Awards for Root, Compton

Two batsmen pushing for a place on England's winter tours are the winners of the 2012 Cricket Writers Club Awards.

Yorkshire's Joe Root, backed by many as the next long-term replacement in retired Test captain Andrew Strauss' position at the top of the England batting order, has won the CWC's Young Cricketer of the Year award.

Meanwhile, the inaugural County Championship Cricketer of the Year, sponsored by William Hill, is Somerset's Nick Compton.

Both 21-year-old Root and Compton, 29, are already England Lions batsmen and both conceivably in the reckoning for promotion to the Test squad - the latest one is set to be announced on Tuesday for the forthcoming tour of India.

Before then, their CWC trophies were presented at the annual club lunch at London's Plaisterers' Hall.

Root learned his early cricket at Sheffield Collegiate CC, as did former England captain and opening batsman Michael Vaughan.

He made 746 runs in 15 first-class matches this summer, including a best of 222 not out in Yorkshire's promotion campaign from Division Two of the LV= County Championship as well as a century for the Lions against West Indies at Northampton.

Compton was within a whisker of becoming the first batsman in almost a quarter-of-a-century to pass 1,000 first-class runs before the end of May.

He scored 1,191 runs in championship fixtures at an average of more than 99 - with four hundreds, seven 50s and a best of 204 not out.

The grandson of England great Denis Compton just pipped Durham and England seamer Graham Onions to the new trophy.

Compton said: "I am greatly honoured to receive this award. I intend to continue to do all I can to develop further, and through sheer weight of runs. aim to press my case for England inclusion.

"Hopefully I can be an example that late developers can flourish on the biggest stage, and that what one learns down some of the toughest roads can prove more valuable than having a gilded path through life."

Root was a runaway 64th recipient of his award - succeeding his fellow Yorkshireman Jonny Bairstow and becoming the 10th from his county to win it.

In total, award winners have more than 2,100 Test caps between them.