This award is easier to define. The best young player is the best player in the division that’s eligible for the under-24 teams. This is the best player this season, so where there were some players who we thought were all fantastic, the tie-breaker was how we thought they performed in 2021.
MIXED
Third place: Josh Hanham, SMOG
Josh was an important part of SMOG 2 this season, and is another player who seems to be developing rapidly on SMOG’s roster. They have a knack of taking talented university players and helping them become effective operators in the club scene, and Josh’s performances this season indicate that he could be one to watch for next season as SMOG send both teams to WUCC.
Second place: Ollie Tanner-Smith, SMOG
Ollie, another young SMOG player, was a handler on team that won Nationals this season so seems to be doing pretty well in his young club career. Another who could make an impact during SMOG’s Worlds campaign despite having a lower profile than some of their established stars, his ability with the disc and versatility stand him in good stead as he keeps developing his skills.
WINNER: Amelia Edwards, Leamington Lemmings
Amelia picks up her second award of the year here, and this is one she might have a chance at for a few years yet. Still only 19, she’s just started university and so has plenty of time to play under-24s and to play even better than she did in her outstanding 2021 season. Given her impact so far it feels as though it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see her in the running for other awards before long.
WOMEN’S
Third place: Katie Trim, SCRAM
Katie was an important part of the SCRAM D line despite being early on in her career. Still a student at St. Andrews, she uses her height to affect throws both on the force and downfield and is an effective target for deep throws. She’s also able to make tough catches when needed, as her layout grab against LMU at Nationals showed. Still very early in her career, she’s yet another very promising player with a bright future to come out of the productive Scottish ultimate pipeline, already making the GB Women’s indoors team.
Second place: Chee Ling Wu, Iceni
Iceni have had several valuable imports in their storied history and Chee is the latest in that line. Another on these lists from Hong Kong, Chee was a valuable part of Iceni’s D line all season, getting blocks and also moving the offence after the turn as one of the handlers. She had a great 2021 season and is set to be a central part as Iceni try to wrestle back the national title in 2022.
WINNER: Nat Oldfield, Bristol Women
As we talked about in the Best Newcomer write up, Nat has been a vital part of the Bristol D line this season. Not only is she in a great position to continue developing with defending champions Bristol, she’s captaining her university team this season and so will be taking on even more responsibility there. An exciting 2022 lies ahead for her and for all on this list.
OPEN
Third place: Seamus Turvill, Smash’D
Seamus is one of the better defensive players for Smash’D, bringing athleticism and physicality to the field as he helps shut down opposition players. He’s also an asset with the disc after the turn, being one of the handlers for that unit and helping to progress the disc after winning it back, and was a real miss for the team in Bruges. He will have benefitted hugely from playing a prominent role with Smash’D rather than perhaps going to a different team and playing fewer points and is in a great position to continue getting better.
Second place: Ethan Morrell, Chevron Action Flash
Ethan has been a fixture for Chevron since 2018 when he attended WUCC and marked Kurt Gibson on a must-score point. Since then he’s become a more rounded offensive player and was a crucial cog for Chev in their campaign to the final of Nationals. Offensively mature and intelligent with great throwing ability, he has the potential to be one of the defining players for Great Britain for the coming years.
WINNER: Joshua East, Chevron Action Flash
Josh has been playing for Mighty Hucks and Chevron for a while despite his age. He’s more focused on the defensive side than Ethan and has made a name for himself with flying layout blocks and stifling downfield defence. His layout catch in the final of Nationals gave Chevron a glimmer of hope, but the potential of Josh, Ethan and several of their teammates is much more than a glimmer for the future of both Chevron and Great Britain.