Sunday saw some of Devon clubs' exceptional volunteers celebrated at a rain-affected Cooper Associates County Ground.
The Cricket Collective Awards are a celebration of the exceptional contributions clubs and volunteers make across grassroots cricket across the county, with Sunday's soggy affair providing a belated opportunity to recognise last year's winners.
Winners and runners-up were invited to watch Day 3 of Somerset CCC's Rothesay County Championship game against Sussex CCC from The Thatchers Terrace.
Lunch was provided in the Colin Atkinson Pavilion before further rain saw Somerset CCC Head Coach Jason Kerr present awards to our Devon winners in the museum.
Connecting Communities - Ashburton CC
Ashburton CC, driven by Marcus West have constructed a thriving women's section at the club with over 25 players. All players are provided with equal opportunities and have become a real community. Other club members have also assisted with coaching. The women's section would not be able to enjoy this wonderful sport without Marcus and the club's support.
Runner-up:
Carolyn Roper & Budleigh Salterton CC
Cricket Innovators - Joe Farr
Joe became social media manager three seasons ago and has since been crucial in bringing Plymstock CC into the digital age. He goes above and beyond with his work, which has helped to raise the profile of the club online. His great work includes capturing the important moments during the season, raising awareness of fundraising events and socials, and he has recently helped digitise photographs and memories from the club's 125-year history. Joe has made members, both past and present, feel more connected to the Plymstock CC community than ever.
Runner-up:
Tom Prismall (Ottery St Mary CC)
Game Changer - Bradley Aldridge
Bradley joined the Ipplepen CC Junior Coaching squad last year, taking on All Stars, completing the Activators course and becoming an important member of the team.
The All Stars had the best introduction to cricket with Bradley. He has the right mix of enthusiasm, kindness and patience to be able to help coach and develop Ipplepen CC's future cricketers.
Growing the Game - Alan Rodgers
Alan has taken on the role of head of juniors at Bradninch & Kentisbeare CC over the past two years and has increased the number of fixtures available for the junior children significantly. He always finds a way to get a game for the children, whether that is by bringing in children from his school to play or training parents to umpire, score and manage the games.
He has particularly prioritised girls' cricket in the last year, with softball and hardball teams, and starting girls-only training on Wednesdays led by coaches from the women's team to inspire the next generation.
He himself has run a lot of the girls' games and always celebrates their successes with the club. He is passionate about girls' cricket and wants to see the next generation of female cricketers thriving at B&KCC.
Runner-up:
Rob Courtice (Ipplepen CC)
Inspired to Play - Emma Cooling
Self-proclaimed Disability and Schools cricket coordinator, it's impressive what Emma has achieved in the last 12 months. Introducing the game to hundreds of new participants, many never having had the opportunity to play any sport before.
Working in collaboration with Devon cricket and Devon schools coordinators, Emma has organised festivals and matches for over 20 mainstream schools, with many of the children experiencing cricket for the first time.
However, it’s the opportunities that Emma has created for our disabled community that are most impressive. From a standing start, Emma now supports local groups by providing adapted cricket-based activities to 100’s of new participants.
Year-round, she hosts weekly table cricket sessions, often for adults with severe and complex needs who have never been involved in sport before. Initially supported by Devon Cricket, Emma now often runs these sessions by herself, adapting the game of table cricket to meet the needs of her players, and the joy of participation is clear.
During the season, she runs weekly softball cricket sessions for adults with learning disabilities, along with a multitude of events for SEND children and special schools. Her enthusiasm and creativity make every session relaxed and fun. One event saw the youngsters create their own cricket tea, which, of course, they got to eat as well.
Emma inspires those to get involved who never knew they could, and goes about her work with incredible warmth and good humour. She is so deserving of this award.
Emma's contribution caught the attention of the ECB, going on to be named as the National Inspired to Play Award winner for 2025.
Runner-up:
Ane Stone (Bideford/Littleham/Westward Ho! CC)
Lifetime Achiever - Sheila Harding
Sheila is Topsham St James CC. She has been involved with the club for decades in numerous roles as secretary, treasurer and scorer, to name just a few. She is instrumental in everything that goes on at the club. As well as being the driving force at her club, she has also given up countless hours for the Devon Cricket League and East Devon Youth Cricket League.
Sheila is the volunteer every club needs and thoroughly deserves this award.
