Alastair Cook handed out the awards at ECB's annual volunteer recognition event at Lord's - watch this exclusive video

What are the NatWest OSCAs?

The NatWest OSCAs (Outstanding Service to Cricket Awards) are aimed at recognising those volunteers who give so much of their time to the game of cricket – without these individuals the game would not survive.

Details of the nominations process for the NatWest OSCAs 2010 will be announced here in due course.

The 2009 NatWest OSCAs at Lord's saw seven different category winners acknowledged for their outstanding volunteer contribution to cricket in England and Wales.

The annual event is designed to recognise those who generously give up their time to ensure cricket clubs run smoothly across the land.

England batsman Alastair Cook presented the awards while ECB Chief Executive David Collier praised the efforts of every volunteer around the country.

The winners were:

Behind the Scenes Paul Fletcher (Leicestershire) and Nazir Ahmed (Yorkshire)

Building Partnerships Mohammed Razaq (Gloucestershire)

Leagues and Boards Ruth Prideaux (Sussex)

Lifetime Achiever Malcolm Pratt (Durham)

NatWest CricketForce Richard Butler (Devon)

Outside the Scorebox David Edwards (Surrey)

Young Volunteer Niall Holmes (Cumbria)

Please contact your County Cricket Development Manager or visit your County Board’s website for more details.

What volunteering means to cricket

It’s fair to say that cricket could not survive without its huge army of unsung heroes.

Malcolm Pratt accepts his Lifetime Achiever award from Alastair Cook and Mike Gatting at this year's ceremony

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Volunteering, just to be clear, includes everyone who gives their time in some way to help the game.

It includes small gestures, like making teas at a fundraiser. And there’s a simply huge swimming pool of tea being brewed every year!

And it includes more fundamental contributions of course, such as coaching kids’ teams, which may of course include the stars of the future.

It’s no exaggeration to say that big stars like Andrew Strauss and Andrew Flintoff simply wouldn’t be where they are today without the hard work of volunteers.

What volunteering means to volunteers!

Cricket volunteers do it out of love for our beautiful game. But there are other benefits too.

It can help you keep fit, de-stress, lose weight (if necessary), develop personally and give you a sense of intangible satisfaction.

If colleagues do it together, it can improve team spirit. Most importantly of all, it gives you something to boast about in the pub.

"A strong England team and a flourishing grass-roots game go hand in hand," said Strauss.

"You all have a vital role to play in nurturing the next generation of England cricketers and I want you to know that everyone in the current England team fully appreciates the importance of what you do."