New Milton Cricket Club’s Dan Wooster honoured by Hampshire Cricket Board (HCB) for his tireless support and dedication to the club, while figures from Paultons Cricket Club and Hythe & Dibden Cricket Club also feature

New Milton Cricket Club’s chairman, groundsman and youth coach, Dan Wooster, has been honoured by the Hampshire Cricket Board (HCB) for his tireless support and dedication to the club.

The HCB compiled a list of 13 nominees for their Volunteer of the Month award, with 49-year-old Wooster taking the top honour and fellow clubmate Jamie Gawler earning the runner-up position.

Wooster, who has lived in Highcliffe since 2015, recently took on the role of chairman while also serving as one of the ground staff and the U9 coach, said: “I had nominated Jamie Gawler as the Volunteer of the Month as he does a huge amount of work around the club. I initially saw that Jamie was a runner-up, so I clicked on the link to look at the other nominations. I was very surprised to see my name at the top, announcing me as the winner.

“It was quite a shock, and I felt quite emotional and very humbled that people thought so much of me. The truth of it, though, is that all of the volunteers at the club do so much, and I couldn’t do it without their help and support and, of course, the support I get from my family and especially my wife, Lucy.”

The HCB statement read: “Dan has been an invaluable asset to the club. He has worked tirelessly to organise the ground staff, fundraise, and secure new equipment and labour for ground improvements.

“In addition, Dan successfully negotiated a new 25-year lease with the local council and secured club sponsorships. He also finds time to train the U9 and U11 teams during winter training.

“Dan’s dedication to the club is unmatched, and the club wouldn’t be what it is today without his unwavering commitment.”

Three other local volunteers made the initial 13-person list: New Milton Cricket Club’s Jamie Gawler, Archie Dunn of Paultons Cricket Club, and Hythe & Dibden Cricket Club’s Ian Prentice.

The HCB nominations statement read: “Jamie [Gawler] is an invaluable force at New Milton, taking on the roles of club coach, lead groundsman, and an active committee member, coaching juniors and senior men, maintaining the grounds, and volunteering for every task, ensuring the club is always ready for the season.

“Archie [Dunn] volunteered to coach the Paultons U9s, quickly becoming a key figure in their development, fostering a strong team bond, and giving his time and energy to the club despite having no children himself.

“Ian [Prentice] has gone above and beyond in his role as Hythe & Dibden vice-chairman, dedicating countless hours with his family to refurbish club facilities, maintain the grounds, and support coaching, ensuring the club is in excellent shape for 2025.”

Wooster first became connected with New Milton CC around 2005 when his brother-in-law, the then third-team captain, introduced him to the club. Since then, he and his wife Lucy’s eldest son, Joseph, has become the second-team captain, while his second son, Edward, is the first-team wicket-keeper.

Wooster added: “I became much more involved in 2011 when I became the U9 coach, coaching both Joseph and Edward until U15s. Since then, I have been very much involved in the club, becoming the fourth-team captain around 2015.

“I stepped down due to work commitments around 2018/19 and started helping out with the groundkeeping under the watchful and professional eye of Andy Beck.

“During the 2023 season, the then chairman, Steve Taylor, approached me and asked me if I would consider the role of club chair.”

Taylor had led the club since 2009/10 after taking over from John Wolfe, and he felt it was time for him to hand over the reins to someone else.

“I felt immensely humbled that he thought that I would be suitable for this most prestigious role and accepted after talking it through with my family”, said Wooster.

After a short stint learning the ropes under Taylor as vice chair, during which he helped create a new club website, helped with the grounds maintenance while creating a groundsman group consisting of himself, Gawler and Joseph Wooster to take over from Richard Dawson, who needed a break from head groundsman role and becoming, once again, the U9s coach.