GARY Keedy has won the LBM Lancashire Player of the Year award following an outstanding season in which the left-arm spinner claimed 72 first-class wickets in his best-ever season haul.

Gary who received his award from LBM Chief Executive Paul Beck in the Club's annual awards ceremony at Old Trafford, finished the season by taking a career-best 14-227, in the process becoming only the 21st player in Lancashire's history to take 14 or more wickets in a match.

His match figures were the best at Old Trafford for 47 years (Derek Shackleton took 14-111 for Hampshire in 1957) and the best by a Lancashire player at Old Trafford for 51 years, since Roy Tattersall took 14-73 against Nottinghamshire in 1953. They were the third best ever match figures by a Lancashire bowler against Gloucestershire in the 178 first class matches played against the County.

Gary finished the season as the second highest wicket taker in the country with 72 wickets at an average of 25.68 - only Mushtaq Ahmed with 84 wickets took more. His career total now stands at 363 wickets, 52 of which have been caught or stumped by Warren Hegg.

During the season Gary also starred with the ball in Lancashire's one-day side, becoming a key member of the side that reached the Twenty20 Finals day and finished as runners-up in Division 1 of the totesport League.

Gary has bowled 645 overs in the Championship, playing in every game, and Manager Mike Watkinson paid his tribute saying: "'Keeds' has done it with less support than he enjoyed last year. The seamers haven't exactly ripped out top orders and he has often found himself bowling to the openers. In fact, he has been our main strike bowler and it's been a tremendous effort by him."

Gary's career profile is available online at www.lccc.co.uk