Performance Lifestyle Case Study

Phil Dicks, PCA and ECB Performance Lifestyle Adviser, describes how Luke Evans, Durham CCC, came to utilise the Performance Lifestyle Service.

Breaking the index finger on your bowling hand two days before your club jets off on their pre-season trip to Cape Town would be a disappointment to most professional cricketers. Imagine though if it was your first trip as a professional and that you had been working towards it throughout the long dark, wet and cold winter months in the North East. This is the ‘tragedy’ that befell Luke Evans in late March, 2008.

You might be thinking, “why am I reading an article about an injury in the Performance Lifestyle section?” Well, there are two reasons really…

The first is that I was ‘lucky’ enough to be around at the Riverside that day and was therefore asked to take Luke to the local hospital. We spent six hours together at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead (I was relieved by Luke’s parents at 4.30pm) which constitutes my longest ever consultation with a player by quite some way! Even though most of the day was spent ferrying between admissions, x-ray, consultants, theatre and so on, for me it was a fantastic opportunity to spend some quality time getting to know Luke a little better and building on the relationship we had already started to develop.

Secondly, the day presented a wonderful opportunity of seeing a real life, practical example of someone’s glass being half full. The conversation went something like this…

Me – “You must be gutted, big fella” (for those of you who haven’t met him, Luke is 6’8’’).

Luke – “Well the way I see it Phil, it was probably meant to be.”

Me – “Is that the painkillers talking?”

Luke – “Na, can’t turn the clock back can you. Just got to get on with it.”

And so he has.

During rehab, Luke has managed to explore a number of career options which he may pursue after cricket, whenever that might be. He has enrolled on an Advanced Driving Course (with financial support from the PCA) and has also arranged to go out on a number of occasions with an ex-member of the Durham Constabulary Traffic Unit.

On a wholly different tack, he has also given some invaluable support to the Durham Academy Lifestyle programme by attending a 100% ME workshop, helped prepare for and participated in a practical Cooking and Nutrition Skills workshop and attended the PCA / ECB Addictive Behaviour workshop.

No one can accuse Luke Evans of letting the grass grow under his feet.

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