It was a night of celebration at Emirates Riverside, as Durham’s most talented junior cricketers were awarded for their hard work and success at Durham Cricket’s Boys Junior Presentation evening.
The awards night held in the Riverside Lounge, saw boys’ county age group teams from the under-12s up to the under-15s in one room celebrating the past season.
Durham Academy Director, John Windows opened the evening, he said: “This is an excellent chance for all our players to be under one roof and celebrate the achievements of our superb players this summer.
“This is the first time we have held one of these awards nights and to have all players and parents in one room is so good to see.
“This has been a great summer of cricket, and it has been backed up by some outstanding performances and results on the cricket pitch, which we can all see tonight.”
Durham Cricket Academy Head Coaches; Will Gidman (Boys Under 12), Cole Pearce (Boys Under 13), James Lowe (Boys Under 14 & Under 15s) spoke about their team’s hard work and dedication throughout the summer, praising the boys all their success.
Under 12s and Under 13s were victorious at Ampleforth Festival with the under 12s winning their semi-final by one run and final by two runs, while the under 14s finished level on points with Cheshire and Lancashire to top the ECB Under 14 Division 1 group.
It was a successful summer for the under-15 boys too, going unbeaten in the ECB Under 15 Division 1 B group, before falling just short in the ECB national semi-final against a strong Worcestershire side at Hetton Lyons.
Durham all-rounder, Ben Raine was in attendance alongside Director of Cricket Marcus North, both presenting trophies throughout the night.
Raine said: “Playing county age group cricket is something which you will remember for the rest of your life.
“I remember my first game for Durham under-10s at Greenside, these are games which are the best when you are young, playing with your mates and having fun on the cricket pitch.
“You are the future of the Durham cricket team, so when you’re playing and representing Durham and your clubs, go out and have fun and it is something you will remember for a long time.”
Players were awarded trophies for being bowler and batsmen of the year with an overall player of the year being selected from the season. County caps were also presented for those players scoring centuries and taking five wicket hauls.
Awards:
Under 12 Boys
Ethan Connolly: 5/26 v Bedfordshire
Batsman of the Year: Callum Gaffney
Bowler of the Year: Joe Twiddy
Player of the Year: Callum Gaffney
Under 13 Boys
Charlie Scorer: 5/26 v Northumberland
Batsman of the Year: Henry Hopkins
Bowler of the Year: Sebastian Hughes-Pinan
Player of the Year: Henry Hopkins
Under 14 Boys
Batsman of the Year: Ben McKinney
Bowler of the Year: Jack Scott
Player of the Year: Ben McKinney
Under 15: Boys
Jake Pratt: 5/16 & 113* v Cumbria
Batsman of the Year: Robbie Dawson
Bowler of the Year: Luke Husband
Player of the Year: Jake Pratt
There will be two events held to recognise the girls involved in our pathway, which will take place soon. Coverage will follow regarding these events.