Volunteers rewarded for commitment to cricket
Eight volunteers were awarded with a NatWest Outstanding Service to Cricket Award (OSCAs) at a prestigious event at Lord’s on Monday 30 September, attended by 400 guests from cricket clubs all over the country. They included- the Outstanding Contribution to Disability Cricket Award to Stefan Pichowski, for his dedication to deaf cricket.
It was the eleventh NatWest OSCAs, which were created in 2003 to reward cricket’s unsung heroes and recognise the efforts of volunteers at club level. The awards form an integral part of both NatWest and the England and Wales Cricket Board’s Volunteering Programmes which give clubs advice on recruiting, educating and rewarding volunteers.
Hundreds of volunteers were nominated through clubs and county cricket boards, and discussed by an esteemed panel of representatives from the ECB, Sport England, the Lawn Tennis Association and NatWest.
The eight winners were:
The Outstanding Contribution to Disability Cricket: Stefan Pichowski
Stefan Pichowski has been involved in Deaf Cricket for nearly 20 years. He has
shown enormous fortitude and tremendous commitment to promote Cricket for people who are deaf or hard of hearing for many years in the UK and more recently worldwide. He was an international player for the England Deaf Cricket
Team in one World Cup, three Ashes series and in a bi-lateral series against Pakistan performing with distinction on the World Stage. When his playing career was curtailed by a recurring shoulder injury and then diabetes he maintained his commitment to deaf cricket by increasing the amount of voluntary work he was undertaking in improving the governance of the Deaf game, both domestically and on the international stage.
In 2006, he became Chairman of the England Cricket Association for the Deaf, and quickly showed he was a man of sound organisation, great integrity and vision. He took the lead in arranging three test series and setting up national indoor competitions. He played a key role in bringing Deaf Cricket under the umbrella of the ECB to the point where the England Deaf Cricket Team is now fully integrated into ECB’s England Cricket Department and ECAD are able to concentrate on developing the recreational game for people with Hearing Impairment.
Stefan’s work to improve the structure of Deaf Cricket in the UK is of real importance, he focussed on developing the game at grassroots level and providing the opportunities for people with hearing impairment to enjoy the sport. To this end, The England Cricket Association for the Deaf will shortly promote a new 5 year national development plan in which he has played a key
role, working closely alongside the ECB and with other agencies including National Deaf Childrens Society, UK Deaf Sport and the English Federation for Disability Sport.
But it is not just in this country that Stefan has been able to influence progress. In 2013, He became Vice Chairman of the Deaf International Cricket Council (DICC) with a remit to promote dialogue amongst other cricket nations to develop cricket. He worked relentlessly to get the Council moving forward together. Now, under this new remit, he is engaging closely with ICC to champion and promote cricket for the deaf globally.
Stefan is long overdue recognition for the hard work and unwavering commitment that he has shown to developing cricket for people with a hearing impairment. It is with great pleasure and sincere gratitude that ECB recognise Stefan's contribution to deaf cricket by Awarding him the OSCA for Outstanding Service to Disability Cricket 2013.
Behind the Scenes: Chris Moore, Staffordshire
Building Partnerships: Azam Riyard, Sussex
Leagues and Boards: Peter Butter, Sussex
Lifetime Achiever: Jack Greenwood, Yorkshire
NatWest CricketForce: Nick Allcoat, Nottinghamshire
Officiating - Umpires & Scorers: Sue Drinkwater, Gloucestershire
Young Volunteer: Alex Havers, Norfolk
Paying tribute to the winners, David Collier, Chief Executive of ECB, said:
“The NatWest OSCAs really is one of the highlights of the cricketing summer – when we rightly take time to thank and reward the game’s volunteers. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to every single one of the them – they truly are the lifeblood of cricket in England & Wales.”
(Photo courtesy of ECB NatWest OSCAs 2013)
Cricket has no boundaries
As the governing body responsible for all cricket in England and Wales, ECB's vision is to become and remain the world’s leading governing body in providing access to the sport of cricket for disabled people. The organisation wants to deliver a culture of inclusion at all levels within their sport and ensure that people with any impairment are respected and valued for the contribution that they make to the game.
To find out more about this vision and what ECB is doing to deliver across various areas of activity, please download the Disability Cricket Vision document as a PDF below:
ECB Disability Cricket Vision 2009 2013 (288 KB)
If you require assistance accessing that file, please email
Contacts
If you have any questions about disability cricket, want to get involved, or find participation opportunities near you- email the ECB team or regularly search our events pages.
