This edition of the NWTCA/CNW Teams of the Decades, moves into the new millennium covering the 2000-01 through to 2009-10.
While many great players remained from the previous century, a new batch of stars were emerging and a number of those excelled with both bat and ball.
Kade Munday and Gregg Sharman headlined an exciting batch of all-rounders, with Munday producing one of the finest individual seasons seen in 2002-03 when he topped both the batting (796 runs) and the bowling aggregates for the competition (47 wickets).
The decade also saw some of the competition’s most dramatic grand finals, starting with Devonport being saved by the rain, Latrobe breaking a premiership drought that stretched back to the 1973-74 season in 2005/06, Sheffield becoming a new force with a three-peat of titles (2006/07 to 2008/09), Wynyard realised it’s potential in the red ball format (after Advocate Cup/Greater Northerns Cup wins in 2000-01 and 2001-02) with a long-awaited flag in 2004-05 and the decade ended with Burnie Yeoman pulling off a miracle comeback to win with one wicket in hand, adding to its 2001/02 and 2002/03 premierships.
New records were also set for the most runs and wickets in competition history as Burnie Yeoman’s Dale Baker and Sheffield’s Craig Boutcher both continued to contribute heavily towards their respective team’s success.
The 2000s team features three players who are in the NWTCA/CNW Hall of Fame, with Boutcher and Baker both being included in their second Team of the Decade.
TEAM OF THE DECADE – 2000-01 to 2009-10
NICK GRANGER (Burnie Yeoman/Wynyard) WK: 6 full seasons, 3263 runs @ 39.72, 91 catches, 11 stumpings. TIM IRVINE (Sheffield): 9 full seasons, 3030 runs @ 28.88. GARRY CRAWFORD* (Ulverstone): 5 full seasons, 2736 runs @ 34.63. DALE BAKER* (Burnie Yeoman): 9 full seasons, 3318 runs @ 43.09. JOSH WALMSLEY (Ulverstone): 6 full seasons, 2499 runs @ 35.20. KADE MUNDAY (Burnie Yeoman): 6 full seasons, 1963 runs @ 30.67, 126 wickets @ 17.90. GREGG SHARMAN (Wynyard): 6 full seasons, 2133 runs @ 30.91, 130 wickets @ 17.70. SEAN GOWER (Sheffield/Devonport): 7 full seasons, 1762 runs @ 28.42, 180 wickets @ 14.47. AARON McCALL (Burnie Yeoman): 7 full seasons, 208 wickets @ 18.08. CRAIG BOUTCHER* (Sheffield): 9 full seasons, 252 wickets @ 17.23. SHANE CRAWFORD (Sheffield): 9 full seasons, 264 wickets @ 20.02. ANDREW LEARY (Ulverstone): 10 full seasons, 3510 runs @ 26.19.
* NWTCA/CNW Hall of Fame member
