Passing the bat-on and teaching other young cricketers is no trouble for one 20-year-old.

Hassan Ahmed volunteers at Frenford Youth Club, based at The Jack Carter Centre, The Drive, Ilford.

He began coaching other young people at the centre’s cricket club five years after he joined it himself, aged 10.

Youth development officer Daniel Oliver, who made the nomination, said: “What makes Hassan’s volunteering with young people stand out so much is where he started from as a young person.

“He was low on confidence, and not naturally a good cricketer himself, but has done a tremendous amount of hard work to overcome these issues to work with young people.”

Hassan’s passion for working with young people secured him the Recorder/Redbridge Rotary Club Young Citizen nomination.

The coach, of Wilmington Gardens, Barking, spends seven hours a week at Frenford and has the England and Wales Cricket Board level 2 coaching qualification.

“I want to give something back to the community,” said Hassan. “It’s important because you want the people to develop and learn new skills so then they can carry on and help out other people.”

Balancing his job alongside volunteering was quite difficult for Hassan in the first year, but after doing it for such a long time, the cricketer has proven himself to be an all-rounder.

The keen sportsman also coaches at Middlesex County Cricket Club community projects and at Barking and Dagenham College.

Hassan told the Recorder he was thrilled to receive the nomination.

“I didn’t expect to be nominated, not at all,” he said.