England’s Shining Knight

Heather Knight has strengthened her position as front runner for this year’s Walter Lawrence Women’s Award, which is won by the batsman who makes the highest individual score in a season. Knight eclipsed her unbeaten 153, scored in the LV Women’s County Championship in May, with a battling innings of 157 for England Women in the Ashes Test match against Australia Women on August 13.

Playing in only her second Test, opening bat Heather rescued her side from a precarious situation with a marathon knock, scored off 338 balls and including 20 fours, and shared a record England seventh-wicket partnership of 156 with Laura Marsh at Sir Paul Getty’s Ground, Wormsley.

The 22-year-old brought up her century in 263 balls before being run out on 157, the seventh highest score by an Englishwoman in Tests, for which she won the Player of the Match award. Rochdale-born Heather has also played in 36 One-Day Internationals and 8 T20 Internationals for England.

Heather, captain of Berkshire Women, has enjoyed a prolific season scoring 604 runs in the County Championship averaging 100.66, as well as 225 runs in the T20 County Championship at an average of 56.25.

Stevens Delivers A Wright Stunner

On a night of steamy heat and high drama at Canterbury, when 673 runs were scored, Kent’s Darren Stevens battered a blistering 44-ball century, blazing the trail for this year’s Walter Lawrence Trophy, awarded for the fastest hundred of the season.

In 53 frenzied minutes, the 37-year-old all-rounder hit 10 fours and 6 sixes in his hundred, sensationally eclipsing Sussex’s Luke Wright, who had thumped a 54-ball century earlier in the evening.

Chasing a formidable Sussex total of 336 for 5, Kent won by 3 wickets with 9 balls remaining in the Yorkshire Bank 40 match on June 19.

A consistent match-winner with bat and ball, Stevens finished with 118 off 53 balls, including 12 fours and 7 sixes, and chipped in with two key wickets.

Now in its 79th year, the Walter Lawrence Trophy is open to all domestic county competitions as well as One-Day Internationals, Twenty20 Internationals and Test Matches in England.

VIDEO:Kent Spitfires v Sussex Sharks, Yorkshire Bank 40, 19June13

Kent v Sussex scorecard

Darren Stevens’ career statistics

Hobson’s Choice

Following his 129 against Cambridge MCCU, Ivo Hobson of Durham MCCU is this year’s Walter Lawrence MCC Universities Award winner, which is for the highest scorer in an innings played against one of the other five MCCUs or against one of the first-class counties.

The 22-year-old, right-handed opener hit 11 fours and 1 six in his innings, scored off 216 balls, in the drawn 2-Day MCCU Championship match at Fenner’s on June 11 . The Eton-educated Hobson enjoyed a fine season, scoring 708 runs at an average of 33.71, which has seen him being selected for the MCCU squad to play in the Second XI Championship.

Hobson, who is a Human Geography graduate, is the second Durham University player to win the award, following fellow opener Chris Jones in 2011, and the eighth recipient since its inception. He will receive a special silver medallion and prize of £500 at the Walter Lawrence Trophy presentation dinner in The Long Room at Lord’s in October.

The quartet of Walter Lawrence Trophy awards, supported by Veuve Clicquot, encompass four distinct areas of the game: the Walter Lawrence Trophy, for the fastest century of the season; the MCC Universities award for the highest score by a batsman from the six MCC Universities against the first-class counties or in the MCCU Championship; The Walter Lawrence Women’s Award for the batsman who makes the highest individual score in a season from the ECB Women’s County Championship, the ECB Women’s County T20 Cup and all England Women’s matches played on home soil, and, finally, the Walter Lawrence Schools Award for the highest score by a school batsman against MCC.