KENT bowler Martin Saggers found collecting trophies just as easy as he did taking wickets this summer after picking up three awards at the club’s presentation dinner in Canterbury.

The former Durham swing bowler was the country’s joint leading wicket-taker with 83 scalps this season costing just 21 runs apiece - figures that helped the 30-year-old scoop three items of silverware.

Saggers was voted KM Group Kent Cricketer of the Year after receiving 70 per cent of the readers’ poll and then went on to collect the Derek Underwood bowling award as leading wicket-taker.

To top his night, Saggers then became the second ever winner of the Colin Cowdrey award for player of the season. Kent’s other new ball bowler Amjad Khan was named Most Improved Player after claiming 63 wickets in his rookie season, while recently retired skipper Matthew Fleming won the Shepherd Neame Lifetime Achievement Award.

Making his acceptance speech Fleming, who is now planning a career in politics, thanked all his players and asked the club’s membership to get behind their new skipper and back the club’s recent controversial decision to cut five players from the staff.

He said: “Every team changes, every team evolves. It is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of strength.”

The final award of the evening went to new England Test opener Rob Key, who won the Mike Denness award as leading run scorer after hitting over 1,800 runs in all competitions.