Madsen wins Player of the Year award

LONDON: Derbyshire captain Wayne Madsen has become the winner of the Cricket Writers' Club County Championship Player of the Year award, sponsored by William Hill, in succession to inaugural recipient Nick Compton.

That Derbyshire still had a chance of avoiding relegation from the top flight of the Championship come the final round of matches owed much to the form of their 29-year-old captain, who led them to promotion in 2012.

Born in Durban but England-qualified Madsen scored 1,221 First Division runs -- a tally exceeded only by Yorkshire's Gary Ballance -- at 43.60 in 16 matches with three hundreds and eight fifties.

Both awards are due to be presented at the Cricket Writers' Club Annual Lunch at London's Plaisterers' Hall on Monday. (AFP)