The daily JM Sport End of Season Awards roll on as we announce who wins Team of the Year.
If you’ve missed any of the previous categories, which include Men’s and Women’s Player of the Year, you can scroll back through the website and find them.
Cregagh’s 1st XI have been named Team of the Year after they secured a league and cup double this season.
Entering the 2020 season amongst the favourites for silverware, Aaron Johnston’s side picked up the LVS Twenty20 Trophy in dramatic circumstances as they beat Saintfield in a Super Over.
There was no lack of drama in the Robinson Services Trophy either as they entered the final day of the season sitting in third, but with Derriaghy losing to Cliftonville Academy and Cregagh beating Muckamore, they jumped into first to round off a superb campaign.
They got over an important hurdle this season by winning the T20 Trophy after losing their previous three finals, which will give them confidence that they can perform on the bigger stages and achieve even more success heading into 2021.
Johnston is in charge of a young, ambitious side that will be eyeing promotion to the Premier League and if plans go through for a 12-team competition from 2022 onwards, they would almost certainly achieve that.
Across the two competitions they competed in this season, Cregagh won eight of the ten matches that were contested on the field (also two void fixtures).
They finished with a net run-rate of 0.550 which was ultimately what decided the destination of the league title after tying on 24 points with Derriaghy.
It was a real team effort as Jonny Moore (166), Mark Johnston (149), Adam McCormick (116) and Jay Hunter (111) all passed 100 runs for the season while Adam Beattie topped the wicket taking charts.
With so many people stepping up and producing performances, it’ll likely be that they are once again considered favourites to win Section One when April rolls around, depending on the winter recruitment from other sides.
It was another season of progress for a club that continue to show positive signs from their youth section right up through the ranks.
JM Sport 