Nicoll reclaimed the honour from Wagga City teammate Max Harper to pick up Wagga's top nod for the fifth time in six years.

The 31-year-old finished second in both the competition's runscoring and wicket taking lists but eased away for a seven-vote win.

Nicoll scored 678 runs at 135.6 and took 26 wickets at 14.7 in another brilliant season as part of the minor premiers' run to the grand final.

Cats teammate Dean Crane only bettered his bowling figures by taking 26 wickets at 13.9.

He also scored an unbeaten 149 against South Wagga, and picked up a wicket, to see the Cats through to the grand final.

He polled votes in 11 of the 15 rounds, including five man of the match performances, to finish with 25 votes.

David Bolton, the competition's leading scorer with 685 runs at 49.8, held a one-point lead after seven rounds, but failed to figure in the final three matches to finish on 18.

Colts teammate Keenan Hanigan was third on 14, two clear of Wagga City's Josh Thompson.

Nicoll rated the Colts opener as the man to beat heading into the count but his consistency was rewarded.

Leading the tally after the first three Twenty20 matches, the all-rounder polled at least one vote from round six to 13 to set up the win.

Bolton drew within two points after being named the Colts' best in the round 11 before Nicoll hit back, picking up the maximum three votes in both round 12 and 13.

Neither scored in the last two rounds.

In 2016 Nicoll joined Bruce Mathew, Mark Grigg and Luke Oakley in winning the medal three times, but was the first in consecutive seasons, before adding a record fourth the following year.

Australian Country representative commitments and injuries saw Nicoll finish equal sixth last season but stepping away from that level of cricket has seen him return to his best.

Nicoll was also named Canberra's best before returning home to Wagga.

He won the DB Robin Medal in 2011-12 when he scored an astonishing 798 runs at an average of 99.75 for Weston Creek and picked up 18 wickets at 25.94.

Nicoll is one of three Cats named in the team of the year, alongside Crane and Thompson.

Wicketkeeper of the year Jeremy Rowe is one of two Blues in the side, selected alongside under 19s player of the year Blake Harper.

Bolton, Hanigan, St Michaels pair Beck Frostick and Dave Garness, Wagga RSL's Todd Henderson and Lake Albert's Lachie Skelly round out the side.

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