MCC and The Cricketer launch the Community Cricket Heroes campaign for 2025

Last year's award recipients included Heather Booth di Giovanni, who supported a street project in Bristol, helping refugees play cricket before she launched Bristol Afghans Under-19s, and the search is on to find this year's recreational champions

The Cricketer | 25/04/2025 at 08:30

The search has begun for 11 more champions of the recreational game… and if we find anyone as inspirational as Heather Booth di Giovanni, we'll be doing well.

MCC and The Cricketer have launched the Community Cricket Heroes campaign for 2025. Now in its third year and the successor to the Community Champion award, it sees 11 heroes of grassroots cricket hosted at Lord's. Last June, they saw the England v Sri Lanka men's Test, watching from the suite of MCC president, Mark Nicholas.

Last year's winners included Booth di Giovanni, a former civil servant who was an accounts wiz for the Blair government. She had a Canadian father and an American mother, and came to England via New Hampshire and Buenos Aires.

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^{Last year's winner, Heather Booth di Giovanni, was inspired by Chance to Shine (Chance to Shine)}

"My inspiration was hearing Mark explain why he founded Chance to Shine when I was still a civil servant," she said. "It prompted me to support the charity. Then, after I retired in 2016, I wanted to do something completely different. That winter, I read an article about a street project in Bristol helping refugees play cricket. They'd formed a club, Bristol Afghans, and played a season in the North Somerset Cricket League. I was impressed and wrote to offer support. I knew nothing about cricket, I'm not sure I knew it existed, but I gave the captain a bit of money and started going to matches to watch.

"Somebody from the opposing team asked me to score. I had no idea how, but I soon went on a course. I was also the club's administrator. I helped them for a few years, but they got fed up of 'Auntie' telling them what to do, so I founded Bristol Afghans Under-19s. I recruited a coach, a wonderful man called Ahmed Hassan, who is still with me now.

"Gloucestershire Cricket Board and Chance to Shine helped us, and we hired nets and pitches, thanks to a West Indian side in Bristol. In the first season (2022), we got to T20 Gloucestershire finals day at the County Ground. We lost, but it was a wonderful day. In 2023, we struggled, but we learnt from that, so instead we became a Sunday development team, with the coach playing on the team to guide them.

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^{Booth di Giovanni's team made it to the T20 finals day at the County Ground in Gloucestershire in their first season (Getty Images)}

"Then I founded Afghan Youth Cricket Bristol for 14 to 25-year-olds. We teach cricket skills, but we also nurture and offer life skills. Most of our players are under the care of social services, and have either lost, or been separated from, their parents since early teens. They face racism and cultural negativity, but they have this safe space to find their path in society. The team has become like a family. I'm also helped by a marvellous Czech man called Martin Worndl."

Heather even gives the players baskets of fruit.

This year's heroes will be chosen from the nominations by a special judging panel that includes Huw Turbervill.

The panel will be looking for entrants who make a demonstrable positive difference to their community through cricket, from volunteers who go above and beyond for their club and community, to coaches inspiring people on and off the pitch, or players who have overcome adversity to play or help the game.

The winners will be at Lord's as special guests of MCC's president to watch a day of a major match at Lord's. Nominations close at midnight on Wednesday, June 4, with the selected MCC Community Cricket Heroes announced shortly after.

To nominate someone, visit www.lords.org/heroes