McDonald's NSW Premier Cricket

The Belvidere Cup

For over 125 years, Sydney's Men's First Grade clubs have been competing for the prestigious Belvidere Cup. 

Now known as NSW Premier Cricket, the First Grade competition is a true testing ground for future NSW and Australian representatives, from Victor Trumper, Don Bradman, Bill O’Reilly and Richie Benaud through to Steve and Mark Waugh, Glenn McGrath, Michael Clarke, Mitchell Starc, David Warner, Josh Hazlewood and Steve Smith. 

There are 20 clubs in the McDonald's NSW Premier Cricket competition with each competing in First Grade through to Fifth Grade, as well as the Poidevin-Gray Shield (U/21) and AW Green Shield (U/16).  

The preliminary rounds for this competition consist of Two-Day and One-Day matches. The Qualifying and Semi Finals are played as Two-Day matches, with the Grand Final played over three days.

The current holders of the Belvidere Cup are Manly Warringah District Cricket Club.

The First Grade Limited-Overs Cup

First Grade also plays for the First Grade Limited Overs Cup, which consists of five rounds plus Quarter Finals, Semi Finals and a Grand Final. 

The 2025-26 champions were Eastern Suburbs Cricket Club.

The Kingsgrove Sports T20 Cup

The Kingsgrove Sports T20 Cup is contested by the 20 Sydney NSW Premier Cricket clubs. 

This competition is also used by the Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder to identify talent for their BBL and Supplementary squads. 

The popular twenty-over tournament takes a new shape this year, with the draw now consisting of four pools made up of five randomised teams, as opposed to the previous structure that saw the competition divide into two conferences consisting of the same clubs year on year.

The top three sides from each pool at the conclusion of the preliminary rounds will advance to a finals series, whilst the bottom two clubs will be eliminated.

$18,000 in prize money is up for grabs courtesy of competition sponsor Kingsgrove Sports, with the Champions collecting $12,000, Runner-up $4,000 while the Conference Runners-up will take home $1,000 each. 

This competition has First Grade status and points gained count towards the Club Championship.

The 2025-26 champions were Western Suburbs District Cricket Club.

---

The O'Reilly Medal

The Men's First Grade Player of the Year is named in honour of the late, great NSW, Australian leg-spinner and prominent journalist Bill O'Reilly. Winners include former NSW and Australia great Bob Simpson, who claimed the first O'Reilly Medal in 1968 and again in 1973, as well some of the Blues finest servants like Greg Mail, Dominic Thornely, Trent Copeland, Grant Lambert and Gavin Robertson. 

The O’Reilly Medal is decided by umpire votes from each match during the season on a 3-2-1 basis.

The 2025-26 medal was won by Joe Colgan (Mosman Cricket Club).

---

Kingsgrove Sports Men's Merit XII First Grade Team of the Year 2025-26:

Joe Colgan (Mosman)

Harjas Singh (Western Suburbs)

Daniel Solway (Bankstown)

Matt Rodgers (Sydney)

Justin Avendano (UTS North Sydney)

Matt Moran (Eastern Suburbs)

Tyran Liddiard (Bankstown)

Kieran Tate (Sydney University)

Bradley Simpson (Bankstown)

Riley Ayre (Randwick Petersham)

Nicholas Stapleton (Gordon)

Usman Qadir (Hawkesbury)

---

2025-26 Men’s Premier Cricket Awards:

Premierships:

Club Championship: St George

Men’s Kingsgrove Sports T20 Cup: Western Suburbs

First Grade: Manly Warringah

First Grade Limited Overs: Eastern Suburbs

Second Grade: Manly Warringah

Third Grade: Northern District

Fourth Grade: St George

Fifth Grade: Fairfield Liverpool

Poidevin-Gray Shield: Mosman

AW Green Shield: Northern District

Men’s Individual Awards:

O’Reilly Medal: Joe Colgan, Mosman

Moises Henriques Medal: Sam Heazlett, St George

Poidevin-Gray Shield Player of the Year: Alexander Parthenis, St George

AW Green Shield Player of the Year: Alish Hirani, Northern District

Bob Simpson Award – Men’s Coach of the Year: Roy Vumbaca, Manly Warringah

Ground of the Year: Bankstown Memorial Oval, Bankstown

Lower Grades Ground of the Year: Tunks Park, UTS North Sydney

Spirit of Cricket Award: Gordon

First Grade Captain of the Year: Riley Ayre, Randwick Petersham

Second Grade Captain of the Year: Zac Trewartha, Manly Warringah

Third Grade Captain of the Year: Sam Webber, Manly Warringah

Fourth Grade Captain of the Year: Daniel Friedrich, Northern District

Fifth Grade Captain of the Year: Callum Linsley, Randwick Petersham