This summer, the second year of the Sky Sports Coach Reward and Recognition Scheme is taking place as part of the Sky Sports Developing the Coaches sponsorship.

Sky Sports is keen to not only create more cricket coaches throughout the country, but also to reward long-serving and distinguished coaches throughout the counties.

In all 80 coaches across the country are being recognised for outstanding service to the community throughout the season and last week at Headingley Dave was presented with his award by Sky Sports commentator David Lloyd, thanking him for all his services to grassroots crickets.

Sky said the reasons Dave Brittain won this award were:

l He has spent the last 15 years managing and coaching Derbyshire’s young cricketers in their county squads. He has established an admirable reputation as a coach who is knowledgeable and upholds the best standards in conduct and the spirit in which the game is played.

l He is a Level Two coach who has involved himself fully in district cricket, such is his love and enthusiasm for the game. On many occasions holiday time has been forsaken in favour of involvement in county junior cricket.

l He truly epitomises a cricket coach who has given outstanding service.

In addition to rewarding long-standing servants of cricket coaching, Sky Sports is currently working in partnership with the ECB to provide Sky Sports coaching scholarships for new coaches throughout the country including Europe.

In the first year, the Sky Sports ECB Coach Education Programme reached over 5500 coaches throughout the country, 50 per cent more then had been targeted for.

This year, the scheme will look to reach thousands more cricket coaches, involving schools and clubs nationwide.

Sky Sports are one of the major contributors towards ECB grassroots cricket, whose grass roots participation figures rose by 27 per cent in the last year.

This scheme will support the development of 1.25 million youngsters each year throughout the 38 counties.