SOMERSET batsman James Hildreth has been awarded a Professional Cricketers’ Association Personal Development Scholarship.

Hildreth will receive a scholarship of £1,000 towards Personal Development course funding, resources of their choice or to reimburse costs already incurred.

The scholarships were introduced by the PCA in 2013 to find and reward the most proactive members, past and present, on or off the pitch, in the area of Personal Development.

The initiative seeks to incentivise past members who have moved on to new career pathways as well as encouraging current players to plan and prepare for their future off the pitch.

Hildreth completed an MSc in Sports Psychology at Cardiff Metropolitan University last year and is due to start a postgraduate diploma conversion course in psychology at Winchester University later this year.

He is also completing his ECB Level Three coaching qualification and has had work sports psychology wok experience at the Crescent Clinic in Taunton.

He told the PCA: “If I can start something earlier on then it will smooth that transition so that I can go into another job relatively smoothly rather than just get to the end of my cricket career and think: what do I do now?

“I wanted to get something in place before that day comes. I would hate to come to the end of my cricket career and to have just been focused on cricket, to come to the end of it and think I have got nothing behind my name other than just being a cricketer.

“How far does that get you in the outside world? I’m not sure, but I wanted something else.”

The PCA Personal Development Scholarships were judged by Angus Porter, the PCA Chief Executive, Jason Ratcliffe, the PCA Assistant Chief Executive, Ian Thomas, the PCA National Personal Development Manager and Charlie Mulraine, one of the six-strong team of PCA Personal Development Managers.

“In the second year of running the PCA Personal Development Scholarship Awards, we were extremely proud of the 20 quality applications we received,” said Thomas.

“It is a fantastic indication of the development culture the PCA is aiming to create amongst our members.

“Statistics are showing how current players strongly believe having a Personal Development plan is aiding personal performance, lessening performance-based anxiety and increasing confidence in many areas of life.”