Warwickshire's Ethan Bamber named County Championship Player of the Year

Warwickshire fast bowler Ethan Bamber has been named County Championship Player of the Year at the annual Cricket Media Club awards, capping a summer in which his wickets drove the Bears to the title.

The 27-year-old took 69 wickets in 16 matches as Warwickshire won the County Championship for the ninth time, and the first since 2021. The award was presented at the club's annual lunch at Lord's on 3 November 2026.

A late-season charge

Bamber's finish to the season was remarkable. He claimed 32 of his 69 wickets from late August onwards, as Warwickshire won five of their last six games to take the title.

The BBC described the triumph as "stunning", and Bamber as the Bears' spearhead. For supporters at Edgbaston, his recognition by the cricket writers and broadcasters who make up the Cricket Media Club is a fitting reward for a championship-winning summer.

The award also marks him out as an England aspirant, alongside the other fast bowlers honoured on the day.

Fast bowlers dominate

Pace bowlers swept the main prizes. Sussex's Ollie Robinson, 32, was named England's cricketer of the year, taking the Bob Willis Trophy after a remarkable return to Test cricket. He took 28 wickets in four Tests at an average of just 9.30, lifting him into the top five of the International Cricket Council Test bowling rankings.

Middlesex's Naavya Sharma, 21, became the 77th winner of the Young Cricketer of the Year award, joining a list that includes Ian Botham, David Gower, Ian Bell, Joe Root and Ben Stokes. He took 35 wickets in nine County Championship matches and could not attend because he is with England Lions in St Kitts.

Surrey's Tilly Corteen-Coleman, 19, was voted Women's Young Cricketer of the Year by the club's 450 members, after making her England debut in both white-ball formats.

Scotland's Kirstie Gordon won the Women's Cricket Award after captaining the Nottingham-based Blaze to a domestic treble, and England's Angus Brown was named Disability Cricketer of the Year, having hit a 43-ball hundred against India, England's first century in the mixed disability format.

The winners

Bob Willis Trophy for England Player of the Year: Ollie Robinson. County Championship Player of the Year: Ethan Bamber. Men's Young Cricketer of the Year: Naavya Sharma. Women's Young Cricketer of the Year: Tilly Corteen-Coleman. Women's Cricket Award: Kirstie Gordon. Disability Cricketer of the Year: Angus Brown.

What next for the Bears

With the championship pennant flying at Edgbaston and their leading wicket-taker honoured by his peers in the media, Warwickshire go into the winter with plenty to celebrate. Bamber's form will make him a player to watch when the new season begins next spring.