The great and the good of community cricket in Surrey were recognised at the Surrey Cricket Foundation Grassroots Cricket Awards last week.
There were ten awards handed out for those who have made a real commitment to developing the sport in the county. The ceremony took place at The Kia Oval during Surrey’s Royal London Cup match against Warwickshire.
Surrey’s Dan Worrall, who has played a vital role in the campaign so far, and Emma Jones from the South East Stars were in attendance to acknowledge the achievements of those who played a vital role in supporting the game.
Winners on the day included Frimley Cricket Club who won the ‘Connecting Communities’ Award for their efforts to make a difference to those in their local area – linking up with local schools to share facilities and running a tapeball cricket league that has built successful links with the area’s South Asian community. Not only has the club made an effort to support those living nearby, but it has also worked to help those in Ukraine – coordinating donations from the community and organising a distribution network to ensure that they reached the places they were most needed.
21 year-old Billy Sewell was named as the ‘GameChanger’; an outstanding cricketer on the pitch, it is his work for others that has caught the eye. Sewell is a huge part of Wimbledon CC, he leads the coaching of the U10 boys team, giving up his time to mentor and coach them to help develop their skills. The young man is also becoming a real heartbeat of the club, volunteering to score and umpire whenever required and coordinating social events.
Charley Teale of Guildford CC received the ‘Inspired to Play’ award recognising her terrific efforts to support the growth of the women’s game at her local club. Two years ago, Teale started the first girls section at the club, setting up an U15 team. She worked incredibly hard to promote the team and recruit players from local schools. This has resulted in over 50 girls joining the club, many of whom have never played at a club before, and the setting up of three teams to meet that demand.
Chris Coleman, Director of the Surrey Cricket Foundation, said “Congratulations to all the brilliant winners at this year’s awards. There are some inspiring stories of people who are making a real difference at the grassroots of the game. We’re very lucky here in Surrey to have so many people who give up their time to grow the sport and to help others across the county.”
Full List of Winners
Connecting Communities – Frimley CC
Cricket Innovators – Matt Bradshaw (Kenley CC)
Game Changer – Billy Sewell (Wimbledon CC)
Growing the Game – Martin Kovats (Southwark Park CC) and Sanjay Patel (Salfords CC)
Inspired to Play – Charley Teale (Guildford CC)
Rising Star – Rohan Handa (Charterhouse School)
Safehands Award – Carole Wright (Egham CC/Surrey Cricket Foundation)
Unsung Hero – Andrew Derham (Horley CC)
Volunteer Grounds Team – Grounds Team at Chipstead, Coulsdon & Walcountians CC
Lifetime Achiever – Andy Major (Newdigate CC)
