The talented batting all-rounder won the vote count convincingly, finishing on 17 votes, five clear of Katandra’s Andrew Riordan, Numurkah’s Tim Arnel and Waaia’s Reinhardt Engler, who tied for second.
From the get-go, Bari led the count as his dominant season with the bat (583 runs, average of 58.3) and ball (13 wickets) was recognised by the umpires.
But even after dominating the votes throughout the count, Bari was superstitious, like most athletes, and didn’t feel confident that he would win until the last two rounds when losing was mathematically impossible.
After receiving the prestigious award, Bari was quick to thank his captain Sam Nash for allowing the star all-rounder to have a say on United’s tactics throughout games.
“As a captain, he discusses all his plans, and we try to implement them together,” he said.
“We (decided to) go by situations, not standard numbers and overs and stuff; it worked for us in our one-dayers.
“We sat together and I told him when I should bat and how I should bat in certain situations.”
Despite the disappointment of missing finals, Bari’s impressive season should give him a reason to smile as he smoked four 50s and one hundred in his most consistent A-grade season yet.
The century scored by the top-order batter early in the season was integral for Bari, as his 109 not out against Tatura in round two gave him the belief that he needed to find runs all season.
“Scoring that ton gave me some confidence and gave me the thought that I can continue with this form,” he said.
“In the past, it did happen to me where I did score some big runs early on (in the season), and then I just slipped. But this year, I just try to hold on to my nerves and say, ‘No, I have to start again,’ and the confidence is there.
“I think that ton really gave me momentum.”
Bari’s impressive Haisman Shield performance may have piqued the interest of rival clubs, but the all-rounder’s clear love for his club means that Bari is there to stay.
“It’s definitely a good club,” he said.
“I have been at the club for the last eight or nine years. When I was younger, there were some senior (players) that I worked with, and now there are juniors coming through and it is awesome to play with them.
“Just to play at Princess Park, it’s just something that goes into your blood like ‘I want to be here on this ground’.”
Bari also won the award for the best batting average in the Haisman Shield this season.
