IT is not every day that the England captain drops in, so the 100 members and family present were delighted that World Cup, Ashes and World T20 winning skipper Charlotte Edwards was guest speaker at Stradbroke CC presentation evening.

IT is not every day that the England captain drops in, so the 100 members and family present were delighted that World Cup, Ashes and World T20 winning skipper Charlotte Edwards was guest speaker at Stradbroke CC presentation evening.

After regaling everyone with stories about her successful cricket career, she presented the following awards:

Player of the year. James Ling (1st XI), Simon Higgins (A team), Billy Freeman (B team), Ollie Bickley (academy and U15), Liam Smith (U13), Tom Davey and Will Bacon (joint U11), and Chloe Ackerley (girls). Alex Fitchett (320), Simon Higgins (669) and Liam Smith (210) were leading run scorers for the adult teams, while James Ling (28), Lee Bedwell (31) and Dan Manley (14) took most wickets.

The junior 'most improved player' trophies went to Adam Smith (academy), Bradley Tennens (U15), Tom Hargrave (U13), Jonathon Steele (U11) and Kara Pierce-Saunderson (girls).

Charlotte then presented the North Suffolk U13 and U11 shields, as well as the Lady Taverners Suffolk U13 and U15 trophies, all won by Stradbroke in 2009.

Finally, Michael Hugman was presented with a lifetime achievement award.

Stradbroke CC certainly has a lifetime ahead of it, a fact not lost on the highest-profile lady cricketer in the world, who said it was a real delight to see that whilst England are on top of the world, grass-roots clubs like Stradbroke are building a base for future success.