LCB Thunder player Nalisha Patel has double reasons to celebrate.

She was presented with the Kumon Blackburn Central Achievement in Sport Award at Fusion 2015 and also hit her debut hundred days later!

The twelve awards at Fusion aimed to celebrate community cohesion and the contribution of all communities and were hosted by ITV presenter Sam Ali Khan.

Five individuals were honoured with special honours from sport to education.

The other sport award on the night went to Ken Livesey who picked-up the Mumtaz Ellahi Community Sports Award.

Nalisha, now aged 17, of Bolton was part of the Lancashire Women’s Cricket team to win the Division 2 championship in 2014. She is presently studying for her A-levels at Runshaw College but took time out from her exams to attend the awards with her family.

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After starting out at Horwich CC, she was first selected to play for Lancashire at the under 11s level. Nalisha said: “I am just shocked to be honest and didn’t think l would win, with cricket not being a very female dominated sport.

“I think the game is up and coming now. It is important for young girls to realise there are opportunities now to be making a career out of playing cricket. Or just to have fun playing cricket too.

“It is also important to highlight the opportunities there are available in the sport.”

Ruth McNulty, of Kumon Blackburn Central, said: “I run a Maths and English tuition centre and lots of the children have to fit in extra-curricular activities.

“It is serious dedication to get where she has in such a short space of time. It is fully deserved.”