A Sports student from Shropshire has been awarded a scholarship by the ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥ to support her bid to develop the next generation of cricketing talent.
Caitlin Perry, 21, from Bishop's Castle, has been involved in the sport since she was a youngster and is hoping to share her passion with others.
"I'm currently working with the Shropshire County under-11 and development squads at Wrekin College, as well as coaching with the juniors at Bishop's Castle Cricket Club, which is where I got into the sport," she said.
"I really enjoy this mixture because it gives me the chance to work at the performance end of the scale with the county squad, as well as developing new initiatives and seeing new talent come in to the game at the club level. Bishop's Castle Cricket Club has given me so much throughout my life, and I want to give something back to the children from my local area."
Caitlin, a 3rd year Sports Development & Coaching student at the ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥, was awarded £200 by the University's Scholarship Panel to continue her volunteering.
"The scholarship will really help me with travel costs," Caitlin explains. "Getting to Wrekin and Bishop's Castle for training is quite costly, and of course, during the summer, we'll have a lot of matches to get to. Plus which, I'll need funds for new balls, which always seem to be disappearing."
A successful cricketer herself, Caitlin has a clear plan for the future. "I've always played cricket myself. For the last 2 seasons I've captained the Bishop's Castle 2nds men's team, but I've stepped down from the captaincy this year to focus on my studies and my coaching," she said
"Once I graduate I will be spending the summer months coaching cricket in primary schools for the Shropshire Cricket Board, as well as with Bishop's Castle Cricket Club at training and fixtures. Once the junior cricket season is over I plan to organise and run sports camps for children, then give myself a few weeks off at the end of the summer prior to beginning a PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) in the autumn."
***Photo courtesy of WN Bishop Photography***