Six honoured with PCA Scholarship Awards

Six PCA members have received PCA Personal Development Scholarship Awards thanks to their dedication off the field towards a second career.

Split into three categories, Derbyshire’s Anuj Dal and Harvey Hosein claimed the Newcomer award, Leicestershire’s Paul Horton and Durham’s Michael Richardson won the Current Player accolade while ex-Sussex batsman and former England Women’s star Lydia Greenway were successful in the Past Player category.

In doing so, Kent’s Greenway became the first ever female recipient of a Scholarship Award which is recognition by the Professional Cricketers’ Association for members who develop themselves away from life as a professional cricketer.

Throughout each calendar year PCA members take part in a wide range of personal development initiatives with over 87% of current players having their own Personal Development Plan. The awards aims to highlight some of the best examples from across the membership in three categories: Newcomers, Current Players and Past Players.

PCA members were invited to complete an online application where they had to state what personal development they have achieved within the last 12-months, why they should win the award and if they did, where would they spend their money.

The shortlisted candidates were invited to Edgbaston to present to a panel, which consisted of PCA Chief Executive David Leatherdale, Director of Development and Welfare Ian Thomas and Personal Development Managers Charlie Mulraine and Mark Wallace. The interviewees were tasked with presenting their own thoughts and experiences of personal development and how it could be more widely encouraged before answering questions on their presentation.

The Newcomer Award is aimed at those who are relatively fresh to personal development with this year’s winners excelling in very different fields.

Former Nottinghamshire batsman Dal was released at the end of the 2017 season and it was then he stepped up his interest in developing a second career. He has gone on to set-up Purpose Cricket Coaching, a company designed to accommodate the needs of developing young cricketers with his modern twist. He currently has 28 one-on-one clients and had a hugely successful summer camp in 2018. His end goal is to have his own academy tours overseas to offer experience of playing in different conditions.

Joining Dal in the Newcomer category is his teammate Hosein, who has dedicated his time away from cricket towards qualifications in the area of investments. This winter he moved to London to help with work experience and networking while carrying out his pre-season programme. He is in the process of completing his Chartered Institute for Securities and Investments Level 4 and the money secured through his Scholarship Award will pay for all of his textbooks and exams for the qualification.

The Current Player award was shared between Horton and Richardson with the Leicestershire batsman enjoying many work experience opportunities and having recently started the Masters of Sport Directorship course at Manchester Metropolitan University. The 36-year-old has had experience working at Urban Pulse Property, Cushman & Wakefield, the charity – Opening Up and is going to be an ambassador for Manchester based charity Hope Against Cancer.

Elsewhere, Richardson held his interview for the awards over Skype and has had a year to remember after starting his own business and finding interests outside of cricket have helped his mental wellbeing.

The 32-year-old Durham batsman started a property company called RICHMER Ltd. The venture was set-up to buy properties in areas with high rentals with limited capital growth. Through the process, he has expanded his knowledge in a number of areas including how his new company operates with HMRC, accountants, estate agents and lawyers.

In the Past Player category, Machan won a Scholarship Award due to his excellent transition away from the game after a wrist injury forced him to retire in 2017 at the age of 26. The Scotland international completed his Level 3 ECB coaching qualification before coaching Loughborough Lightning in the 2018 Kia Super League. He has also achieved outside of his comfort zone by developing his passion for property and investment into viable career options.

Former Kent batsman Greenway featured 225 times for England and has gone on to create her own company since she retired in 2016. Also interviewed via Skype, she explained how Cricket for Girls was launched two years ago and how the company has already worked with over 100 schools to deliver effective programmes for schools who are embracing girls cricket for the first time.

Greenway becomes the first female winner of the Scholarship Awards after the England Women became professional and officially PCA members in 2014. Throughout her career she gained various qualifications and experiences including a degree through the Open University, Level 3 Personal Training course, ECB Level 2 Cricket Coach Course and voluntary work for The Cinnamon Trust.

PCA’s Director of Development and Welfare Ian Thomas said the Scholarship Awards is a key component in the PCA’s activities to support players through their transition into a second career.

“The Scholarship Awards is a great event in the annual calendar for our Personal Development and Welfare Programme. It is a great opportunity to champion our members, both current and past players who have engaged in the Programme and crucially invested in themselves through their individual Personal Development Plans.

“All the winners have been brilliant and not only in their presentation but also in the open question and answer session.

“It’s great to hear what our members have done but we also get a lot of value out of hearing their opinions on how we can better support our members so the PCA get a lot of value out of the Scholarship Awards.

“Ultimately, we are a members association so obtaining their feedback on the Programme and how we can better support them is hugely beneficial.

“The Scholarship Awards should encourage others to think of their own futures away from the field, it doesn’t matter how big of a step they are taking, any step is one forward to prepare for their future.”

All the winners received a financial award to be put towards the cost of their Personal Development and become PCA Personal Development Ambassadors for 2019.

To find out more about the Personal Development and Welfare programme, click here.