Runner-up:
Keith Cudby (Thorverton CC)
Metro Bank Champion of Girls' Cricket - Fionna Wratten
Fiona has taken a brand new team of girls at Sandford and moulded them into the most fantastic and committed team, who love playing cricket. She is a total inspiration and role model. The girls adore her, as evidenced by their commitment and their sheer joy on and off the pitch and at training.
Runner-up:
Regina Lilii (North Devon CC)
Rising Star Award - Finley Cull
Finley was an invaluable part of the Barton Belles' first year in the women's softball league. Volunteering to complete an umpiring course purely to support the team, his calm presence and ability to make sound, confident decisions, even when challenged, brought a reassuring sense of integrity to the field.
Runner-up:
Amelie Watson (Exmouth CC)
Safe Hands Award - Johnathan Liddon
Johnathan (Gert) volunteered to coach the women's team at Chudleigh CC. His calm, kind and collaborative style is the reason players consistently come back to training. Gert has created a supportive environment for all players. He reads the mood, adapts sessions accordingly and is always thoughtful about each player’s comfort and confidence.
His quiet dedication, inclusive approach and unwavering support have been fundamental to our development.
Runner-up:
Spencer House (Budleigh Salterton CC)
Unsung Hero - Alex Carr
Alex has been the heartbeat of our cricket club since joining, stepping into leadership roles almost immediately and never looking back. After serving as second team captain, he went on to lead the first team before returning as second team captain this year while also taking on the role of chairman. His commitment is relentless.
When the women's team faced collapse, Alex rallied a squad and now trains them weekly, following his support of All Stars sessions. He offers one-to-one coaching and leads the club’s training nights, always striving to elevate players at every level.
When the bar secretary was unable to continue, Alex stepped in without hesitation, managing stock, placing orders, and personally running the bar after matches until closing time. He even takes care of the bar’s line cleaning, ensuring everything operates smoothly behind the scenes.
He completed safeguarding officer training when the club faced compliance challenges and frequently assists the ground staff with upkeep. His involvement spans every corner of the club, from leadership and coaching to operations and hands-on support.
Alex embodies dedication, adaptability, and heart. Quite simply, the club wouldn't run without him.
Runner-up:
Tania Horrocks (North Devon CC)
Volunteer Grounds Management Team of the Year - Ipplepen CC
The ground looked stunning in 2025, and this was due to the hard work of Ipplepen CC's dedicated team. They have had a huge amount of games to prepare for and put in countless hours, day and night, to make it possible to play cricket.
The club are extremely grateful for all of the hard work they all put in to make the ground as fantastic as it is.
Runners-up:
Sandford CC
Coach of the Year - Hollie Perkin
Hollie has been a volunteer coach at Brixham CC for many years, coaching on the club's All Stars and Dynamos programmes. Over the last few years, with the ratio of boys to girls approaching 1:1, the club have set up a girls' team over the winter, with Hollie playing an instrumental part in coaching the team. Manager Sean McGhee exclaimed that it's "great for us as a club to have such a strong female coaching team."
Runner-up:
Chris Bowden (Cornwood CC)
Outstanding Contribution - Services to Coaching - Ian Taylor
Ian Taylor has been inspiring children to play for over 15 years. He is the driving force of cricket at Exmouth Community College, championing boys' and girls' teams. He runs after-school clubs for all age groups, is actively involved in SEND cricket festivals, and makes every effort to organise as many competitive fixtures as possible.
At Budleigh Salterton CC, he is a huge supporter of the growing women's team, from coaching sessions to umpiring and scoring matches. Ian has introduced hundreds of children to cricket, who all love it because of him.
Runner-up:
Pete Guest (Heathcoat CC)
Young Coach of the Year - Joshua Arthur
Josh has supported coaching at Instow throughout the years, leading warm-ups and drills in winter nets for hardball players as well as taking groups of younger softball players. He took the lead with the younger group at summer camps last season, building a great rapport with them and making every session fun.
He has been a fantastic coach for AllStars, working well with the younger children and sharing his enthusiasm for cricket. When not leading All Stars sessions, he has helped with Under 10s and 11s training, all while studying for his A Level exams.
A huge congratulations to all of our nominees and thank you to every volunteer across clubs in Devon, without whom cricket would not be possible.
