Overton and Luff land top prizes as Test Match Special goes behind the scenes at PCA Awards
Somerset stars Overton and Luff head the honours as TMS podcast lifts the lid on PCA Awards night
Test Match Special has gone behind the scenes at English cricket's end-of-season celebration, with Stephan Shemilt reporting from the PCA Awards in west London for a special podcast episode featuring winners, special guests and some of the game's rising names.
Somerset duo take the main prizes
The headline honours went west, with the Somerset pair Craig Overton and Sophie Luff both taking home the main prizes at the ceremony. Shemilt speaks to both winners on the episode, capturing their reactions after a night that crowned their standout campaigns.
Young bowlers chasing England spots
Among the guests was Sonny Baker, named young player of the year, who joined two other fast bowlers trying to establish themselves in the full England side, Sam Cook and Henry Crocombe. The trio's conversations offer a snapshot of the next generation jostling for red-ball recognition at the end of the domestic summer.
A landmark summer for the women's game
England spinner Charlie Dean reflects on finding herself leading the team for much of what the podcast describes as a hugely significant summer for the women's side, while Kate Cross was among those honoured at the awards for her contribution to the game. The Blaze's treble-winning duo Kirstie Gordon and Georgia Elwiss also joined the programme after collecting their own silverware.
The women's summer was a central thread of the season too: in a Test Match Special retrospective published on 1 October, the 2026 campaign was described as "sometimes chaotic" and "tumultuous", encompassing the demise of Bazball, the men's T20 rise, a home Women's World Cup and the revamped Hundred.
Champion and PCA President Hannon-Dalby
Rounding out the guest list was Oliver Hannon-Dalby, who was part of Warwickshire's County Championship-winning side and serves as PCA President, giving him a dual seat at the game's end-of-season party.
A celebratory close to a turbulent season
The episode brings the curtain down on a busy stretch of Test Match Special output. On 1 October, the podcast published its review of a chaotic English summer, while on 28 September it relived the dramatic third Test at Edgbaston in which Jordan Cox and Joe Root guided England to a clean sweep over Pakistan despite an almighty scare, with reaction from player of the match Dan Lawrence and player of the series Ollie Robinson.
With awards handed out, silverware celebrated and the season's stories told, the PCA Awards night offered English cricket a chance to toast its own after a campaign the TMS team will not forget in a hurry.