Sophie lands Chance To Shine award

Double KIA Super League winner Sophie Luff was amongst those honoured at the Chance to Shine Awards this week.

The annual awards, which are backed by NatWest, recognise the work that clubs, individuals and schools do to support grassroots cricket.

The event was hosted by BBC’s Eleanor Oldroyd and was attended by former England internationals Ryan Sidebottom and Matt Prior.

Sophie, who is Somerset Cricket Board’s Women & Girls Head Coach and a Community Coach, was named as the Schools Coach of the Year.

After receiving the award, Sophie said: “I love going in to schools and trying to inspire children to pick up a bat or a ball so that they go on to love the game as much as I do. To win an award for something that I love doing is really special. This is a big step in my coaching career and I know that in the years to come I will look back on this fondly.”

Chance to Shine is a national charity that has been working since 2005 to deliver cricket coaching sessions in state schools and disadvantaged communities. Over the years, the charity has reached more than four million young people, 46% of whom are girls, in over 16,000 state schools across the country.