Howzat for an honour? Adam scoops prestigious accolade for efforts to engage the community

Stalybridge Cricket Club's Adam Harwick has scooped a prestigious honour for his efforts to engage the local community.

Adam, first team vice-captain, beat off stiff competition to win the ECB Grassroots Cricket Award - Connecting Communities category.

The award recognises Adam's dedication to establish a thriving junior section at Gorse Hall Road - an aspect of the club that had sadly been lacking for years.

Adam, who has a longstanding allegiance with the club, has played a pivotal role in the club's development both on and off the pitch. Alongside a number of other coaches, Adam takes charge of junior training sessions on Friday evenings and has seen numbers grow week by week.

Developing a burgeoning junior section is part of the club's aim to establish a solid foundation for future success and a clear pathway into senior cricket. Adam initially anticipated that it would only be his son's football team that would participate in the training sessions, however, the power of social media and an ongoing partnership with Tameside Sport and Physical Activity Network has paid dividends.

Adam will now join Cheshire's other nominees at a ceremony to be held at The Point, Old Trafford, on Friday October 8.

Upon being announced as the winner of the category, Stalybridge released the following statement: "This year, one of the main aims was to get into the community, let them see what our club has to offer and get them involved in their local cricket club.

"Adam's hard work with the juniors was the start of this and has seen us gain many new local members (young and old) and they have been able to use the fantastic, upgraded facility to its full potential.

"Adam has been with the club since a junior himself and is someone any club would love to have on board so we couldn't be any prouder to see him recognised in this way."

Although the club's first team was relegated from Division One of the Derbyshire and Cheshire Cricket League, Adam's commitment to bring through the next generation of players bodes well for the future. The club itself has also undergone a transformation off the pitch, with the social club being renovated and a raffle, which raised almost £3,000, being used to buy junior equipment.

The club also etched its name in the history books, with second team player Madussar Bashir claiming all ten wickets for just seven runs against Hollingworth, creating a club and league record in the process. 

You can listen to our chat with Adam from May, here: https://www.questmedianetwork.co.uk/news/sport/listen-stalybridge-joint-captain-hails-junior-success/