Sneddon baseball’s Most Valuable Player

KIAMA Braves pitcher Matthew Sneddon was voted the Illa-warra Baseball League's (IBL) Most Valuable Player at the annual presentation at Dapto Leagues Club on Friday, September 21.

The award was a major feat for Sneddon given that his club did not make the IBL playoffs and the high standard of players on display in the league.

Sneddon's achievement follows directly after his performances with the Illawarra Flame team that won the 2006-7 New South Wales Major League under 18 premiership.

In that competition Sneddon came second in the league in both the pitching and batting statistics.

In other major awards, Berkeley Eagles seventeen-year-old utility Tim Atherton won the player of the grand finals series.

Atherton was not present to receive his award, as he had left with the Australian Schoolboys team on Friday morning to play at various World Schoolboys events in Canada over the next three weeks.

Atherton also recently signed a contract with the US Major League Baseball franchise the Minnesota Twins.

Atherton is likely to take up the contract next year after completing his final year high school studies.

In other major awards, Wests Cardinals' Jeff Trembearth received the Umpires award for the best and fairest player.

Berkeley Eagles' Keith Ward received the batting award and Dapto catcher Troy Green the fielding award.