After another amazing year of people dedicating their services to cricket, it was time to celebrate the 2023 Outstanding Services to Cricket Awards at The County Ground.

Over the course of the day, there were fourteen different winners who were all recognised for going above and beyond for the game in 2022.

Senior Clubs and Community Manager Patricia Hankins believes that it is important to acknowledge those that might not usually get the recognition they deserve.

“These days are all about celebrating those who really dedicate a lot of their time to making sure their club is the best it can be.

“It’s important that they get recognised as there really are many amazing people who are improving the game across the county.” She added.

The Winners were:

Coach of the year – Tiaan Raubenheimer – Tiaan has rejuvenated the youth system at Geddington CC in recent years, bringing an extremely professional approach to coaching and making sure everyone has the chance to enjoy their cricket.

Coach of the year – Joanne Carlier – Joanne has worked tirelessly to promote, support and coach Women and Girls cricket. She has helped in the creation of 2 girls teams that have entered leagues this year

Unsung hero – Roger Lewis – Roger is Weldon CC’s groundsman, maintenance man, spare bar manager and anything else that the club needs at the time. Roger prepares all the pitches for both the adult and youth games. He put out and takes in the ropes so all the players need to do it turn up and play each week. Roger not only does all this for the cricket club but works tireless for the British legion as well raising much needed funds.  

Lifetime Achiever – Frank Keightley – , Frank moved to Old CC in 1973, with the club in danger of folding Frank set about turning the club from a faltering pub team into the club it is today.  Frank took on the role of chairman in 1990 and has guided the club through numerous promotions, in recent years he has stepped down from being chair and is now the president.

Connecting Communities – Lynsey McIntosh – Lynsey came up with the idea of providing cream teas for the elderly residents as well as making over 200 cup cakes which were given out to the community to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee in 2022. These initiatives help to create so much goodwill and cement the clubs place at the heart of Cogenhoe.

Outstanding Contribution – Services to Coaching – Simon Hill – “Sarge” has lead Old Northamptonians CC’s junior and minis cricket for nearly twenty years now. Initially this was by leading sessions and training single handedly but over time he has supported and mentored a full club of junior coaches meaning the club can now offer more cricket to many. His effort over the past 20 years has meant we have not only provided numerous young cricketers for the club but also for the county age group set up as well.

Cricket Innovators – Declan Ryan – Declan has showed a real passion for improving the club, helping get grants and new sponsorship to help make improvements, revamping the clubs website and social media to great success giving Old CC more exposure than ever before.  He has also started a women’s section at the club and has already been appointed as vice chairman.

Game Changer (17-25) – Josh Martin – Josh joined Weekly and Warton CC as a young overseas player and has now become a central figure to the club. Josh is now Head Coach of the youth section, improving it year on year and has also worked extremely hard to improve the club facilities.

National Programme Activator – Daniel Shaw – Dan has been a huge advocate for children’s cricket, he has introduced so many new children into cricket through All Stars and Dynamos. He has worked so hard behind the scenes to make the training sessions fun and engaging and as a result the Friday night training sessions at Weldon CC are now at capacity. Even more importantly, he has welcomed many new families into the club, and has made a special effort to bring in girls, which means for the first time ever there is an under 11 girls team.

School of the Year – Grendon Primary School

Official of the Year – Umpire – Allan Packer – For the last 15 years, Allan has umpired at Cogenhoe CC and has rarely missed a game, making sure player welfare is always the best it can be.

Official of the Year – Scorer – Honor Wethey – Honor scores for one of Evenly’s teams every Saturday afternoon and also for our midweek team on Wednesday evenings – all of this despite being a full-time student at Liverpool University studying Veterinary Science!

Coaching Club of the Year – Silverstone Cricket Club – Since the introduction of National programmes in 2018, the club’s junior section has developed massively, with the club entering their first hardball league in 10 years in 2022.

Rising Star – Isaac Whewell – At just 13 years of age, Isaac is a natural leader and extremely supportive in his coaching, with professionalism that belies his age.