Cricket Victoria Celebrates School Ambassadors at MCG

The event was not only a great chance to thank the ambassadors, but also provided a fantastic platform in which the teachers could network and form connections with each other.

The Awards were held in conjunction with the BBL match where the Melbourne Stars defeated the Sydney Sixers to secure their place in the semi-final.

Each of the 16 Victorian cricket regions nominated up to three teachers for the award with one winner from each region and one overall winner named.

Josh Preston was named Cricket Victoria’s School Ambassador of the Year as he was outstanding in his role as an Ambassador for his school. He registered the entire school for every Cricket Victoria program, hosted an intra-school cricket cup and was a constant support as a volunteer, helping out in any way he could.

Josh’s passion as a school ambassador is best summed up when one of his students described the perfect bowling sequence at a cricket clinic. She showed the class a 5-step process with instructions from the run up and gather position, right through to the perfect follow through.

When Josh was quizzed on how his grade ¾ students knew this, Josh modestly responded with,

“…we may have done a little bit of preparation before the clinic today…”

The School Ambassadors program plays an integral role in engaging kids with cricket at school and in programs. It has led to over 200,000 participants coming from school participation, with the majority due to the efforts of School Ambassadors.

School Ambassadors are the point of contact for cricket, help drive cricket participation, distribute information about upcoming cricket programs and events and assist in arranging opportunities for schools to be involved in clinics and competitions.

As a thank you, schools receive:

• A cricket equipment kit after delivering the Woolworths Cricket Blast Health & PE Program
• BBL shirt for entering into a Woolworths Cricket Blast School Cup
• Chance to be involved in on-ground entertainment at a marquee match
• Access to cricket equipment through Cricket Australia online shop
• Access to Cricket Australia professional development opportunities

If you are interested in becoming a School Ambassador, or would like more information about the School Ambassador program, click here.

School Ambassador Region Award Winners

Region	Winner	School
Mallee Murray	Corrine Shore	Ranfurly Primary School
Western Country	Leanne Willder	Hamilton North Primary School
Central Highlands	Amelia Pollock & Robin Baker	Skipton Primary School
Barwon	Chris Williams	Leopold Primary School
Northern Rivers	Josh Preston	St Mary’s Mooroopna
North East Country	Carolyn Willet	Yarrawonga P-12 College
Gippsland	Debbie Dooley	Lucknow Primary School
South East Country	Dillon Milekovic	Red Hill Consolidated Primary School
West Metro	Scott Woolcock	Gladstone Views Primary School
North West Metro	Wes Coles	Newport Gardens Primary School
Northern Metro	Kathy Tessier	Croxton Primary School
Inner South East Metro	Billy Atkin	Clayton North Primary School
Inner East Metro	Richard Price	Sacred Heart Kew
Outer East Metro	Chris Anderson	Belgrave South Primary School
South East Bayside	Braden King	Aspendale Gardens Primary School
Southern Metro	Mel Dennis & Jim Narayan	Brentwood Park Primary School