North Bangladesh Cricket Association End of Season Awards
PLAYERS and supporters of the North Bangladesh Cricket Association (NBCA) descended on Hyde Town Hall last month to celebrate the success of their inaugural season.
Formed earlier this year, the NBCA featured nine teams from Bangladeshi communities in Cheshire, Lancashire and Yorkshire with matches running from May until September.
Bredbury St Marks CC in Cheshire was one of the host venues, with local team Hyde Boys CC enjoying a successful season.
Backed by the Cheshire Cricket Board and the Lancashire and Yorkshire Cricket Foundations, the NBCA represents is a ‘first of its kind’ initiative to support and create more cricketing chances for members of the Bangladeshi community.
Speaking at the end of season awards, Cheshire Cricket Board Communities Manager Rehaan Rather said: “It was fantastic to be present for this event and to see so many teams and individuals collect awards for their performances over the season.
“We are very much committed to supporting the NBCA and to providing more opportunities across Cheshire. By working directly with role models from within the Bangladeshi community, this enables us to extend our reach and give even more young people the opportunity to pick up a bat and ball.”
In addition to the competitive fixture programme, the NBCA have supported the personal development of some of their members, with a number of players working towards ECB coaching qualifications this summer. NBCA chairman Mahmudar Rubel Rahman won the ECB Grass Roots Connecting Communities Award for his contribution to the All Stars Cricket programme at Millennium Park in Hyde.
Mahmudur said: “It has been a fantastic season for North Bangladeshi Cricket Association both on and off the field. I would really like to thank Cheshire Cricket Board for all their help and support.
“We hope we can continue to provide more cricket opportunities in the Cheshire area. I thoroughly enjoyed the All Stars & Dynamos sessions and the icing on the cake was winning the Connecting Communities Award.”
Humayun Islam BEM, CEO from BEAP Community Partnership and a non executive director at Lancashire Cricket was the master of ceremonies at the end of season awards. He was keen to underline the importance of working together to secure a brighter future.
Humayun said: “I would like to thank Cheshire Cricket Board, and Rehaan Rather in particular, for all his support of the NBCA – it has truly inspired more cricket in the community. I can only see the NBCA grow with the support of CCB and it’s going to be another brilliant season of cricket next year.”