IT'S not every day a cricketer from Wiltshire wins the award for the best bowling average in the Minor Counties Championship.

In fact, until last week, Wiltshire had never celebrated a winner of the coveted Frank Edwards Trophy.

Nor had any player from the county lifted the Wilfred Rhodes Trophy for batting, which was first awarded in 1955.

Vice-captain James Hibberd rewrote the record books this summer with his stellar performances with the ball.

The BAT Sports all-rounder took 22 wickets at 12.86 to become the only Wiltshire bowler to top the averages since the trophy was first presented in 1970.

Hibberd will claim his prize at the Minor Counties annual meeting, which will be held at Lord's on December 5.

The modest schoolteacher said he was "chuffed to bits" to receive the award, though he is not entirely sure he deserves it.

Hibberd said: "There's an off-spinner from Devon called Andrew Proctor who took more than 40 wickets this summer, almost twice as many as me.

"I think he should have got the award, but it's worked out on the best bowling average, so I'll take it.

"I'm proud to be the first Wiltshire player to win this trophy, but it's all come as a bit of a shock to be honest."

Hibberd's summer will perhaps best be remembered for the derby match against Berkshire at Station Road, when he was on a hat-trick three times in the match.

But the 25-year-old seamer believes his five-wicket haul against Buckinghamshire at the County Ground, Trowbridge was his finest display of 2006.

Hibberd took five for 18 that day to bowl Wiltshire to an unlikely victory and help them on their way to a third consecutive Knock Out Trophy semi-final.

"It was one of those days when everything went right," he said.

"The ball was doing a bit off the pitch and I just bowled in straight lines. Unfortunately the wickets did not count towards the final averages."

Wiltshire team-mate James Golding finished third in the Minor Counties bowling averages, with 19 wickets at 16.84.

Hibberd recognises the contribution of the Keynsham all-rounder and the rest of the Wiltshire bowling attack to his own success.

He said: "I'm not really into individual awards, I'm more of a team player. I just want to see Wiltshire improving all the time.

"We've got a very well balanced bowling attack at the moment. Myself and Richard Bedbrook both move the ball around, whereas James and Alex Senneck hit the pitch very hard.

"When you're bowling in tandem with somebody who's also picking up wickets it puts so much pressure on the batsmen."

Hibberd has been the subject of transfer talk this summer, with Premier One outfit Corsham and South Wilts both competing for his services.

But he may stay with Hampshire club BAT Sports, whose ground was the subject of a takeover bid recently.

"It's all a bit up in the air at the moment," he said.

"I've had a little bit of contact with South Wilts and Corsham but nothing has been decided.

"For now I am just looking forward to the social we have organised at Bath Rugby next month - it should be a good laugh."