Tom Abell with the trophy. Picture from the LV= award ceremony.
Former Cricket Scholar wins prestigious breakthrough award
Tom was entered for the award as a wildcard following some highly impressive performances for Somerset in his breakthrough season. The award is voted for by fans and comes off the back of some superb performances whilst opening the batting with former England start Marcus Trescothick.
Previous winners of the award are Joe Root in 2012, Rory Burns in 2013 and Alex Lees in 2014 which shows how highly Tom is regarded. It is an incredible achievement for Tom who graduated in the summer 2015 and was a cricket scholar at the University of Exeter.
Speaking at his trophy presentation with LV= Tom commented, “I’m over the moon to win this season’s LV= Breakthrough Player Award. I’ve come into some good form towards the end of the season and obviously hitting my maiden century against Hampshire a few weeks ago is a particular highlight. As a local lad, opening the batting with Marcus has been a dream and he’s provided huge support.”
This season Tom has not only hit his first century for Somerset but he has also amassed 725 runs at an average of 38.16 so far this season cementing his place at the top of the Somerset order. At the end of this season he will be heading off to Australia to gain valuable experience playing in different conditions and facing new challenges from different bowlers.
Julian Wyatt, the Director of Cricket is sure of Tom’s continues success, “Tom’s award is hugely deserved. His work ethic is fantastic as is his overall attitude to his cricket. He was a pleasure to work with and I wish him every success.”
More information and a video clip can be found on the LV= website: https://atheart.lv.com/sport/tom-abell-wins-2015-lv-breakthrough-player-award
Cricket is a focus sport at the University of Exeter and benefits from the superb Sir Christopher Ondaatje Devon Cricket Centre and the coaching of former professional Julian Wyatt. The University of Exeter Men’s Cricket Club reached the finals of the British Universities and Colleges Sport 2014/15 Indoor Finals having won it in 2013/14 and reaching the outdoor final in 2013/14.
About the University of Exeter
Exeter named UK’s top university for sport
The University of Exeter has been named as the Times and Sunday Times Sports University of the Year 2016, in recognition of excellence in sports performance, education and research.
The award acknowledges Exeter as the best in the country in academia and athletic achievement across a wide range of sports. It takes into account the University’s outstanding support for athletes, very high student satisfaction in sport-related programmes and world-leading research which enhances athletic performance at all levels.
The University of Exeter is a Russell Group university that combines world-class research with very high levels of student satisfaction. Exeter has over 19,000 students and is ranked 9th in the Guardian University Guide 2016 and 10th in The Complete University Guide 2016. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF), the University ranked 16th nationally, with 98% of its research rated as being of international quality. Exeter was The Sunday Times University of the Year 2012-13.
The University has invested strategically to deliver more than £350 million worth of new facilities across its campuses in the last few years; including landmark new student services centres - the Forum in Exeter and The Exchange on the Penryn Campus in Cornwall, together with world-class new facilities for Biosciences, the Business School and the Environment and Sustainability Institute. There are plans for further investment between now and 2016.
For further information:
Andrew Fry
a.g.fry@exeter.ac.uk
University of Exeter - Sport
Date: 25 September 2015
