FOR inspiring juniors, teenager Matthew Percival has ended the cricket season with silverware.

The teenager, himself a junior regularly playing for Tynedale's first team, was named young volunteer of the year at Northumberland Cricket Board's (NCB) OSCAs.

Matthew completed the ECB coach support worker course during the off-season, and he has put the skills he picked up during the 2017 season through volunteering and inspiring local juniors to take up the game.

Helping out at U9 coaching sessions at Tynedale on Friday evenings, he also completed volunteering hours for a young sports leaders' course at Hexham's Queen Elizabeth High School, which included him umpiring and scoring at school festivals ran by NCB.

As part of the county's U19 Twenty20 programme, Matthew completed an activator course and was then involved in the running and creating of an excellent match day experience with hit zones etc.

NCB cricket development officer for West Northumberland, and Matthew's first team captain at Tynedale, Tom Cant said: "In addition, the teenager helped out at a NCB U12 open day at Corbridge and it was fantastic to see a current U17 player giving his time back to the system, and it was a great inspiration for the kids to see where they can get to."

In addition to his work with juniors, Matthew also volunteered with the men's and women's groups at Gateway into the Community, a disability group which NCB delivers sessions too.

Through this, he was heavily involved in the running of this year's West Northumberland Disability Cricket Festival, at Tynedale.

Matthew was not the only cricketer across the Tyne Valley to scoop a trophy from NCB, which recently held its annual awards presentation.

Tynedale's Archie Fletcher won the Spirit of Cricket Award at U12 level, while Luke Doneathy, a regular with Stocksfield's first team, was named player of the year for the U15 county side. Ponteland's Zac Old was named the star player at U12 level.

In the female section, Annie Anderson, who plays her club cricket at Benwell Hill, was U15 player of the year, while Ami Campbell, who turns out for South Northumberland in the West Tyne League, was star senior.