The crowds cheered as England cricket hero Matthew Hoggard met fans, signed autographs, and showed off his Ashes medal in Centenary Square last night.

The cricketer, who lives in Baildon, was a guest at a civic reception given by the Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Valerie Binney, to mark his achievements.

The sports star played in all five Test matches during England's historic 2-1 win over Australia this summer.

Coun Binney led the celebrations with a special congratulatory speech before escorting Mr Hoggard to the Banqueting Suite where he was presented with a decanter and introduced to local dignitaries.

Mr Hoggard said: "It is a great honour for me to be standing here on the steps of the City Hall.

"I am a Yorkshire boy, born in Leeds and bred in Bradford and I am very happy to be here.

"I would just like to take this opportunity to thank my wife who has put up with all my moaning and grumbling, and I would also like to thank everybody for turning up and making this day special."

Coun Binney said: "Winning the Ashes for the first time since 1987 is a wonderful achievement and has given everyone in Bradford and the whole country a massive boost.

"Matthew played in every match against Australia and will go down in cricketing folklore as one of the heroes of the summer and his efforts deserve to be recognised.

"It will also give the thousands of cricket lovers in the Bradford district the opportunity to come along and see Matthew and congratulate him on his and his team's performance during the summer."

Scores of people turned out to meet the sporting hero, get his autograph, and take pictures on their mobile phones.

David Ryan, 33, of Nab Wood Drive said: "It is a proud moment for him.

"I have watched his rise through Bradford League cricket and played against him as a youngster.

"It is good to see a Yorkshire man get through as part of winning Ashes team."

Daniel Butler, 20, of Everest Avenue, Wrose, said: " I play cricket for Thackley and I would like to see myself playing alongside him one day."

Steve Vernon, 33, of Oak Avenue, said: "It was great to see him and it has been a nice evening."

Paul Hughes, 43, Cliffe Gardens, Shipley, said: " I saw as much cricket as I could this summer.

"We have a lot of years of disappointment against Australia so it was nice to see England beat them for once."