Shropshire stars heading for lord’s
Two Shropshire cricket coaches have been shortlisted for national awards.
Jonathan Caldecott and Simon Gregory are in the running for the awards which will be handed out as part of the NatWest OSCAs event at Lord’s on October 9.
Jonathan was put forward by the Shropshire Cricket Coaches Association in the Outstanding Contribution to Coaching category, while Simon was nominated for the Coach of the Year award.
Both received their certificates for their Shropshire awards from England’s Assistant Head Coach Paul Farbrace during the Test match against India at Edgbaston earlier this month.
Jonathan, from Market Drayton, is lead coach for Shropshire’s disability sides, with the D40 side once again making the national final this season, as well as coaching at club and county level over the years.
SSCA Chairman Ian Gregory said Jonathan had had a ‘remarkable impact upon a significant number of club and county players within Shropshire’.
“He’s a club man, a performance cricket man, and an inspirational character for male and female cricketers of all ages and ability, significantly those with a disability.
“The success of the Shropshire Disability squad speaks for itself, and JC is absolutely at the heart of providing energy and enthusiasm to every player.
“If you ever want to see player-centred coaching, JC embodies exactly what that philosophy is all about.”
Simon was nominated after his work with Shropshire Age Group sides, both boys and girls, and also at his club, Bridgnorth where he plays for the first team in the Birmingham League. He has also played for Shropshire this season.
His highlight came in 2017 when he coached the Shropshire Under 14 Boys’ side to victory at the prestigious Taunton festival.
He also saw four of his Under 17s Girls squad selected for the West Midlands Regional Development Centre, whilst three of the girls he coached were selected for the Warwickshire Girls’ U17s squad for the 2018 season.
Cricket Shropshire’s Performance Cricket Manager Ed Ashlin said: “Simon truly embodies the spirit of an exceptional modern-day coach – giving back to the game of cricket through development of junior cricketers (both boys and girls).
“He helps them enjoy reaching their full potential and continue to play the game of cricket for years to come, representing club, district, county and possibly beyond.
“But he is not just about coaching high-performance teams.
“At club level, he has a wonderful ability to flex his coaching plans to ensure every child can reach their own full potential at whatever level that might be and for them to feel fully engaged and positive about their achievements in the process.”
He is also Head of Girls Cricket at Moreton Hall School.
Shropshire also nominated Rachel Chesters from St Georges CC as their Young Coach of the Year for her work at her club and with Shropshire age group sides.
