European pair scoop awards

Scotland and Germany were among the winners as the ICC development programme announced its regional winners at the 2007 annual awards.

Cricket Scotland was awarded Europe’s best overall cricket development program while Taggarts’ sponsorship of Scotland’s grassroots programme won best cricket promotional and marketing award.

Cricket to German schools won Europe’s best junior cricket initiative and Germany’s Oldenburg U17 women's tournament picked up best women's cricket initiative.

Elsewhere in the Europe awards, Ireland’s John Wright collected a lifetime service award and Jos Heggelman of the Netherlands was named Europe’s volunteer of the year.

Best spirit of cricket award in partnership with UNIADS and UNICEF went to the Madrid Cricket Club & UNICEF Twenty20 tournament.

The development program annual awards, which began in 2002, promote excellence in cricket development and recognise exceptional performance and service to the game in the ICC’s 91 associate and affiliate members.

Nominees in 2007 came from a range of levels - country, club, association, team, school and individual - highlighting the positive impact cricket is making on the lives of people from culturally diverse communities.

The regional award winners will each receive an ICC plaque and be put forward for the ICC global awards for which the winners will receive a US$2,000 cricket equipment grant.

Bermuda and Namibia each took three awards after 162 nominations were received from 49 different members.

Namibia picked up awards for the best overall cricket development programme, best junior cricket initiative and best cricket promotion and marketing award.

Bermuda also secured three awards; the best overall cricket development programme, best spirit of cricket award in partnership with UNAIDS and UNICEF and the photo of the year.

Scotland and Germany were among seven other member countries collected two awards each. The others were Botswana, Nepal, Indonesia, Japan and Vanuatu.

Two members – Peru, who only joined the ICC as an affiliate member in 2007, and Suriname – received prizes for the first time.

ICC global development manager Matthew Kennedy said: “These development programme annual awards have become more competitive each year and the regional judges have recently had a very tough task.

“As well as congratulating the winners, I’d like to say that all the submissions leave us feeling immensely positive about the health of the game around the world.

“This year’s awards again illustrate the way many established development programmes are flourishing as well as how new initiatives and programmes are coming to the fore. The global awards are sure to be heavily contested.”