11 matches.
The classy opener delivered one of the highlights of the season with an incredible 135-run display in North Sydney, where she dismantled the Sixers’ attack.
At 34 years of age, Lanning’s experience shone through, calmly striking 479 runs for the season.
To round out the leaderboard for the Stars’ WBBL campaign, Kim Garth and Amy Jones couldn’t be split, tying for second place.
Garth was prolific with the new ball, taking 14 wickets at an average of 16.51, while Jones made an impact in her first season in Melbourne.
The international recruit’s glovework was as clean as anyone’s in the competition and she contributed 234 runs with the bat.
For the BBL squad, captain Marcus Stoinis came in second place after certifying himself as the ultimate all-rounder with 15 wickets (@ 15.33) and 273 runs (@ 54.60).
In a tie for third place, Tom Curran and Peter Siddle were recognised for their efforts with the ball.
The duo were also named in the BBL|15 Team of the Tournament, with both players taking 16 wickets this summer.
BBL|15 LEADERBOARD
1st - Sam Harper
2nd - Marcus Stoinis
3rd - Tom Curran & Peter Siddle
WBBL|11 LEADERBOARD
1st - Meg Lanning
2nd - Kim Garth & Amy Jones