There were some excellent nominations for our Grassroots Heroes of 2020, and we are going to highlight as many people as we can over the next month. Our next Grassroots Heroes are The West Hallam White Rose CC Junior Volunteers and Ian Hadfield from Duffield CC.
The West Hallam White Rose CC Junior Volunteers
This was a group nomination for Joe Fields, Matthew Tatler, Harry Porter, Adam Caldwell, Richard Swain, Jordan & Ryan Tingle, Scott Wright, Ben Clarkson, and Annette & Richard Owen.
They were all nominated for creating a brilliant platform to rebuild West Hallam White Rose CC’s junior squads.
2019 into 2020 saw winter & summer training start for children 4 years old and up so that they could begin their cricketing careers. There has been a fantastic uptake from primary school aged children in the village. 40+ children have attended at least one session, the first most important step to ensuring the club’s sustainability is getting the kids interested and attending. Everyone involved has put great effort into getting the word out and promoting cricket to young players, all individuals named above have given their time on Sunday to run the sessions on top of the time it takes to organise. Which should be commended in the current COVID climate.
Well done Everyone!
Ian Hadfield
Ian is an ever-present at the club, seemingly there 7 days a week to support adults and kids with their cricket. He has helped to turn the club’s Friday Night All Stars sessions into a weekly festival of cricket that is enjoyed by the whole community in the Summer. We have frequently had over 100 four to six year old children playing on Friday nights, many of these kids have progressed into kwik, semi hardball and hardball over the past four years.
This summer the club was able to field a Girls Under 10s team for the first time, who competed against boys and mixed teams. All of the girls had progressed from being All Stars.
Every time you visit the nets or the club, Ian is there. He offers coaching, equipment, and support to all players of all levels but above all, he encourages people to play their cricket with a smile on their face. His positive, patient attitude has turned the whole club into a more welcoming, inclusive place for families, girls, and those new to the game.
Keep up the good work Ian!
