THE Tees Valley Young Cricketer of the Year was last night named as Jonathan Rickard.

The 16-year-old opening bat from Norton CC won the award sponsored by The Northern Echo at the inaugural Tees Valley Cricket Dinner.

The club volunteer of the year was Marjorie Ellwood from Seaton Carew Cricket Club, and cricketer of the year was Middlesbrough's Alex Roberts.

The awards were announced at the first dinner Durham County Cricket Club has held in the south of the region - at the Tall Trees in Yarm. Most of the promotion-chasing county first team attended the evening, and the guest speaker was impressionist Kevin Connelly.

Rickard has scored 1,876 runs this season, including three centuries and 15 50s.

He plays for several Norton teams, plus Cleveland Schools and Durham County under 15s and under 17s.

Cricketer of the year Roberts, whose award was sponsored by Jacksons Solicitors, spent two years at the Durham Academy and played for the county second XI.

Now aged 22, he is pro at Middlesbrough and has scored more than 1,300 runs this season, including four successive centuries. He has also taken more than 35 wickets.

The volunteer of the year Marjorie has been the backbone of Seaton Carew for many years and last year published a book about the club.

Her award, sponsored by Bakers Tailoring, was also in recognition of the work she has done on the Chance to Shine initiative to encourage cricket in state schools. The England and Wales Cricket Board was so impressed by her work that the regional launch of the initiative was at Seaton.