Sport

27 March, 2026

Blandford stars at MDCA awards night

Beaufort opener Jarrod Blandford etched his name among a pantheon of local cricket superstars at the MDCA presentation dinner Monday Night, winning the prestigious Ken Gibbs Medal.

By Jonathan Peck

Coming over from the Ballarat Cricket Association, Blandford’s first season in Bulls country has been nothing short of extraordinary, finishing the A grade regular season with a staggering 509 runs, a mark only surpassed by Laanecoorie Dunolly’s Nafis Shaikh and Colts Phelans’ Asim Akhtar.

The left-hander’s eye-popping average of 56.56 wasn’t created by a singular flourish, with his exceptional consistency a major factor in Beaufort’s successful finals berth.

Before the Bulls’ semi-final defeat to Laane last weekend, Blandford scored a sublime seven half-centuries and was only dismissed for less than 30 on just two occasions.

Blandford has also been a handy spin bowler for Beaufort when called upon this season, taking 12 wickets at an average of 24.17.

“It’s obviously a privilege. It means you’ve had a good individual season, but you don’t play for individual accolades, you play to be there this Saturday in a Grand Final,” Blandford said.

Following the theme set by the awards earlier in the night, the vote count to determine the MDCA A grade’s best player in 2025/26 went down to the wire.

After 2025 Ken Gibbs Medal winner Tom Hannett and Akhtar shared the early lead and Maryborough opener Oliver Bennett stormed to the front with five rounds left, five players remained in the running for the association’s top honour with one round of votes remaining.

Earning two votes for his classy 61 against Carisbrook in round 15, Blandford polled a winning 16 votes, with Maryborough’s Ben Hoban in second on 14 votes and Colts’ Akhtar finishing third.

When he joined the MDCA, Blandford said he couldn’t have imagined taking out the esteemed accolade, one of the many pleasant surprises he has uncovered this season.

“The competition has surprised me, both on and off the field. There are great people in this competition, the cricket’s been good and it’s a good challenge,” he said.

“I have felt all year that I’ve just been seeing the ball well, I’m getting on in my age, so I just know my game now and know what I can do.

“I think it definitely helps, but at the end of the day, you’ve just got to go out there and have fun and enjoy cricket.”

With his team suffering another semi-final defeat last weekend, Blandford said he’s emboldened to place a Beaufort premiership alongside his Ken Gibbs Medal next year.

“We want to be bigger and better next year. We’ve been in the finals for the last three years now and lost in the semi-finals,” he said.

“We just don’t want to take one more step. We want to be winning. That’s where we’re at as a club and that’s what I want to achieve.

“Getting on in my career, I want to taste success one more time.”

Monday’s MDCA Presentation Night opened with its junior awards, headlined by Colts junior and Clunes A grade standout Brett Coon winning under 17 representative player of the year and Carisbrook’s Axel Purcell taking home the JC Hunter Cup as the under 16 standout player.

MKM superstar all-rounder Muhammad Haseeb Khan was centre stage for the A reserve awards, complementing his bowling average trophy by winning a stunning A reserve Player of the Year vote count, which saw the top five separated by just two votes.

Khan was also named co-winner of The Maryborough Advertiser’s A reserve Player of the Year alongside Avoca’s Glen Cosgriff after both players polled 31 votes.

Laane’s Josh Fitzpatrick and Sam Bartlett took out the senior representative player awards, while their Melbourne Country Week teammate Akhtar won The Addy’s A grade Player of the Year with a stunning 37 votes.

MDCA president Aaron McHoul was named Jim “Kiwi” Riley Umpire of the Year and Beaufort’s Virginie Woolidge took home the Neville Spokes Memorial Administrator of the Year.

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