Wallsend all-rounder Jacob Montgomery has put himself in a position familiar to Tigers captain Nathan Price, leading the Newcastle District Cricket Association player of the year points tally.
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Approaching the midway mark of the season Montgomery has collected 11 points, picking up entries in four of seven matches, with teammate Price both the reigning champion and joint winner alongside Toronto's Adrian Chad in 2017-18.
On top of the district's batting aggregate, having scored 408 runs at an average of 68, Montgomery made back-to-back centuries in rounds three and four after opening his campaign with a fifty.
The Newcastle representative, who claimed a NSW Country Champions title last month, has yet to be dismissed under 30 and also has 10 wickets next to his name.
Montgomery filled in as skipper at Wallsend when Price was out suspended earlier in the campaign.
Stockton, Newcastle and NSW Country captain Nick Foster is next best on the NDCA player of the year standings with nine points.
Foster has 293 runs and 13 wickets so far in 2019-20.
Rounding out the top five on the overall standings are Merewether skipper Simon Moore (8), Belmont rookie Joseph Gillard and Cardiff-Boolaroo recruit Sadhanshu Gundeti (7).
Five players have six points: Hamilton-Wickham pair Sam Webber and Rhys Hanlon, City's Angus McTaggart, Charlestown's Isaac Wallace and Rahul Bakshi of CBs.
Ten players from Wests have registered points.
PLAYER OF YEAR: Jacob Montgomery 11, Nick Foster 9, Simon Moore 8, Joseph Gillard 7, Sadhanshu Gundeti 7.