Bears pick up two gongs at Business of Cricket Awards

The awards celebrated a summer of excellence across the First-Class Counties, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and The Hundred, whilst recognising the key contributions of those behind the scenes and the Bears took home two gongs, winning the Raising The Game – Most Inclusive Sport Award, while Errol Simms was awarded the Dinesh Patel MVP.

The Club won the Most Inclusive Sport Award for its innovative partnership with GiveVision, which transformed the live cricket experience for people with sight loss. Judges noted that the “impact for each person who used the GiveVision tech was huge”.

The service, which is free of charge, aims to improve accessibility in live sport, enabling visually impaired fans to follow the action in real time and enjoy the match experience alongside friends and family.

The headset enhances the user’s remaining vision by stimulating the photoreceptor cells of the eye, bringing the live action directly to the user. Real-time broadcast feeds are streamed directly into the headset, with user-controlled visual adjustments tailored to individual sight loss. In rolling out the initiative, Edgbaston became the first cricket stadium in the world to implement the technology.

The Club also celebrated Errol Simms as the Dinesh Patel MVP. Simms, Warwickshire’s Cricket Centre Manager, was praised for his “unwavering commitment to helping others” and for doing so in a “positive and welcoming manner”.

Lancashire County Cricket Club took home three awards, while Somerset claimed two titles and ten other counties, including the Bears, were also recognised. The broad spread of winners this year showcased the exceptional talent, innovation and hard work across the whole professional game.

Before the awards were brought to a close, there was a celebration of one final person. At 80 years old, Glamorgan’s Dressing Room Attendant, Roger Skyrme, was honoured for his ongoing 20 years of service. Described as “going above and beyond” and “doing it all with a smile”, the stalwart of the Welsh county received warm applause.

Best Domestic Spectator Experience	Glamorgan CCC
Best Men’s International Spectator Experience	Nottinghamshire CCC
Best Women’s International Spectator Experience	Durham Cricket & Somerset CCC
Best Spectator Experience - ICC Women's T20 World Cup	Yorkshire CCC
Best Spectator Experience - The Hundred	Trent Rockets
Best Development or New Facility over £500K	Lancashire CCC
Best Development or New Facility under £500K	Worcestershire CCC
Best Sustainability Initiative	Marylebone Cricket Club
Best Use of Social	Middlesex CCC
Communications Campaign of the Year	Surrey CCC
Community Engagement Programme of the Year	Sussex CCC
Most Welcoming & Inclusive Stadia	Lancashire CCC
Raising the Game - Most Inclusive Sport	Warwickshire CCC
Sponsorship of the Year	Somerset CCC
Tickets or Memberships Sales & Marketing Campaign of the Year	Lancashire CCC
Transforming the Women’s Game	Gloucestershire CCC
Rising Star	Bea Cain (Lancashire CCC)
Dinesh Patel MVP	Errol Simms (Warwickshire CCC)
Values Champion	Tanya Nicholls (Kent CCC)