Following a month-long nationwide campaign to find the unsung heroes of the grassroots game, 11 new MCC Community Cricket Heroes have today been announced.
The campaign, run in conjunction with The Cricketer magazine, aims to celebrate the grassroots game and the thousands of people who support it and make it happen.
A team of 11 winners were chosen from hundreds of nominations received by MCC and by a special panel, which included former England cricketers Claire Taylor and Mike Gatting, one of last year’s winners Lachlan Smith, MCC Foundation Director Dr Sarah Fane, MCC Committee member Arfan Akram, Deputy Editor of The Cricketer, James Coyne and MCC’s Head of Community and Inclusion, Ricky Reynolds, who chaired the meeting.
Last year, in its inaugural year, the MCC Community Cricket Heroes were found and invited to Lord’s to watch a day of the England v Ireland men’s Test match.
The 2024 winning nominations, who were chosen for their contributions and dedication to the grassroots game and their community, include Lynne Newell from Worcester, who has helped make cricket more accessible for the visually impaired community as well as establishing women’s and girls’ cricket at her club and Tariq Aslam from Newham, who has been instrumental in bringing cricket to his area by allowing opportunities and securing facilities for his players.
One of the winners, Heather Powell from Leicester, who has continued to lead youth coaching sessions through her chemotherapy treatment, received the news of her win in person and described being selected as "overwhelming," saying that “out of everyone who volunteers in cricket across the country, to be part of this 11 is really special.” The below video shows Heather's reaction as she learned of her win.
The team of heroes will be special guests of MCC President Mark Nicholas to watch a day’s play at either the England v Sri Lanka men’s Test match or the England v Australia men’s One-Day International from the prestigious President’s Suite at Lord’s.
MCC Head of Community and Inclusion, Ricky Reynolds, who chaired the judging panel, commented: “After a successful launch and first year in 2023, our Community Cricket Heroes campaign really demonstrated some of the fantastic stories that exist in our grassroots game.
“After looking through so many outstanding nominations this year, we have found 11 more heroes, each of whom have made a demonstrable difference to their respective communities and are representative of all of those hard-working people involved in grassroots cricket in the UK.”
One of the winners, Navneeta Gahonia, who has made a big impact on her local girls cricket community in Northamptonshire by focusing on the mental wellbeing of the girls on the pathway, said: “I am thrilled to be chosen as an MCC Community Cricket Hero. I take real pride in being able to support a new generation of girls developing their love for the game. Making cricket as welcoming as possible to create an increasingly diverse community of players, coaches and supporters is vital to the long term success of the sport.”
The full list of MCC Community Cricket Heroes is as follows:
- David Alloway – Knaresborough Forest Cricket Club (North Yorkshire)
- Tariq Aslam – Newham Cricket Club (East London)
- Heather Booth di Giovanni – Afghan Youth Cricket Bristol Cricket Club (Bristol)
- Mark Byrne – Gwersyllt Park Cricket Club (North Wales)
- Navneeta Gahonia – Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
- Lynne Newell – Old Elizabethans Cricket Club (Worcestershire)
- Heather Powell – Leicester Electricity Sports Cricket Club (Leicester)
- Richard Sanders – North Enfield Cricket Club (North London)
- Mohammed Soomro – The Roebucks Junior Cricket Club (South East London)
- Paul White – Yorkshire Gentlemen’s Cricket Club (North Yorkshire)
- Martin Williams – Tiffin School (South West London)