With the summer season drawing to a close, attention quickly turns to winter plans and as part of Beyond the Boundaries new feature, Your Benefits Unlocked, Kent seamer Matt Quinn looks into the importance of the PCA’s travel insurance.
Following individual winter training in New Zealand, a sore hamstring left the 33-year-old in doubt on whether he needed to rush back to England for treatment and he explains the emergency provision and processes in place for current players to access insurance while travelling.
Swift support and peace of mind is available to all current players with a full membership 365 days of the year when travelling at home or abroad through the PCA’s travel cover. Including their partner and children where applicable, there is a £250 excess on non-medical claims and zero excess on medical claims although this cannot be for a pre-existing injury.
With the PCA introducing a new provider in Miller Insurance from 2026, Quinn was in receipt of the first successful claim, as he explains.
”Getting that scan done and all ticked off meant that I came back to England still deemed fully fit and ready to go. Within like a week, I got all of it paid back, which was amazing.
Matt QuinnKent Bowler
Q&A’s
How were your off-season preparations in New Zealand, and when did you realise you needed immediate medical advice?
Quinn: “I went back to New Zealand before Christmas until the middle of February, purely to train and bowl. I had suffered a hamstring injury the previous year, but that was all cleared and I was back to full fitness. Around early February, about two weeks before I was due to leave, my hamstring got really sore after bowling as my loads were increasing. I had a lot of doubts and needed to get a scan to make sure everything was fine – I didn’t want to keep training and make it worse, nor did I want to miss out on training if it was alright.”
How did you go about accessing the PCA's travel insurance while abroad?
Quinn: “I messaged my PDM, Matt, and emailed Ali Prosser at the PCA to check my cover. I knew we had changed insurance providers to Miller around the start of the year, so I wanted to double-check the fine print. Ali confirmed right away that I was covered to get the scan done, so we got it organised.”
What was your experience of claiming?
Quinn: “It was really easy and pretty painless. I made the claim when I got back to England and within a week I was fully reimbursed. My scan cost around £800, so getting that paid back so quickly really helped me out. It meant I could return to England fully fit and ready to go for the summer.”
How was the situation with pre-existing injuries handled under the policy?
Quinn: “I was a bit worried initially because I had suffered hamstring injuries in recent years but the process was very straightforward. My physio was able to confirm that the previous injury was fully healed with no visible signs remaining, proving it was a new incident so I qualified for the insurance coverage. The PCA and the insurance team were really supportive throughout.”
Why is this level of support so valuable for players spending winters abroad?
Quinn: “When you’re overseas playing club cricket or training independently, you don’t have top-class medical teams on hand like in franchise cricket. Having access to imaging gives you complete clarity. Instead of worrying or getting recalled back to England unnecessarily for what might just be a minor niggle, you can get a scan, confirm what’s wrong, and stay on your trip with confidence. It’s reassuring for the player and for your county back home as well.”
How important is it current players are aware of the benefits and process?
Quinn: “Sometimes players don’t realise exactly how much they are covered for. Having that care and cover wrapped up in your PCA membership gives you total peace of mind whenever you travel. Compared to buying private travel or medical insurance for cricket trips, it’s a massive benefit that easily outweighs the membership cost. I think I was the first person to have insurance paid out under the new insurers, so hopefully other players playing abroad can become more aware of this and know they can look after themselves properly when they’re away from their counties.”
To view more information on the travel insurance provided to current players through the PCA, click here. To see Miller’s Insurance Policy document, click here.
