Kent Cricket Academy Awards 2012

Kent Cricket Academy Awards for 2012 were presented today at the St Lawrence Ground, during tea on the second day of Kent's LV= County Championship match against Derbyshire.

Colin Page Scholarship

The Colin Page Scholarship is presented in memory of former Kent player and coach, Colin Page. Colin coached many cricketers over the years, but his love for developing young home-grown talent saw him spend many hours during the winter months in the Indoor Schools at both Canterbury and Sevenoaks.

This year’s recipient is Nathan Hill from HSBC Cricket Club, whowas presented with a cheque for £250 by Kent County Cricket Club President, Mike Denness. He receives this year’s scholarship having been identified by the Kent U17 Performance Squad Coaches as an individual who has shown a great attitude and commitment towards his cricket during the winter training and summer match programme.

John Aitken Gray Trophy – Best Academy Scholar

Kent County Cricket Club was delighted to welcome Myrna Gray back to the St Lawrence Ground today. She presented the annual Academy scholarship of £500 and the trophy in memory of her late husband John Aitken Gray. We are extremely grateful to Myrna for her continued support of our young scholars and itwas a delight to see her at Canterbury.

This year’s recipient is Deanna Cooper whois the first female to receive this award since the Academy was established in 2003. She is a student at Canterbury Christchurch University and plays her club cricket for both Rodmersham and Hayes Hurricanes. Deanna is a right arm medium bowler who has represented England Senior Women’s Academy, England U19 Women and Kent Senior Women’s team this summer.

Previous recipients of this award include Adam Ball, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Alex Blake and Sam Billings.

High Performance Director, Simon Willis commented on the Award; “It has been a pleasure to have Deanna on the Academy this year. Through self-motivation and hard work she has taken her all round game forwards and has even surprised herself in what she has been able to achieve with improved confidence. She is a worthy recipient of this award.”

Honours boards for both these awards with all previous recipients can be found in the Kent Cricket Academy.

Photo: Sarah Ansell