Koduru and Armstrong take Darwin Cricket honours

Named after one of the Northern Territory's cricket stalwarts, the Ralph Wiese Medal is the pinnacle of achievement in Darwin’s cricket scene awarded to the best Premier Grade cricketer in the competition. While the 2024 season saw some fierce competition, it was Waratah's Jagadeswara Koduru stood head and shoulders above the rest.

As the votes were tallied and the leaderboard revealed during the night, Koduru’s victory became undeniable and with 21 votes, he comfortably secured the Ralph Wiese Medal, capping off an extraordinary season. 

Throughout the season, Koduru consistently delivered stunning performances with the bat, accumulating a total of 978 runs at an average of 122.25, his dominance was clear and he was also awarded the Carlton United Premier Grade batting average and aggregate awards and named Premier Grade Cricketer of the Year.

Equally impressive was the performance of Southern Districts’ Hannah Armstrong, who was named the 2024 Women's Cricketer of the Year. Armstrong had a phenomenal season, finishing with an outstanding 667 runs at an average of 333.5 which saw her take home the batting average and aggregate awards.  

The night was more than just about individual accolades but a celebration of the entire cricket community, recognising curators, umpires, and volunteers who work tirelessly behind the scenes. 

The Bob Vowles Curators Award was awarded to Nightcliff Cricket Club and was presented to Nightcliff A Grade Captain Douwtjie Hoogenboezem by Ken and Ayden Vowles. 

The Premier Grade Spirit of Cricket Award was presented to Tracy Village Cricket Club by NT Cricket Match Officials Association President Rob Stewart. 

Darwin Cricket Club’s Jaime Fforde was the 2024 Margaret Coady Memorial award recipient, recognised for her contribution to the sport and in particular her efforts in driving the annual McGrath Foundation Pink Stumps Day at Kahlin Oval which raised over $6,000.

Waratah were crowned the 2024 Club Champions with Nightcliff coming in a close second. 

A full list of award recipients can be found below; 

Ralph Wiese Medal: Jagadeswara Koduru (Waratah) 

Women’s Cricketer of the Year: Hannah Armstrong (Southern Districts) 

Bob Vowles Curators Award: Nightcliff Cricket Club 

Spirit of Cricket Award: Tracy Village Cricket Club 

Runner-up Club Champions: Nightcliff 

Club Champions: Waratah Cricket Club

Carlton Mid Premier Grade 

Batting average: Jagadeswara Koduru 978 runs @ 122.25 (Waratah) 

Batting aggregate: Jagadeswara Koduru 978 runs (Waratah)

Bowling average: Udara Weerasinghe 26 wickets @ 16.46 (Waratah)

Bowling aggregate: Hamish Martin 39 wickets (Palmerston)

Fielder of the Year: Dean Fry (Southern Districts)

Cricketer of the Year: Jagadeswara Koduru (Waratah)

Team of the Year: Douwtjie Hoogenboezem, Jacob Dickman, Jagadeswara Koduru, Caleb Montague, Connor Carroll, Alex Bleakley, Hamish Martin, Rommel Shahzad, Charlie Smith, Udara Weerasinghe, Lachlan Bangs and Chris McEvoy.

Quality People Women’s Competition 

Batting average: Hannah Armstrong 667 runs @ 333.5 (Southern Districts)

Batting aggregate: Hannah Armstrong 667 runs @ 333.5 (Southern Districts)

Bowling average: Anusha Joshi 20 wickets @ 10.85 (PINT)

Bowling aggregate: Anusha Joshi (PINT) and Kiarah Jackson (Southern Districts) 20 wickets

Cricketer of the Year: Hannah Armstrong

Team of the Year: Hannah Armstrong, Anusha Joshi, Monet Hunter, Aeryn McCormack, Kiarah Jackson, Lily-May Lyndon, Chloe Kerber, Naomi McMahon, Jennifer Sharma, Jordi O'Toole, Melissa Nixon and Krystelle Jones. 

DXC Technology B Grade 

Batting average: Blake Troy 596 runs @ 59.6 (Darwin)

Batting aggregate: Blake Troy 596 runs (Darwin)

Bowling average: Dinesh Indika Kumara 37 wickets @ 9 (Waratah)

Bowling aggregate: Dinesh Indika Kumara 37 wickets (Waratah)

Cricketer of the Year: Blake Troy (Darwin) 

Quality People C Grade 

Batting average: Mariyatharsha Shanthakumar 654 runs @72.67 (PINT)

Batting aggregate: Mariyatharsha Shanthakumar 654 runs (PINT)

Bowling average: Matthew Vaughan 28 wickets @ 11 (Nightcliff)

Bowling aggregate: Matthew Vaughan 28 wickets (Nightcliff)

Cricketer of the Year: Mariyatharsha Shanthakumar 

 D Grade 

Batting average: Tim Biddiscombe 702 runs @ 117 (PINT)

Batting aggregate: Tim Biddiscombe 702 runs (PINT)

Bowling average: Riwaj Sapkota 31 wickets @ 11 (Waratah)

Bowling aggregate: Daljeet Singh 38 wickets (Nightcliff)

Cricketer of the Year: Daljeet Singh (Nightcliff)

Sunday 1 

Batting average: Varun Sudheer 670 runs @ 134 (PINT)

Batting aggregate: Varun Sudheer 670 runs (PINT)

Bowling average: Don Sampumal Pathirana 22 wickets @ 9.77 (Waratah)

Bowling aggregate: Mihira Disanayake 32 wickets (Waratah)

Cricketer of the Year: Sukhvir Singh (Nightcliff)

Sunday 2 

Batting average: Jordan Lathan 370 runs @ 92.5 (Darwin)

Batting aggregate: Pradeep Palanisamy 408 runs (PINT)

Bowling average: Pradeep Palanisamy 28 wickets @ 8.93 (PINT)

Bowling aggregate: Pradeep Palanisamy 28 wickets (PINT)

Cricketer of the Year: Lasitha Suwandarathne (Waratah)