During the lunch interval of today’s Specsavers County Championship match between Middlesex and Surrey at Lord’s, Middlesex President, John Emburey, had the honour of presenting the Brooks Macdonald Player of the Month award for April 2017 to Middlesex’s wicket-keeper batsman, John Simpson.
This monthly award, judged by the club’s cricket management group and provided by the club’s Principal Sponsors, Brooks Macdonald, earns the winning player a cheque for £1,000 and a magnum of Brooks Macdonald champagne, which were presented to Simpson in front of the Lord's Pavilion earlier today.
The April 2017 award, presented to Simpson today, included the club’s matches throughout all of April, plus also the MCC Champion County fixture, played at the end of March in Abu Dhabi. A major factor in Simpson being named as the recipient of this award, could largely be his exceptional match-winning performance in that incredible clash in Abu Dhabi.
Simpson started the period by hitting 49 in Middlesex’s first innings against MCC, before then hitting an unbeaten innings of 89 not out to take Middlesex to their target and secure victory in the closely fought Champion County contest in the tensest of circumstances at the Sheikh Zayed International Cricket Stadium.
Coming in at 158 for 4, Simpson and his Middlesex side looked to be on course to reach their target of 305 at a canter, although as regular wickets fell around him, including a hat-trick from Somerset’s Craig Overton, Simpson batted like a man with ice in his veins to see his side over the line, with number eleven Ravi Patel at the opposite end and with time fast running out.
Another knock of 90 against Essex in Middlesex’s second County Championship clash of the season against Essex at Lord’s followed, in a game that Middlesex dominated on all fronts, only to see victory slip away from them on the final afternoon, as bad light brought an end to what should have been jubilant Middlesex victory celebrations.
In Middlesex’s disappointing Royal London One-Day Cup campaign Simpson has also been in the runs, hitting an unbeaten 82 against Sussex in Middlesex’s opening contest at Lord’s and a fine knock of 75 at the Kia Oval against London rivals Surrey.
His glove work behind the stumps continues to position him as one of the leading glove-men in the country, and with sixteen catches taken in the period, Simpson continues to excel in his role as the club’s number one wicket-keeper.
Congratulations to John Simpson on being named as the Middlesex Cricket Brooks Macdonald Player of the month award.
