WILTSHIRE’S James Vince has been named the Professional Cricketers Association’s 2022 Vitality Blast Player of the Year courtesy of finishing the competition as the number one player, statistically.

The Hampshire Hawks captain led his team to the T20 Blast title and ended the tournament as the leading run scorer, emphasising his immense ability in the shortest format. The former Warminster school student was presented with the trophy following the final at Edgbaston last Saturday.

Hampshire beat Lancashire by one-run in an epic final game of the tournament after Vince’s men had set 152-8 in their twenty overs and Lancashire failed to chase it down. Vince took a catch and scored five from five balls in the final to further secure his spot of the top of the rankings.

The ‘Player of the Year’ is selected by the PCA’s Most Valuable Player Rankings, with the 31-year-old ex-Chippenham CC batter being high up in the table for much of the tournament.

The formula enables players to score or lose MVP points on every ball based on their expected performance for that ball in comparison to CricViz’s extensive historical database of 20-over fixtures, with the venue being played at also taken into account.

Vince topped the run-scoring table thanks to 678 overall, with an average of 48 at a strike-rate of 146, and ultimately secured the title courtesy of netting 241 points overall.

The Hampshire opener scored two hundreds and three fifties in the competition earning him three man-of-the-match awards in the process.

The first of his hundreds came against Kent Spitfires - earning him 38 points - and the second century of his campaign was the highest score in the Vitality Blast this season with 129 not out against Somerset at Taunton which won him 40 points.

Vince, who has now won the title three times, said: “The final was a great game of cricket. A few things were getting in the way but eventually we got there.

“After the first four games we’ve been immense, I owe a lot to the guys for their efforts.

“Our bowling attack has been top draw during the competition and we took wickets at the right times.

“We have a never-say-die attitude and we never feel like we’re beaten.

“It’s not just about me because everyone has made contributions this year.”