Phil Littlejohns of St John and Peel Cricket Clubs and a member of the victorious Isle of Man squad from the ICC Europe Division 2 Championship has been named as the July ‘Standard Bank Player of the Month’ for this season.

The initiative which is in its third season is an opportunity to recognise individuals who make an outstanding contribution in a match or who display a consistently high level of performance. During the season four awards will be up for grabs by players nominated by the Isle of Man Cricket Association (IOMCA).

The judging panel includes Chris Till, Director of Standard Bank, Andy Dalrymple of IOM Newspapers and Gareth Dawson, the IOMCA Development Officer. Nominations for the period included Bruce Wagstaff, Ollie Webster, Alex Stokoe, Eddie Clague and Joe Rothwell.

Chris Till, Director of Standard Bank, commenting on the announcement said: “There were an exceptional number of strong nominations for this ‘Player of the Month’ award and we would like to congratulate each on their achievements. It was especially difficult to select a winner and it was a very close decision.  The fact that the performances were spread across all the competitions that Standard Bank sponsor was particularly impressive. The panel decided on Phil for his excellent performances throughout the period which included three half centuries (two of which were unbeaten) and 217 runs in total and bowling performance of 2 for 8 in the Standard Bank Cain league.”

He added: “As lead sponsor of various cricket competitions on the Island we are delighted to also encourage individual excellence within a fantastic team sport and the level of contribution from all the nominees demonstrates the tremendous strength of Manx cricket. The panel and I look forward to having another difficult decision when we judge this month’s nominees.”

The South African bank is headline sponsor of The Standard Bank Premiership, the Championship, the Twenty/20 leagues, the Knockout Challenge Trophy, the Tinker Cup, the Blincoe Cup and the six-a-side competition. It also backs a ‘Player of the Month’ initiative which recognises individuals who make an outstanding contribution in a match or who display a consistently high level of performance during a particular month.

The winner of the ‘Standard Bank Player of the Month’ will receive a £50 sports voucher, a Standard Bank cricket hat and a certificate.