Yorkshire Cricket Board

Steve Bradbury (Rodley CC)

Steven Bradbury has been involved with Rodley Cricket Club for 30 years. In the past, he has held the roles of 1st & 2nd XI captain, secretary, treasurer, junior manager, coach, scorer, cricket chairman and now has the roles of under 13s and under 15s coach, umpire, chairman, groundsman and development team captain - where he introduces the juniors to senior cricket. In addition, he has acted as league representative, league secretary, league fixture secretary, league webmaster and area cricket council secretary.

Since taking over chairmanship in 2012 and creating the first 5 year development plan, Rodley Cricket Club has flourished and moved into senior cricket. Steven negotiated an agreement with a local building college which saw them build Rodley’s first proper clubhouse and pavilion. The project provided full time college students and young offenders a real life opportunity to develop their skills and experience life on a proper building site. Steven acted as project manager for the new build and the partnership with the college enabled him to successfully raise over £170k in grants and loans alongside approximately £40k worth of volunteer’s time. Steven was responsible for all project planning, procurement and health and safety, even sourcing taxi and coach companies to voluntary transport students to and from the site. The clubhouse was formally opened in 2015.

All this work was carried out whilst working full time and with a young family. His dedication, vision and energy have provided a legacy that will ensure the long term future of Rodley Cricket Club. This is remarkable, considering in 2012 the club was at a crossroads and were seriously considering whether to continue at all.

Simon Desborough (Heslington CC)

Simon Desborough really is at the heart of Heslington Cricket Club. He lives and breathes the club and regularly goes above and beyond what anyone could ever be expected to do. Having been club chairman for over 10 years (taking up the role in his mid-30s), he has managed the club through a significant transition including the move to a new ground, the establishment of a thriving junior section and the renaming of the club to reflect the change from a work's team to a community cricket club.

Simon has overseen the growth of the Heslington junior section that, in only its 5th year, now has over 70 juniors and runs sides at U9s, U11s and U13s. This growth would not have been possible without Simon. He has put his heart and soul into starting the junior section and his passion has only grown over the last few years, showing his commitment to the club and the future of cricket in the area.

Above all, Simon is a ‘doer’. He lends his hand to anything going; be it on the BBQ at club events, assembling chicken wire fences, rolling and cutting wickets, sorting the groundsman’s shed, umpiring and scoring, running the U13s side, supporting captains on team selection and sourcing of players/officials or attending league meetings and events as a representative of the club. He is a genuine club leader that has taken Heslington through an unprecedented period of growth and development.

Last season, Simon suffered a serious injury during a football match. He was very ill for a number of weeks and complications meant that the initial injury became more serious than initially thought. This did not stop Simon working behind the scenes for the club! Although not coaching for a little while, all the background work that he has always done continued. Simon did even coach on crutches on a number of occasions!

Nominations for the 2018 OSCAs are OPEN until Friday 15th June! To view the criteria and download a nomination form, please click HERE.