ESPN Cricinfo’s Matt Roller has been judged as the Christopher Martin-Jenkins Young Journalist of the Year.
Roller, who was highly commended for the award last year, was the unanimous choice of the judging panel as the 11th edition of the ECB Domestic Journalism Awards were decided.
The Cricketer Online maintained its grip on the Outstanding Online Coverage of Domestic Cricket award, securing a fourth-successive honour dating back to 2018.
BBC Sport Online’s coverage was highly commended alongside five-time winners ESPN Cricinfo, who were able to celebrate Roller’s success in a strong field.
The judging panel rewarded Roller’s “storytelling and newsgathering qualities” and highlighted his “sensitively handled piece on Rashid Khan during The Hundred set against the crisis ongoing back in Afghanistan, Khan’s home country”.
Wisden Cricket Monthly’s Taha Hashim and Isaan Khan of the Daily Mail were highly commended.
Adrian Harms (BBC Radio Surrey) was named the Christopher Martin-Jenkins Domestic Cricket Broadcaster of the Year. The 2004 winner Richard Rae (BBC Radio Leicestershire) and Ed Seabourne (BBC Radio Bristol) were commended.
The Bolton News won the Regional Newspaper of the Year for the first time to keep the award in the north west. The Liverpool Echo were crowned the 2020 winners and were highly commended for its coverage during 2021.
The Cricket Paper won the Outstanding Newspaper Coverage of Domestic Cricket award for the first time since 2016.
The judging panel commented on its wide coverage of men’s and women’s cricket adding that its “domestic coverage is remarkable while also giving valuable opportunities to cricket writers young and more experienced to promote the game”.
ECB Managing Director of County Cricket, Neil Snowball, said:“These awards have showcased the quality of domestic cricket journalism for over a decade and I would like to congratulate this year’s winners who deserve their place on the honour roll.
“The depth and talent of entries for the Christopher Martin-Jenkins Young Journalist award was particularly striking this year. The written and broadcast media play a valuable role in the health of our game and it is pleasing to see so many impressive young journalists coming through and getting opportunities to do that important job.
“I would also like to thank the Cricket Writers’ Club for its support and the judging panel, made up of journalists and broadcasters from across the world, for taking time out of their busy schedules to judge the awards.”
Cricket Writers’ Club chair, George Dobell, said: "The CWC would like to congratulate all those who have won and been commended. The judges tell me they were particularly struck by the diversity of cricket covered by this year's entries and it's great to see some new names among the winners. I'm sure we'll be hearing a great deal from them for many years.
"Thanks to the ECB for continuing to value the work of our members. There are times, no doubt, when we disagree, but there will always be far more that unites us than divides. Thanks, too, to all the publications who continue to provide space to our great game."
ECB Domestic Journalism Award winners
Christopher Martin-Jenkins Young Cricket Journalist of the Year
Winner: Matt Roller (ESPN Cricinfo).
Highly commended: Taha Hashim (Wisden Cricket Monthly) and Isaan Khan (Daily Mail)
Christopher Martin-Jenkins Broadcaster of the Year
Winner: Adrian Harms (BBC Radio Surrey)
Highly commended: Richard Rae (BBC Radio Leicestershire) and Ed Seabourne (BBC Radio Bristol)
Regional Newspaper of the Year
Winner: The Bolton News
Highly commended: Liverpool Echo
Outstanding Online Coverage of Domestic Cricket
Winner: The Cricketer Online
Highly commended: BBC Sport Online and ESPN Cricinfo
Outstanding Newspaper Coverage of Domestic Cricket
Winner: The Cricket Paper
Highly commended: The Gloucestershire Echo & Gloucester Citizen, and the Liverpool Echo
