Jon Desborough, weekday afternoon presenter on Sky Sports News, has won a prestigious national volunteering award at a charity cricket event that he arranged in Harpenden.
Jon was given the Chance to Shine Volunteer of the Year Award at the Brit Achievement Awards. He created the ‘Hitting 50’, charity celebrity cricket match to celebrate his half century age and to raise money for charity.
The award was presented to him at Lord’s Cricket Ground by England cricket star Jade Dernbach.
Other people who attended the event included England captains Andrew Strauss and Charlotte Edwards, England player Chris Tremlett and Sir Mervyn King, Bank of England Governor and Chance to Shine President.
The Cricket Foundation’s Chance to Shine charitable campaign recognizes people who volunteer to run cricket clubs in schools.
The Hitting 50 event raised an amazing £20,000, despite the terrible weather on the day.
Jon said: “When I was a kid at school, cricket was my first love but the difficulty was there was not much of a team and we did not have any kit and equipment. It would have been great if Chance to Shine was around back then.
“When I was 47 I got back into the game and when I reached the age of 49 I thought, hang on a second, there’s a big birthday coming up and I should organise something a bit special.
“I wanted to do it for Chance to Shine as I wanted to say, ‘where was something like this when I was a kid.’?”
Others players who took part in the event included Gloucestershire and former England players Angus Fraser, Alex Tudor and Jack Rusell, Gloucestershire wicket keeper, Jonathan Batty and Irish cricketer Kevin O’Brien.
Jon’s colleagues at Sky Dermot Murnaghan, Kay Burley, Lucy Versamy, Georgie Thompson and Sarah Jane Mee were at the event cheering their friend on.
What's Happening in St Albans blog