Leading Edge: Valleys feature in VTCA reviews

Moonee Valley players featured in a number of categories in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association publication Leading Edge, which was released at the VTCA presentation night on April 8.

Amit Chaudhary was equal fifth in the Isaacs Medal for the best player in North Division, with 14 votes.

Amit came in ninth in the North Division batting averages, with 223 runs @ 31.86. Raj Aiyappan was 20th, with 223 runs at 23.2.

Amit was also 14th in the bowling averages, with 22 wickets @ 16.23. Chris Stafford and Craig Pridham rounded out the top 20, with 15 wicket @ 20.87 and 14 wickets @ 29.71 respectively.

And we had a Moonee Valley connection in a few other impressive performances.

Hoppers Crossing import Fawad Ahmed, who played a couple of Twenty20 games for Moonee Valley during the season, bowled the fifth-most overs of any First Eleven players in the VTCA, with 176.2 for the season. Fawad also finished 11th in the North Division batting with 222 runs, and eighth in the bowling with 32 wickets.

And what a remarkable season from the evergreen Sunshine United player Bill Blair, who lives opposite Ormond Park and is the dad of our up-and-coming Under 10s star William Blair.

Bill, who's a regular at Ormond Park with young William, was third in the Isaacs Medal with 23 votes, equal tenth for all First Eleven grades for wickets taken with 33 scalps, and fourth in the North Division bowling averages. And for the second season in a row Bill took all 10 wickets in an innings - this time routing Doutta Stars for 10/58.

With William establishing himself at Moonee Valley, who's to know what Bill might be thinking about in the future? One thing's for sure - Bill would be more than welcome!