McDonald's NSW Premier Cricket

The Belvidere Cup

For over 125 years, Sydney's Men's First Grade clubs have been competing for the prestigious Belvidere Cup. 

Now known as NSW Premier Cricket, the First Grade competition is a true testing ground for future NSW and Australian representatives, from Victor Trumper, Don Bradman, Bill O’Reilly and Richie Benaud through to Steve and Mark Waugh, Glenn McGrath, Michael Clarke, Mitchell Starc, David Warner, Josh Hazlewood and Steve Smith. 

There are 20 clubs in the McDonald's NSW Premier Cricket competition with each competing in First Grade through to Fifth Grade, as well as the Poidevin-Gray Shield (U/21) and AW Green Shield (U/16).  

The preliminary rounds for this competition consist of Two-Day and One-Day matches. The Qualifying and Semi Finals are played as Two-Day matches, with the Grand Final played over three days.

The current holders of the Belvidere Cup are St George District Cricket Club.

The First Grade Limited-Overs Cup

First Grade also plays for the First Grade Limited Overs Cup, which consists of five rounds plus Quarter Finals, Semi Finals and a Grand Final. 

The 2023/24 champions were Northern District Cricket Club.

The Kingsgrove Sports T20 Cup

The Kingsgrove Sports T20 Cup is contested by the 20 Sydney NSW Premier Cricket clubs. 

This competition is also used by the Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder to identify talent for their BBL and Supplementary squads. 

The popular twenty-over tournament takes a new shape this year, with the draw now consisting of four pools made up of five randomised teams, as opposed to the previous structure that saw the competition divide into two conferences consisting of the same clubs year on year.

The top three sides from each pool at the conclusion of the preliminary rounds will advance to a finals series, whilst the bottom two clubs will be eliminated.

$18,000 in prize money is up for grabs courtesy of competition sponsor Kingsgrove Sports, with the Champions collecting $12,000, Runner-up $4,000 while the Conference Runners-up will take home $1,000 each. 

This competition has First Grade status and points gained count towards the Club Championship.

The 2023/24 champions were Randwick Petersham Cricket Club.

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The O'Reilly Medal

The Men's First Grade Player of the Year is named in honour of the late, great NSW, Australian leg-spinner and prominent journalist Bill O'Reilly. Winners include former NSW and Australia great Bob Simpson, who claimed the first O'Reilly Medal in 1968 and again in 1973, as well some of the Blues finest servants like Greg Mail, Dominic Thornely, Trent Copeland, Grant Lambert and Gavin Robertson. 

The O’Reilly Medal is decided by umpire votes from each match during the season on a 3-2-1 basis.

The 2023/24 medal was won by Tym Crawford (Gordon DCC) and Bertie Foreman (Manly Warringah DCC).

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Kingsgrove Sports Men's Merit XII First Grade Team of the Year 2023/24:

Captains

Tym Crawford (Gordon DCC) | 1,207 runs

Bertie Foreman (Manly Warringah DCC) | 50 wickets

Batters

Blake Macdonald (St George DCC) | 1,007 runs

Eknoor Singh (Blacktown Mounties CC) | 883 runs

Lachlan Shaw (Northern District CC) | 777 runs

Nick Carruthers (Fairfield-Liverpool CC) | 747 runs

Luke Ohrynowsky (Fairfield-Liverpool CC) | 715 runs

Wicketkeeper

Anthony Sams (Randwick Petersham CC) | 45 dismissals & 572 runs

Bowlers

Angus McTaggart (Randwick Petersham CC) | 47 wickets

Smit Raval (Blacktown Mounties CC) | 47 wickets

Tom Brooks (Western Suburbs DCC) | 45 wickets

Scott Rodgie (Northern District CC) | 44 wickets

^{(statistics include runs scored, wickets taken and wicketkeeping dismissals in all T20, One-Day and Two-Day preliminary matches excluding Finals)}

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2023/24 Men’s Premier Cricket Awards:

Premierships:

Club Championship | Manly Warringah DCC

Belvidere Cup [First Grade] | St George DCC

Albert Cup [Second Grade] | Bankstown DCC

Mitchell Cup [Third Grade] | Sydney University CC

Reid Cup [Fourth Grade] | Manly Warringah DCC

David Sherwood Cup [Fifth Grade] | Manly Warringah DCC

Under 21 Poidevin-Gray Shield | UTS North Sydney CC

Under 16 AW Green Shield | Manly Warringah DCC

Kingsgrove Sports T20 Cup | Randwick Petersham CC

First-Grade Limited-Overs Cup | Northern District CC

Men’s Individual Awards:

Booth-Saunders Spirit of Cricket Award | Sydney University CC

Bob Simpson Award for Coach of the Year | Roy Vumbaca (Manly Warringah DCC)

Ground of the Year First Place | Old Kings Oval

Ground of the Year Second Place | Rosedale Oval

Ground of the Year Third Place | Raby Oval No.1

Lower Grades Ground of the Year | Tunks Park

First Grade Captain of the Year | Tym Crawford (Gordon DCC)

Second Grade Captain of the Year | Andrew Jamieson (Manly Warringah DCC)

Third Grade Captain of the Year | Liam Whitaker (UTS North Sydney CC)

Fourth Grade Captain of the Year | Stephen Wark (St George DCC)

Fifth Grade Captain of the Year | Simon Waddington (Manly Warringah DCC)

AW Green Shield Player of the Year | Blake Noorbergen (Parramatta DCC)