Flower named coach of the year

England team director Andy Flower has been named UK Coach of the Year at the 2011 UK coaching awards.

Flower, 37, was also named UK High Performance Coach of the Year in recognition of his role in helping England to a first series win in Australia for 23 years and becoming the No. 1 Test side in the world.

Having taken over from Peter Moores in January 2009 - initially on an interim basis after Moores and Kevin Pietersen, the then captain, lost their jobs on the same day - Flower has also guided England to become World Twenty20 champions and the ECB chief executive, David Collier, lauded his contribution.

"Andy has been an outstanding coach to the England cricket team and I am delighted that his dedication, knowledge and all-round leadership skills have been recognised within the wider sporting world," said Collier.

"The last twelve months have been momentous ones for England and this is in no small part due to Andy's personal drive and determination to bring the best out of his players and ensure that our preparation and performance are second to none."

A special lifetime achievement award was also presented in honour of the former England fast bowler Graham Dilley, who died in October. The presentation was made to Dilley's son, Chris Pennell, in recognition of Dilley's work as a bowling coach with Surrey, Scotland and England, and most recently as head coach of Loughborough University.

"Graham made a very significant contribution to our game as a coach," said Hugh Morris, the managing director of England cricket. "This award is a fitting tribute to the role he played in enabling so many players to realise their full potential at both domestic and international level."