An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sovereign or appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment. The word is also used informally for people who are known, without national appointment, to represent certain professions, activities and fields of endeavor such as sales.
Wikipedia
A much used phrase in Sport, a NBCC Ambassador promotes the club across social media and in person. They conduct themselves in a manner befitting the club and encourage others to do the same by way of setting an example and mentoring.
They champion the cause(s) they are passionate about, and which NBCC support, and they help individuals develop and further their Whakapapa through the game of cricket, hopefully by arranging a game that will raise awareness and funds for their chosen charity or project.
NBCC Ambassadors
Marie Kelly is without doubt an incredible talent and a thoroughly decent person as well. You will see this for yourself if you follow her on Twitter @MarieKelly96, or go and watch her play for Warwickshire Bears, Loughborough Lightning, or the Trent Rockets in The Hundred. Having already played for England Under 19s and having been called up to the England A team recently we have have fingers, toes and paws crossed that we see her in the full England Team shortly. No huge surprise that Marie is a talented and passionate coach as well and we hope to be able to use those skills from time to time if her busy schedule allows.
Rob Lewis aka @elitebandwagon aka Barmy Army Superfan will be known to most cricket lovers as the sole England Supporter at the rearranged Sri Lanka Test of 2021 (he arrived to watch them in 2020) and the guy who spoke to Joe Root on the phone from the Castle. To be fair, that is enough to make him an ideal ambassador for NBCC. What many don’t know is his total love of Sri Lanka and his passion for helping the Street Dogs on the South Coast of Sri Lanka who have a project @wecare_srilanka run by an amazing vet @janeythevet. A love for cricket and a passion for helping abandoned dogs, and a role model to many cricket fans, could we ask for a better Ambassador?
James Buttler aka @cricket_badger is a sports journalist and broadcaster possibly best known for the Cricket Badger Podcast. A former media manager at Yorkshire Cricket Club he remains passionate about the club. He was the first to publicly back Azeem Rafiq and, to his credit, remains steadfast with his support for both Azeem, Yorkshire CCC and the need to cricket to address the issues of racism and inclusivity. His chosen charity, which we are delighted to support, is the Alzheimer’s Society after he experienced the effect the disease had on his late Grandmother.
George McMenemy aka @McMcMenemy is one of he most passionate cricket fans and players that you will ever have the privilege of meeting and has a tremendous story as how cricket has helped him overcome the tragic loss of his mother and the resultant PTSD and his Dyspraxia. Not only will George be promoting NBCC and helping others understand how cricket can help with life in general, he will playing for us as well with his distinctive appearance and style guaranteed to make you smile!
Tamara Lowe is the driving force behind the amazing The Cricket Kindness Project, and we are absolutely delighted that Tamara is has joined NBCC as an Ambassador. Fair to say that Tamara is a force of nature, and her energy and passion are only equalled by her ability to deliver, so we are expecting to be kept on our toes! Don’t be fooled by her Twitter user @cricket_fairy. Her desire, and ability, to improve the lives of disadvantaged children through the game of cricket is an exact fit with what we are trying to achieve. Together we aspire to leave no unused piece of equipment gathering dust when it can be in the hands of a child.
Rob Franks (@Robfranks) has joined NBCC as an Ambassador and a Player (where we are looking forward to him being joined by his son Harry) because Rob’s story is simply inspirational and truly amazing. A tale of two innings so to speak, a former Middlesex Captain he injured his leg and following surgery which left him in severe pain he took the remarkable decision to have his left leg amputated above the knee so that he could carry on playing. His second innings has seen him represent England and he currently plays for Parley Cricket Club in Dorset, and is believed to the first above knee amputee in Britain to play cricket with a running blade, a £12,500 Running Blade at that!
Vicky Hadley (@chillibean2018) has joined NBCC as an Ambassador not only because she is passionate about cricket but because she is the mother of the absolutely amazing Leonie Hadley-Wilkinson (#TeamLeonie) our very first Whakapapa Warrior.
Mark Church known to thousands on Twitter as @backandacross where he posts a daily cricket shot video to sum up the day ahead, he is a cricket commentator for BBC London covering Surrey County Cricket Club, and also works on Surrey TV. Chair of the Tony Church Pancreatic Foundation (set up following the death of his father) which aims to raise funds to help provide care and assistance for those suffering from Pancreatic Cancer.
Melinda Farrell (@melindafarrell) has joined NBCC as an Ambassador (Woman and Girls’ Cricket). Having written passionately about the issue of periods in cricket we are delighted she is joining our team focussed on increasing awareness of the issue. Along with NEXX Cricket, Lacuna Sports, Fab Little Bags and Coaching Mentor Ali Choudhry we think we have a pretty formidable team …. but we are always on the lookout for more talent!
Tom Goodings xxxxx
Whakapapa Warriors
Leonie Hadley-Wilkinson, our first Whakapapa Warrior. If anyone embodies the combination of belonging and strength it is the amazing Leonie Hadley-Wilkinson. Her smile alone makes us want her to be involved with No Boundaries. Born 11 weeks prematurely she was diagnosed at the age of 1 with Quadriplegia Cerebral Palsy the most advanced of all CP diagnosis.
Cricket Kindness Ambassadors
Please check out this page to meet our amazing ambassadors.