It’s that time of year again but, like the end of the season, a little late. Unfurl the red carpet and enjoy The Spin’s annual awards
![The Spin | County cricket 2021 awards: the Spin’s final word on the season](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/588029ea04f8f8713d3f6f86faaa715158e6dd39/0_123_6040_3624/master/6040.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=73956e3602f2352aad53c07651533f8e)
As the county season dribbled to an end in balmy autumnal sunshine on 1 October, and the Bob Willis Trophy was raised alongside the County Championship by Warwickshire on the Lord’s balcony, thoughts drifted towards the annual Spin awards. These gongs, without prize money or gravitas to commend them, celebrate the good, bad and downright peculiar of the Championship season.
The Chris Woakes award for the year’s unsung hero Radio 5 live’s county
Cricket champion Kevin Howells spent his season zipping across the country at the arse end of the summer in search of the game to best satisfy his insatiable listeners. Even during the last week of September, he was forced to climb back into the driver’s seat and hotstep it from Aigburth to Edgbaston in search of a decent radio connection. Good humoured, dogged and an energetic wearer of a waterproof coat he is a brilliant broadcaster and a tireless advocate for the county game.