Cricket coach Saba Nasim has been awarded the British Empire Medal in the New Year's Honours list. Saba was acknowledged for services to cricket and young people in London, recognising all the work she does to promote and encourage grassroots cricket amongst girls.

In 2013, having noticed a lack of opportunities for girls in the East London area, Saba set up Redbridge Rangers CC an all-girls Chance to Shine Street cricket team. The girls come from a range of backgrounds but have joined together to make a formidable side, regularly winning the regional Chance to Shine Street competitions.

Saba, a solicitor by trade, gives up her free time to run the weekly sessions for the girls to get involved with the game. As well as developing the cricketing skills of the participants she coaches, Saba has become a mentor and a friend. She helps them with their academic work and provides personal guidance and advice.

Being acknowledged in the New Year Honours list caps off an incredible 2016 for Saba, who was named a Point of Light by Prime Minister David Cameron and was also named the Coach of the Year by Chance to Shine.

After hearing the news, Saba said It feels amazing to have received this award and to know that the work I am doing at the grassroots level is being recognised at a national level.

I would like to thank the Chance to Shine charity, Essex County Cricket Board and my local cricket club, Wanstead CC for giving me the opportunity to become a coach and for supporting me through the various cricket projects over the past few years.

I hope to inspire more girls to take up the sport and set up more of these community projects in other boroughs of London.

Luke Swanson, Chief Executive at Chance to Shine, said This is terrific news for Saba and is a deserved recognition of the phenomenal work that she is doing in providing opportunities for young people to experience and enjoy cricket. Saba goes beyond merely helping the girls she coaches to improve their cricketing skills, she is providing them with the tools to succeed in life as well.

Saba is an inspiration to the charity and it is thanks to her work and to many others like her around the country that we are able to spread the power of cricket to reach so many children each year.

Read about the Redbridge Rangers girls cricket project in their piece on "https://www.chancetoshine.org/news/redbridge-east-london-girls-project-on-radio-4-woman-s-hour"