Revisiting last year's LV= Insurance Pride of Cricket Award winners: "The proudest moment of my cricketing journey"

From dedicated lifelong club members to the young cricket fanatics who represent the future of the grassroots game, the LV=Insurance Pride of Cricket Awards honoured six special individuals in 2021

For anybody who has graced the cricket field – whether that be at club, village or school level – there will be at least one person that they can identify as an unsung hero of the game.

Maybe it's the understated grounds person who never fails to prepare a road with wide marks perfectly etched, the ever-present scorer with the immaculate set of coloured pens, or the tireless fixture secretary busily ensuring that every junior, senior and veterans team at the club gets a game each week.

The LV= Insurance Pride of Cricket Awards were created to salute those heroes. And the 2021 honours board displayed six worthy winners – from club stalwarts with decades of service to a cricket-mad 10-year-old raising thousands for his club.

Ahead of the closing date for 2022's award nominations on September 1 (with every winner receiving a pair of tickets to a day of the Ashes in 2023), we caught up with four of the everyday cricketing heroes that the LV=Insurance Pride of Cricket Awards honoured last year.

• Click here to nominate somebody for a 2022 Pride of Cricket Award

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Steve Fletcher of Whitley Hall CC in Yorkshire was given the overall Pride of Cricket Award for the five decades and countless manhours he's plunged into playing, coaching, administering – even bar managing – on behalf of his club and the local leagues.

Having nominated Steve for the award, clubmate Joe Webster told The Cricketer: "He epitomises the club, what we are, how we go about things, and he is there for everything and everyone.

"His is a passion that’s natural, you don’t teach it. It's a natural love of the game."

"It is hard to put into words what he has done for the club," said Joe in reflection one year on. "We needed to find a way to say thank you and this award helped us to come together as a club/community and say that."

Steve's son Alex remembers how his father reacted to winning the award: "He was extremely surprised and overwhelmed by just how many people had voted and posted lovely comments about him. There were messages from not only across the country, but even from overseas."

Among the well-wishers, there was a special video message recorded from one of cricket’s most famous faces. "The video from then England Captain Joe Root (see below) was amazing acknowledging all the efforts he has put in with local cricket in South Yorkshire," said Alex.

Having been diagnosed with cancer last year, Steve is now a less frequently seen face at Whitley. But asked how he'd like his father's legacy to be remembered. "I’d like people to remember just how much one club meant to one person. Putting everything for the club before any of his own needs or wants."

• Click here to nominate somebody for a 2022 Pride of Cricket Award

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Thanks to the critical part he played in finding his beloved Billingshurst CC a new ground and the years he spent dedicated to the betterment of and development of the club, Jim Burroughs was posthumously recognized as the inaugural LV= Insurance Club Hero.

Indeed, so woven into the fabric of the club was Jim, the club decided to rename their West Sussex home the Burroughs Oval in honour of how he fought with such "determination and stubbornness" to secure the site and obtain the best facilities possible from the local council.

Proudly reflecting on the award, Jim's son Mike Burroughs told us: "It meant a lot to the family, especially considering how soon after it came after Dad passed. It was lovely that his work to the club and community over a 30+ year period was recognised by a wider audience."

In addition to the renaming of the ground, there are plans next month to give Jim a proper Billingshurst send-off on the club's Presidents' Day attended by past and present members.

"We as a club are very keen to continue what Dad started and to even kick on that little bit more," said Mike.

"His wider legacy is that the club is still in such good health.

"One of the last things he really wanted to push was for a woman's team, and they have just finished their second season and the numbers and interest are fantastic."

Who’s your Club Hero? Nominate them now by clicking here

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"It was the proudest moment of my cricketing journey." That's how Simon Trott describes winning the 2021 LV= Insurance Media Hero Award. He showed the passion and ingenuity to take Overton CC's digital presence from a sporadically used Facebook page and website to a fully formed media package that included live streaming, match highlights, social media and podcasts – an effort that tripled junior participation and added new senior players to the Hampshire club's squad.

"This year we’ve had over 250 people of all ages and abilities taking part. Five years ago, it was no more than 50!"

So why was it so important to Simon to develop Overton’s online presence? "We do a lot of good things at the club so it’s important to get the message out there. Social media has enabled us to connect with the local community in a huge way."

And now Simon is starting to see his example rub off on other clubs in the local area.

"Within the county, most clubs, big and small, have really worked hard to improve what they do online," said Simon. "I've noticed a real improvement in the atmosphere at matches, with players from opposite teams socialising more as clubs become more familiar with each other, helping raise the profile of the recreational game."

Does someone you know deserve to be the 2022 LV= Insurance Media Hero? Click here to nominate

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The ACE Programme – a charity with a mission to encourage more young people of African and Caribbean heritage to engage with cricket – has gone from strength to strength since its formation in January 2020.

And 2021 LV= Insurance Community Hero Simon Jackson has been at the heart of helping it grow, using his role as head coach at the renowned Whitgift Cricket Academy to integrate the grassroots programme.

"I'm a proud Jamaican and have experienced some of the very issues that affect the young players and coaches from the Afro-Caribbean cricket community which ACE are trying to address," said Simon. 

"The smiles, warmth and competitive sporting nature of the community is on show at any of the ACE training sessions or matches."

With the vision and purpose of ACE now expanding out to other multi-cultural areas of London like the Borough of Haringey, Simon says that anybody wanting to get involved with community cricket shouldn't hesitate.

"Your time and effort will be extremely appreciated and personally satisfying. A little goes a long way within our sport of cricket and there are so many ways and avenues in which you can offer assistance – from your local village club or state school to charities like ACE, MCC Foundation Hubs & The Refugee Cricket Project"

Know a community cricket star like Simon? Nominate them now for a Pride of Cricket Award