On Sunday 29th September 2024 we had the privilege of welcoming our players, parents, guardians and carers, extended family members, employees and guests to the Pathway Awards Ceremony held in the Olivier Hall at St Edward’s School in order to celebrate and draw closure to the 2024 season. 

The Pathway Awards Ceremony is a key date in the pathway programme in which we come together to reward, recognise and celebrate individual achievement and team success. 

Before presenting the awards we expressed our gratitude to everyone who contributed to a successful and memorable year. We also took the opportunity to welcome and introduce our special guests, including former Oxfordshire Pathway player and current Oxfordshire Women’s player, Abi Norgrove from the Southern Vipers as the prize giver and Brian Clarke from Kidz in Focus to capture photos of our Award winners. 

We were delighted to welcome over 400 people to the ceremony, first looking back fondly on the 2024 season with a short video capturing special moments from the year. We thank our parents, guardians, carers and employees for sharing their special moments of the year, and Nick Pinhol for his integral role in putting the video together. A printed Awards Ceremony booklet was again made available, along with an online version accessible HERE to share a brief summary of the season from each of our pathway age groups and we hope that you have the chance to digest the series of reports at your leisure. 

The Awards Ceremony would shortly commence in which we recognised, and rewarded the performances and achievements of individuals and teams by presenting the following awards;

1. Individual Performance
2. Individual Recognition
3. Team Performance
4. Batter of the Year
5. Bowler of the Year
6. Disability Award
7. Players’ Player
8. Player of Year
9. Felix Byam Shaw Award

Further information on Award winners across each of the categories for 2024 can be found below.

Individual Performance

Introduced in 2018, the performance awards recognise successful individual performance and were awarded to players for their performances within the final squads in 2024. Within the Foundation Pathway (Under 13’s and below), individual performance awards were presented to players who scored fifty or more, or who took more than four wickets in an innings. Within the Talent Pathway (Under 14s and above), individual performance awards were presented to players who scored a hundred or more, or who took more than five wickets in an innings. The individual performance were presented to the following players;

Individual Recognition

Introduced in 2024 in order to recognise an individual’s selection, with players receiving a round of applause from the audience for;

• Recognition for selection within teams beyond the pathway during the season.
• Recognition for selection onto an academy or first-class county programme

Team Performance

The following team performances received recognition and applause from the audience to recognise outstanding team success in 2024. 

Batter of the Year

Introduced in 2021, the batter of the year award was presented to the leading run scorer from across the Age Group and/or, a player who has made match winning or game influencing performances and/or a player who has statistically performed above, or significantly above their peers relative to the number of games they have played. The Batter of the Year awards were presented to the following players who were deserving recipients in 2024; 

Bowler of the Year

Introduced in 2021, the bowler of the year award was presented to the leading wicket taker from across the Age Group and/or, a player who has made match winning or game influencing performances and/or a player who has statistically performed above, or significantly above their peers relative to the number of games they have played. The Bowler of the Year awards were presented to the following players who were deserving recipients in 2024; 

Disability Award

The Oxfordshire Disability Cricketer of the Year Award was introduced in 2018 and has been presented annually since to recognise an individual for their performances and contribution to the disability cricket programme and/or an individual’s connection with, and support of their peers. This year the disability award was accompanied by the addition of an annual cup that recipients will keep for 12 months. The Disability Award was presented to the deserving recipient in 2024; 

Players’ Player

Introduced for the first time in 2018, the players’ player of the year award is presented to the player who, as voted by their peers, is deemed as the most deserving for their performances or contributions on or off the field. This award may be presented to the player who has scored runs or taken wickets, an individual who has contributed to the team, or a teammate who players’ enjoyed playing with throughout this season. The Players’ Player of the Year awards were presented to the following players who were deserving recipients as recognised by their peers;  In 2024 we have expanded the winners for the Foundation Pathway (Under 13 and below) so that each of the Intra-County Age Group teams has a winner, rather than a collective winner for the age group. The Talent Pathway (Under 14 and above) remains in County Age Group only

Player of the Year

A long standing award which is accompanied by the presentation of an annual shield of prior winners that players can keep for 12 months. The Player of the Year award is presented to the outstanding performer from the age group and/or, a player whose performances have been above or significantly above their peer group and/or, the most impactful player or an individual who has contributed across multiple disciplines with the bat, ball, in the field or in a leadership capacity. The Player of the Year awards were presented to the following players who were deserving recipients in 2024; 

The Felix Byam Shaw Award

This award is presented in memory of Felix Byam Shaw who tragically passed away from meningitis whilst on holiday in France in 2014. Felix was the Oxfordshire Under 14’s captain at the time of his passing, and his death shocked, and saddened Oxfordshire Cricket.

In his memory, the Felix Byam Shaw Award was formed with the family donating a magnificent trophy to be awarded annually to a player nominated from the pathway, who displayed similar traits to Felix. The Felix Byam Shaw Award recognises selflessness and the desire to succeed or to help others to succeed and is presented to a player from within the pathway. The annual presentation of the award remembers Felix, with the trophy honouring his legacy and keeping him as a part of the Oxfordshire cricket family, despite his tragic passing.

The Felix Byam Shaw Award was presented by Kieren Bushnell and Neil Pickup. Two players and one coach were nominated for the award including Ellie Thomason, Imi Watts and Paul Rallings with citations read and each receiving a certificate. The deserving winner was decided by Jane Byam Shaw and presented to Paul Rallings. You can find out more about The Felix Project, inspired by Felix, which believes in a vision of London where no-one goes hungry and good food is never wasted HERE.

Photographs

If you would like to view images from the Pathway Awards Ceremony then please go to www.kidzinfocus.co.uk and follow the instructions and login details shared at the awards ceremony. Photographs will be available to order until 16th October 2024.

Conclusion

On behalf of everyone at Oxfordshire Cricket we thank everyone who attended the pathway award ceremony and once again congratulate all of the deserving award winners for 2024. With the season concluded, we hope that you are able to recount special moments from the year and that you have enjoyed the game we love to the fullest, either as a player competing in an Oxfordshire shirt, or as supporting parent, family member, coach or spectator from the boundary. We thank all of the players, their families, our employees and the wider cricketing community for their contribution to the season of 2024. We hope that the Pathway Awards Ceremony was an enjoyable experience and that has inspired everyone to achieve more success within the game during 2025.

We look forward to seeing you all again soon.

Sam Arthurs

Pathway Manager