CALLINGTON Cricket Club rounded off a fine season with their presentation night at Trethorne on Saturday, September 28.

The first team enjoyed their best season in years, pushing Penzance all the way before finishing second in the ECB Cornwall Premier League, but it was in the T20 format where they really excelled, winning the Hawkey Cup for the first time since 2015.

Cally were captained for the first time by former Warwickshire, Derbyshire and Glamorgan all-rounder Graham Wagg, while they also brought in former Somerset leg-spinner Max Waller from St Just.

With South African run-machine Liam Lindsay, who went on to score 620 Premier Division runs – the most in the league – back for a second summer and Cornwall opening bowler Ben Ellis retained and hard-hitting batsman Matt Shepherd back from Holsworthy to go alongside their local talent, it was a recipe for success.

The Kernow T20 Crash was wiped out with the summer restricted to the 50-over Premier League and the Hawkey Cup.

Callington started their Premier Division season with a thrilling tie at Camborne, the away side securing a tie with a brilliant run-out from mid-off from Luke Brenton.

The rain ruined their next two games against promoted Truro and St Austell, but it was Saturday, June 1 when they showed their teeth as Ben Ellis and Aidan Libby took five wickets each to dismiss Penzance for just 57.

Cally eventually won by five wickets.

Cally cruised to victory at St Just, but a 10-run defeat at strugglers Helston on June 15 proved crucial.

The next week saw holders Wadebridge win by 114 runs at Moores Park, but from there on Cally were sensational.

Four days later on Wednesday, June 26 saw Cally edge a thriller by just four runs against Wadebridge to reach the Hawkey Cup final.They posted 180-5 thanks to half centuries from Lindsay (74) and Max Waller (69), before Ben Ellis defended 13 off the final over.

Penzance were the opponents in the Edwards Cup final for the right to represent Cornwall in the national stages of the T20 club competition, but the St Clare outfit cruised to an eight-wicket success having been set 150 to win.

The final two games of the first half of the season saw them ease to victory over Werrington (six wickets) and Camborne by 157 runs which included 126 from Lindsay.

The second half of the season – nine games – saw them lost just once to Redruth on the penultimate weekend, ensuring the title went to Penzance.

Cally had produced the best result in their recent history on August 3 when they chased down 275 to win at Penzance having been in all sorts of trouble at 48-3.

Ollie Allsop produced a career best 103, before Ellis and Joe White managed nine off the final over to spark jubilant scenes.

But with four of their 18 games abandoned, and one at Truro being washed out without a ball being bowled.

In the end Callington finished 30 points adrift of Penzance with both losing just three games, but the luck with the weather wasn’t on their side.

Lindsay was unsurprisingly the Players’ Player and won the Most Runs and Highest Score trophies, with Ellis’ 35 wickets in all competitions enough for Wagg’s Captain’s Player. He also received the George Wyatt gong for most wickets in the club.

They shared the Club Player of the Year award for their sterling achievements.

Elsewhere around the club, the Seconds finished a creditable sixth in Division Two East as they gave their young seam attack a go, but it was club legend Jim Shorten that rolled back the years with some superb displays with bat and ball as he took home the Players’ Player of the Year award, with exciting seamer Spencer Whatley the recipient of Rich Brown’s captain’s prize.

The thirds were third in Division Three East under club chairman Toby Beresford-Power, a fine achievement considering the turnover of players and that they had to play some home matches at Gunnislake and Liskeard.

All-rounder Chris Simpson continues to shine with both bat and ball and won the Players’ Award, while leg-spinner Harvey Poad’s 20-plus wickets gave him Beresford-Power’s captain’s award.

The ladies’ section continues to grow.

They competed in the Cornwall Women’s Softball League with Kate Bourn (Players’ Player) and Lara Alford (Captain’s Player) taking home their awards.

Ryan Hodge, a seamer who joined over the winter from Launceston, won the Norman Buckingham Award for excelling in adult cricket, while the Ted Pluckrose Clubman of the Year award went to Alex Robinson for his work with the youth and around the club.

The awards, which were handed out by club legend Tony Farrant, were as follows: 1st XI Players’ Player – Liam Lindsay; 1st XI Captain’s Player – Ben Ellis; 2nd XI Players’ Player – Jim Shorten; 2nd XI Captain’s Player – Spencer Whatley; 3rd XI Players’ Player – Chris Simpson; 3rd XI Captain’s Player – Harvey Poad; Ladies’ Players’ Player – Kate Bourn; Ladies’ Captain’s Player – Lara Alford; Norman Buckingham Award for a youth player who excelled in adult cricket – Ryan Hodge; The George Wyatt Most Wickets Award – Ben Ellis (35); Most Runs – Liam Lindsay (782); Best Batting Performance – Liam Lindsay (126 vs Camborne); Best Bowling Performance – Toby Beresford-Power (5-18 vs Liskeard); Joint Player Of The Year – Liam Lindsay and Ben Ellis; Ted Pluckrose Clubman Of The Year – Alex Robinson.