The 2025 award honours The ACE Programme, a pioneering charity committed to ‘Supporting Diverse Talent from the Grassroots to the Elite’, which seeks to broaden access to cricket for under-represented communities across the UK.

Launched initially under Surrey County Cricket Club in January 2020 and later incorporated as an independent charity, ACE was created to reverse the decline of Black British players in the professional game.

Operating now in multiple cities (including London, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Nottingham and Sheffield), it runs community hubs, school programmes, academies, talent-identification pathways, and workforce development initiatives to nurture cricketing potential in African and Caribbean communities and other under-represented groups.

In just a few years, ACE has engaged tens of thousands of children in free cricket training, supported the emergence of professional players from under-served backgrounds, and challenged systemic barriers in the sport.

Most notably, three ACE graduates have already reached the professional level: Troy Henry (who debuted for Sussex), Amy Wheeler (contracted with the Blaze), and of course one of today’s award winners, Davina Perrin.

The Cricket Society Committee believes that The ACE Programme perfectly embodies the ideals behind the Ian Jackson Award, and we are proud that ACE have accepted this honour.

Since April 2021, ACE (which stands for African Caribbean Engagement) have engaged over 40,000 young people and in the same period, there have been 230 participants in the ACE senior academy, aiming to emulate the success of Henry and Wheeler, who have signed professional contracts with Sussex and The Blaze respectively this summer.

As well as the original programme in south London, ACE now operates in Birmingham, Bristol, Sheffield, Nottingham, Manchester and north London, running programmes in schools, community hubs and regional academies.

By 2030, ACE aim to have helped developed ten professional cricketers, have 20,000 young people annually participating in grassroots programmes, continue to accelerate the growth of Black female cricketers and create a hybrid coach framework, helping Black coaches make their mark at all levels of the game.

Rainford-Brent – who was born in Lambeth and became the first Black woman to play cricket for England, winning both the Ashes and the World Cup – founded the charity as a community programme at Surrey CCC, the club she represented throughout her playing career, in January 2020.

ACE was established as an independent nationwide organisation later that year after significant funding was received from Sport England. Rainford-Brent has continued to chair ACE for five years, as it has grown to a charity that now delivers multiple programmes across six cities as well as an elite academy.

At just 19 years old, Perrin has already made history and captured the attention of fans and experts alike. Her nomination follows a remarkable season filled with record-breaking performances and consistent excellence.

• Record-breaking century: Perrin set a new benchmark in The Hundred by scoring the fastest century ever by an English woman, reaching the milestone in just 42 balls for the Northern Superchargers.
  
  
• Domestic dominance: Representing Warwickshire Bears, she finished near the top of the run-scoring charts and played a pivotal role in guiding her team to the Women’s T20 Blast Finals Day.
  
  
• Accolades: Her performances earned her the PCA Women’s Young Player of the Year award, further cementing her reputation as a future star of the game.

Perrin’s inclusion on the shortlist is particularly significant as she aims to become the first cricketer ever to win the Young Sports Personality of the Year award. Her rise reflects not only her technical brilliance but also her growing role as an inspiration for young athletes, especially girls who aspire to play cricket at the highest level.

Named in honour of former England fast bowler Syd Lawrence, the competition will feature two formats played concurrently:

The Syd Lawrence Trophy – T20 Competition
The Syd Lawrence Cup – 40-Over Competition

Both formats will be played using pink cricket balls and coloured kit, delivering a vibrant and modern match-day experience. Fixtures will be regionally grouped wherever possible to support travel, reduce barriers to participation, and prioritise player welfare.

To further enhance the quality and competitiveness of the 40-over format, each innings will begin with two new balls, one from each end, a defining feature designed to create a balanced contest between bat and ball.

Since then, it has become an independent charity, achieving significant funding from Sport England that has allowed further programmes to be established in Nottingham, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Sheffield, north London and south east London. Over the last five years, ACE has engaged with over 40,000 young people – including 233 that have gone on to be selected for ACE Elite Academies. ACE runs schools’ programmes, community hubs and elite academies in all eight locations.

Over the next five years, ACE are also targeting accelerated growth in women’s and girls’ cricket – with a goal to have at least 80 female cricketers on its talent pathways by 2030 – and to create an ACE coaches’ network to further reconnect the Black British community to cricket.

As well as Surrey CCC, ACE have enjoyed significant support from across the game, with major partnerships in place with Sport England, ECB and counties across the country. Sky Sports produced a documentary – ACE In the Making – in 2024, documenting part of Troy and Amy’s journey to the professional game.