Durham Cricket has been awarded the ‘Team of the Year’ at Sport Newcastle’s 45th Annual Awards Dinner at Newcastle Civic Centre.
The prestigious award follows their promotion and return to top flight cricket and the clubs remarkable turnaround from the turbulent times they have experienced in recent years.
The award was made to the whole of the club, not just playing staff, who have shown such resilience, unwavering commitment and determination to get the club firmly back on their feet, reversing the damage of fines, point deductions, refinancing and restructuring imposed on them through no fault of their own.
Scott Borthwick received the award on behalf of the Club and said, “We have been amazing this year, we have played some outstanding cricket, we set out at the start of the year that we didn’t want to just be promoted we wanted to go out and win the Division and that is what we achieved.
“The members at Durham are so important to us, they are the life and soul of the club. The North East has such passionate fans, so to finally do it this year after a tough few years was pretty special and I really believe we can challenge for Division 1 next year.”
Sport Newcastle is the City’s oldest and most inclusive sports charity, supporting grass roots sports and helping the sporting dreams of young people and clubs in the region.
The annual award ceremony recognises the success across all sports and also focuses on the young Rising Stars of sport.
Mike Booth, Sport Newcastle,Vice Chair, said, “We are all very proud of everyone who received awards on the night.
“The Durham Cricket ‘Team of the Year award’ was made for their achievements on and off the field and for the remarkable turnaround of the club’s fortunes, following the destabilising times of point deductions, fines and restructuring and for getting the winning feeling back to North East County Cricket.”
Durham Cricket received the award from Phil Edmondson, Managing Associate Partner, Ward Hadaway, who said, “This award is thoroughly deserved and everyone connected to Durham Cricket should be rightly proud of what they have achieved as a team and as a club flying the flag for the region and county cricket in the North.”
Major awards were also presented to: Joy Eze, Gateshead Harriers (Young Sporting Success of the Year), Becky Langley and Eddie Howe, NUFC ( Coaching Award), Kieran Reilly, BMX Freestyle Champion (Sporting Success of the Year) and Sarah Hunter CBE, Rugby Union (Wilkinson Sword, Lifetime Achievement Award).
Other award winners on the night were: Rising Stars, Haydon Mustard (Cricket), Gabi Freeman (Swimming), Orson Groot (Ice Hockey), Edward Solovyov (Figure Skating), Billie Netherton (Gymnastics) David Rice (Athletics) Jakub Bobkowski (Basketball) Serenity Waugh (Martial Arts) Jake Westgarth (Trampolining) Ben Redshaw, (Rugby Union) Daisy Burt (Football) Lewis Miley (Football).
The awards evening was supported by headline sponsors Tier One Capital and S.O.S. Group and award sponsors Ward Hadaway, Redgate Lodge Motor Group and Central Employment.
Sport Newcastle is a voluntary organisation that was established in 1968 to promote and develop sport in Newcastle and the surrounding areas. The charity supports over 40 different sports and provides grants, awards, and scholarships to talented athletes, coaches, and clubs.
The charity also recognises and celebrates the achievements of local sporting heroes through its annual dinner and hall of fame. Patrons of the charity include Alan Shearer CBE, Sir John Hall and Jonathan Edwards CBE.