Kerr, Henry take top honours at NZC awards
- Dave Worsley
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
White Fern Melie (Amelia) Kerr and Black Cap Matt Henry have won the top honours at the New Zealand Cricket Awards.
Kerr claimed the Debbie Hockley Medal for an unprecedented third consecutive year as the 24-year-old dominated the awards night in Auckland and was recognised for her performances for the White Ferns and the Wellington Blaze.
LATEST HEADLINES:
Kerr was the backbone of the White Ferns' 2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup triumph.
She was named Player of the Final and Player of the Tournament and was later awarded the Rachel Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year, as well as being named ICC Women's T20I Player of the Year.
At the New Zealand awards she was named Women's ODI Player of the Year (14 wickets, average 33 with the bat) and Women's T20I Player of the Year awards, while her 441 runs and 15 wickets earned her the Super Smash Women's Player of the Year title.
Henry matched Kerr's brilliance, earning the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal with a season of inspired success across all formats.
Leading the Black Caps' attack, Henry claimed Test Player of the Year honours with 25 wickets at 20.08 in five Tests, including an eight-wicket haul in Bangalore during the historic series win against India.
His 24 wickets at 15.50 secured the Men's ODI Player of the Year award. He was pivotal to the Champions Trophy final run, while 28 wickets at 21.5 earned him the Winsor Cup for men's first-class bowling.
Jacob Duffy's world-class 21 wickets at 9.71 in T20Is, elevating him to No.1 in the ICC T20I bowler rankings, earned him the Men's T20I Player of the Year, while Kane Williamson's consistency was recognised with the Redpath Cup for men's first-class batting.
Nothern Districts' Brett Hampton is Men's Domestic Player of the Year.
Otago Sparks' Eden Carson is Women's Domestic Player of the Year with her 40 wickets across the season and match-winning 59 in the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield final a highlight.
Tom Bruce (Super Smash Men's Player of the Year), Maddy Green (Ruth Martin Cup), and Carson (Phyl Blackler Cup) rounded out a strong domestic contingent.
A poignant highlight was the Bert Sutcliffe Medal for Outstanding Services to Cricket, NZC's most prestigious non-playing honour, awarded to Francis Payne.
A cricket historian of global renown, the award recognised Payne's significant contributions to the documentation and preservation of New Zealand cricket history, most notably through his long-standing, 42-year role as co-editor of the New Zealand Cricket Almanack, a publication regarded as the definitive resource for followers of the New Zealand game.
Payne has also been a familiar figure in New Zealand's cricket community, frequently appearing as a contributor on radio and television to provide expert commentary and analysis from the 1980s onwards.
"Francis' meticulous approach to storytelling has brought to life, and continues to illuminate, the people and moments that underpin the game we watch and enjoy today," noted NZC chair, Diana Puketapu-Lyndon.
Full List of 2025 New Zealand Cricket Awards Winners
Debbie Hockley Medal: Melie Kerr
Sir Richard Hadlee Medal: Matt Henry
Bert Sutcliffe Medal for Outstanding Services to Cricket: Francis Payne
ANZ Test Player of the Year: Matt Henry
ANZ Men's ODI Player of the Year: Matt Henry
ANZ Women's ODI Player of the Year: Melie Kerr
ANZ Men's T20I Player of the Year: Jacob Duffy
ANZ Women's T20I Player of the Year: Melie Kerr
Men's Domestic Player of the Year: Brett Hampton
Women's Domestic Player of the Year: Eden Carson
Dream11 Super Smash Men's Player of the Year: Tom Bruce
Dream11 Super Smash Women's Player of the Year: Melie Kerr
Redpath Cup (men's first-class batting): Kane Williamson
Ruth Martin Cup (women's domestic batting): Maddy Green
Winsor Cup (men's first-class bowling): Matt Henry
Phyl Blackler Cup (women's domestic bowling): Eden Carson
GJ Gardner Homes Umpire of the Year: Chris Gaffaney