Kent Young Leaders in Cricket visit Lord’s

KENT batsman Daniel Bell-Drummond and chief executive Jamie Clifford attended a ceremony at Lord’s on Sunday to celebrate the Young Leaders in Cricket project.

The programme was established by Paul Daniels, junior chairman at Old Elthamians CC in Bromley, and gives teenagers the skills to volunteer for their club or district.

Young people can gain qualifications in coaching, scoring, umpiring, first aid and groundsmanship to help grassroots cricket to thrive in their local area.

Mr Daniels said: “We identified that we were losing a lot of players at the age of 14 and 15 and we wanted to keep them involved in the game.

“We came up with the idea of giving the young people a reason to volunteer to build up their confidence, life skills and qualifications while keeping them in cricket.

“The feedback from the Young Leaders and their families has been very positive as they have seen an increase in their confidence through their volunteering and fundraising.”

Bell-Drummond answered questions from the Young Leaders and presented prizes for their work with more than 3,000 hours of volunteering and raised £3,500 to cover the cost of the project.

More than 140 teenagers collected certificates last weekend for their service and Kent Cricket CEO Jamie Clifford lauded the programme as an example of how the grassroots game is the bedrock of the sport’s ongoing success.

Clifford said: “Kent Cricket is delighted to support the programme to keep young people playing and supporting cricket in their communities. Making Kent cricket strong at every level is at the heart of our approach.

"This includes ensuring that local clubs are well-run and supported. The skills these young leaders have developed is going to help deliver well run and vibrant clubs.

"It is not simply about the sport though as the project provides the opportunity for teenagers to develop self-confidence and life skills for their future.”