Sophie and Craig shortlisted for PCA Player of the Month Award
The top four men’s and women’s domestic players have been revealed using the PCA’s Most Valuable Player Rankings, powered by OFX, with two prizes to be decided through your votes and the MVP.
May saw the start of the Vitality Blast, bringing an exciting dimension to the domestic game. While the Rothesay County Championship for the men and Metro Bank One Day Cup for the women continued to produce many standout performances, the opening rounds of the Blast delivered many impressive displays, as players looked to make their mark in the shorter format.
Somerset Captain, Sophie Luff headlines the shortlist after an outstanding start to the Vitality Blast, earning 130.66 MVP points. Durham’s Mady Villiers, Yorkshire all-rounder Jess Jonassen, who was nominated in April, and Surrey’s Alice Monaghan complete a strong lineup for this month’s top four, producing a series of impactful performances with bat and ball throughout May.
In the men’s game, Derbyshire’s Martin Andersson enjoyed a phenomenal month amassing 149.18 MVP points with Glamorgan captain Kiran Carlson a close second with 146.31 points. Somerset all-rounder Craig Overton continued his impressive start to the season being nominated for a second month in a row, whilst Durham seamer Ben Raine racked up 125.50 MVP points.
Women’s Player of the Month:
The Metro Bank One Day Cup continued for the women with The Blaze sitting at the top of the table. The Vitality Blast also got underway with Surrey and Somerset both making strong starts to the competition.
Sophie Luff (Somerset)
Scoring 244 runs at an average of 61 in the Vitality Blast, Luff has continued to lead from the front for her team this campaign.
The 32-year-old Somerset captain secured two Match MVP awards, with a superb unbeaten 82 off 53 balls against Surrey and an equally brilliant 58 off 33 balls against Warwickshire. These performances earned her 47.60 and 31.58 MVP points respectively.
Mady Villiers (Durham)
Contributing considerably with bat and ball across both formats, the Durham all-rounder has a bowling average of 11.42 in the Blast this month, and 47.33 with the bat in the Metro Bank One Day Cup.
May has seen 27-year-old secure two MVP awards. A magnificent knock of 106 off 86 balls and 3-38 against Warwickshire showcased her quality in the 50-over format, while 47 from 34 balls and 3-21 against The Blaze demonstrated her effectiveness in the shorter form.
Jess Jonassen (Yorkshire)
The Yorkshire all-rounder has combined consistent run-scoring and wicket-taking performances, maintaining a bowling average of 18.50 in the Vitality Blast, securing 110.15 MVP points.
The Australian starred in Yorkshire’s victory over Warwickshire, earning MVP honours with 110 off 102 balls and 3-32, accumulating 45.41 points, the highest MVP match points total amongst this month’s nominees. The 33-year-old has contributed with valuable runs and wickets during May.
Alice Monaghan (Surrey)
Monaghan has been one of Surrey’s most reliable performers this season, scoring 183 runs in May with an average of 43.75 across both competitions.
The 26-year-old all-rounder also made important contributions with the ball, including figures of 2-45 against Essex in the Metro Bank One Day Cup and 3-24 against Somerset in the Vitality Blast, helping Surrey maintain their strong form across both tournaments.
Men’s Player of the Month:
Meanwhile in the men’s game, the Rothesay County Championship continued with Nottinghamshire topping Division One and Durham opening up a lead in Division Two. The
Vitality Blast also commenced with Northamptonshire Steelbacks, Yorkshire and Hampshire Hawks topping their groups.
Craig Overton (Somerset)
Last month’s winner has shown no signs of slowing down, continuing his form with bat and ball for Somerset. Across the County Championship this month, the all-rounder is averaging 17.19 with the ball, whilst also producing valuable runs.
The 32-year-old’s standout performance came against Sussex, with an impressive 111 with the bat and 5-37 with the ball across both innings. The Somerset man accumulated 53.84 MVP points in a dominant all-round display.
Martin Andersson (Derbyshire)
Derbyshire all-rounder Andersson has been in scintillating form this month. The 29-year-old has scored 237 runs and is averaging 79 with the bat and 13.5 with the ball in the Vitality Blast.
His match-winning 57 off 29 balls and career-best figures of 6-23 against Leicestershire earned him the Match MVP, with a staggering 60.03 points. Andersson has also impressed in the County Championship, scoring 106 against Northamptonshire.
Kiran Carlson (Glamorgan)
The Glamorgan skipper has led by example across both formats, amassing 319 runs in the County Championship this month, at an average of 63.80.
The 28-year-old opened the month with a commanding 209 against Hampshire, earning him Match MVP honours and 52.34 MVP points. His rich vein of form continued into the Blast, with his explosive 45-ball 109 against Somerset which generated 65.27 points, the highest single Match MVP total in this season’s competition.
Ben Raine (Durham)
The Durham seamer had been instrumental in his sides push for promotion, finishing the month with 17 County Championship wickets at an average of just 14.65.
The best performance in May for the 34-year-old came against Middlesex, with an eight-wicket haul of 5-58 and 3-23, earning Raine Match MVP honours and 39.10 points, underlining his importance to Durham’s success, he also scored 106 against Kent.
The PCA’s Most Valuable Player Rankings, powered by OFX, picks out the game’s top performers across every single fixture. This then forms the rankings for each competition, as well as an overall table which is how the top four are selected. The MVP takes into account batting, bowling and fielding contributions and match defining achievements using a unique live algorithm developed by CricViz.
The PCA Player of the Month will be decided by a 50:50 split between the PCA MVP Rankings and the public vote on thepca.co.uk – the poll will close on Thursday June 4th at 10pm.
