State of the states: NSW

Bupa Sheffield Shield

It was a case of another year, another Bupa Sheffield Shield trophy for the NSW Blues, the Steve Smith and Peter Neville-led side breaking a six-year drought to raise the trophy for the 46^th time.

Two outright wins and three first-innings points had the Blues looking good in the early rounds, with Ryan Carters carrying on from a fine showing against the touring English to notch three triple-figure scores at the top of the order.

Sean Abbott added considerable firepower to an unsettled bowling line-up, while Trent Copeland and Doug Bollinger were also among the wickets in the early going.

NSW returned to the creams in fine form after the Big Bash break, tearing through the Bushrangers top order to the tune of a 6-9 before recording a comfortable innings and 48 run victory. 

They then hung on for a draw against the West End Redbacks and recorded a tense victory over eventual Shield final opponents Western Australia to book their place in the decider.

A Moises Henriques century along with six wickets to Josh Hazlewood and persistent rain made sure there would be no upset in the final, the Blues easing to their first Shield title since 2008.

Leading run-scorer: Ryan Carters – 861 runs @ 53.81

Leading wicket-taker: Stephen O'Keefe – 41 wickets @ 20.43

Bupa SS player of the year: Ryan Carters

Steve Waugh Medal (State champion): Sean Abbott

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Ryobi Cup

Hosted entirely in Sydney, NSW were early favourites in the 2013 edition of the Ryobi Cup and the Blues didn't disappoint, winning four out of six round games to finish in second place.

Sean Abbott continued his rise through the state ranks with 17 wickets, while David Warner's three centuries, his last an Australian domestic record of 197, heralded what would be a blockbuster summer for the pocket dynamo.

North Sydney Oval hosted the final with the Blues looking to ride their late-tournament form all the way to a Ryobi Cup crown. But it wasn't to be. Despite tallying a formidable total of 317 off their 50 overs, the Bulls, led by an Usman Khawaja century, passed the total with five wickets and five balls to spare, the Blues finishing ODD runners-up for the 7th time.

Leading run-scorer: David Warner – 541 runs @ 67.63

Leading wicket-taker: Sean Abbott – 16 wickets @ 20.94

Ryobi Cup player of the year: Sean Abbott

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BBL|03

The Thunder welcomed Mr Cricket to Homebush, the veteran bat hoping to lead a squad that failed to secure a single victory last summer back into the finals. That elusive win slipped through their fingers in the first four games, but the sweet taste of success wasn’t far away, the Thunder hammering the Renegades to end the streak and bring hope for BBL|04.

Leading run-scorer: Mike Hussey – 258 runs @ 36.85 | SR: 130.96

Leading wicket-taker: Gurinder Sandhu – 10 wickets @ 20.80 | Econ: 6.50

Player of the tournament: Gurinder Sandhu

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With their title defence not going to plan in BBL|02, the Sixers were keen to make amends in BBL|03, consistent performances from their top six batsmen blasting the boys in magenta to a second-place finish.

But their run would end at the semi-final stage, the Sixers falling short to eventual champions, the Perth Scorchers, in a dramatic rain-affected match.

Leading run-scorer: Nic Maddinson – 211 runs @ 26.37 | SR: 129.44

Leading wicket-taker: Josh Hazlewood – 14 wickets @ 19.71 | Econ: 7.88

Player of the tournament: Nic Maddinson

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Lend Lease Breakers

Packed with international talent, the Breakers made it nine straight Women's National Cricket League titles in 2014, defeating Victoria by seven wickets in the final to complete an undefeated season for the girls in blue. 

Remarkably, veteran batters Leah Poulton and Alex Blackwell have played in all nine of the Breakers' WNCL victories. 

ICC World T20 champion Southern Stars Alyssa Healy, Ellyse Perry and Erin Osborne also made the ACA All*Stars WNCL Team of the Year.

Despite failing to make the Women's T20 final, the Breakers had the most representatives of any state in the All*Star team, with Alex Blackwell named alongside Healy, Perry and Osborne as vice-captain.

WNCL player of the year: Rachel Haynes

Women's Twenty20 player of the year: Alyssa Healy

Belinda Clark Medal (State champion): Leah Poulton

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Imparja Cup

New South Wales came within one ball of claiming the Cup for the fifth time, going down to Western Australia in a low-scoring affair at Traeger Park. Batsman Nathan Price was the lone NSW representative in the team of the tournament.

The women's side continued their dominance in Darwin, the New South Wales women raising the trophy for the seventh time in as many tournaments.

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Grade cricket

Sydney University recovered from being bowled out for 37 in their first innings to record a thrilling grand final victory over Bankstown and their third First Grade crown in four years.

John DiBartolo of Western Suburbs was the year's stand-out with the bat, managing four centuries on his way to 854 runs at an average of 47.4 while University's Nigel Cowell snared 58 wickets – five more than his nearest rival.

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Photo credit: Ian Bird Photography