ASHES HERO JONES RATES BIG BIKE RIDE 2 AMONG HIS GREATEST ACHIEVEMENTS Geraint Jones was an Ashes winner in 2005 and he was chaired from the field at Lord’s last month after he helped Gloucestershire win the Royal London One Day Cup in his farewell appearance. But the wicketkeeper/batsman rates completing Big Bike Ride 2 earlier this week among his greatest achievements. Jones was among the 70 riders who completed a gruelling five day 400 miles cycle ride from Truro in Cornwall to the Kia Oval to raise funds for the Professional Cricketers’ Association Professional Cricketers’ Trust and the Tom Maynard Trust. The former England player also took part in three fund-raising dinners during BBR2 at Truro Cricket Centre, North Devon Cricket Club in Instow and the BrightonandHoveJobs.com County Ground in Hove. Jones donated a 2005 Ashes shirt for auction at the Hove dinner and also put the batting gloves he wore in his final appearance last month up for auction online to help take the BBR2 fund-raising over £ 120,000. ” It has been absolutely incredible. I am really glad I did it. I didn’t do the first Big Bike Ride two years ago and I regretted it. After speaking to people about the camaraderie and what it meant to take part, I couldn’t miss this for the world,” Jones said. ” To think we cycled rom Truro to The Oval is absolutely amazing. It’s up there with some of the best things I have done. It wasn’t that long ago that I was being carried off at Lord’s after winning the 50 over competition. ” That was special, but this had got a different sense of achievement. Just the physical effort that has been put in and the people I have been with. It’s definitely up there with what I have done on the pitch.” ” My thighs are like concrete, absolute concrete. What kept me going is the fact that people had donated towards it and what it meant for me to do it for two fantastic causes.” The funds raised from BBR2 will be divided between the two cricket charities both of which are close to Jones’ heart. ” The PCA Professional Cricketers’ Trust does such good work. It’s something that, who knows, I might need to call on in the future,” he said. ” I got to see Tom Maynard as a young lad when he came away on an Ashes trip with us. He was a cheeky chap, a good lad.” ” His father, Matt, had a big impact on my England career when he was batting coach.” ” So they are two causes that mean a lot to me. That kept me driving me on when it was tough going up some of those hills. But for everyone to meet up and roll into the Oval together made it all worthwhile.” ” If they asked me to do it next week I would probably say yes because that is how much I have enjoyed it.” The PCA Professional Cricketers’ Trust is part of the Association’s commitment to helping current and former players and their dependants in times of hardship and upheaval to readjust to the world beyond the game. The Fund also supports players and their dependants who might be in need of a helping hand with medical advice, a much-needed operation or those who require specialist advice, care or assistance. The Tom Maynard Trust was set up in the summer of 2012 with the initial objectives of trying to provide low level financial support for young cricketers making their way in the game. This has now been expanded to include grants for aspiring young sports people looking for support with different aspects of their career development, education and awareness programmes, such as the Tom Maynard Academy at the Desert Springs complex in Southern Spain where up to 14 emerging county cricketers will benefit from specialist technical and conditioning work and a scholarship at his old school; Millfield School. To support and donate to Big Bike Ride 2 go to: https://mydonate.bt.com/events/bbr2pcabftmt/193332 {{ak_sharing}}
