At the recent Middlesex Coaching Awards presentation event at Lord’s, the Middlesex Coaches Association (MCoA) recognised the achievements of three female coaches. In a sparkling ceremony in the Middlesex dressing room in the pavilion, two Middlesex ‘greats’, Gus Fraser and Mike Gatting, paid tribute to the growth of women’s and girls’ cricket and coaching in the county and then presented awards to Stephanie Reingold, Emma Whiteman, and Laura Thomlinson in recognition of their achievements in the field of coaching.
Steph Reingold (Stanmore CC) was the winner of the award in the category ‘Outstanding Contribution – Services to Coach Development’ and this extract from Steph’s citation epitomises all that she has contributed, ‘…Stephanie is the heart, soul, and arteries of the club. From management to administration, from coaching to peer support, she continues to inspire many young children and those who have grown and played through the ranks and who themselves are coaching the younger members of the club… Without her commitment and drive and more evidently passion for the game and the development of grass roots cricket the club would not be able to survive…’
Amongst the nominees for the ‘Coach of the Year’ award were two outstanding female coaches. Middlesex is top of the ECB national league table for the number of qualified female coaches, and such has been the progress in the development of women’s cricket in the county and alongside this huge advances in the number and quality of female coaches, that the MCoA felt that this achievement had to be recognised. Certificates of Achievement were awarded to Emma Whiteman and Laura Thomlinson.
Emma coaches at Crouch End CC and is fully involved in club life. In her citation, it was reported that ‘…she keeps the training sessions challenging but never forgets that they need to be fun to keep all players motivated and engaged…’ Emma is also the Women’s and Girls’ Cricket Operations Executive for the county club. In Laura’s citation, it was reported that ‘…Laura is a leading light as a young female coach in the county…her work has led to the development of an amazing and unique girls section at Highgate CC…’
After the presentations, the award winners and nominees in all categories attended the Middlesex Ashes Preview Lunch in the Long Room where Middlesex members applauded the hard work and achievements of all our coaches.
Date for the diary – for all Middlesex female coaches. There is to be a coach development event specifically for female coaches on Sunday 20 February 2022 at William Perkin School. Further details will follow soon, but please make a note in your diaries now.
