PCA PRESS RELEASE
Former Surrey seamer reflects on the anniversary of opening his coffee shop in Leeds.
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Tim Linley has admitted that his first year as owner of Coffee On The Crescent has been ‘challenging in ways that he would not have expected.’
The 37-year-old retired due to injury in 2015 with 200 first-class dismissals to his name. Since then, he’s turned from bowler into barista, opening his coffee business in his native Leeds one year ago today, 19 May.
Linley benefitted from a Professional Cricketers’ Association Personal Development Scholarship Award in 2017 as he made the transition from first career to second. Part of the PCA’s Personal Development and Welfare Programme, the award came in the form of a £2,500 grant, all of which went into the new business.
The aforementioned programme is open to every PCA member, with the goal of preparing players for the future and minimising distractions during their playing career. In Linley’s case, that second career was in coffee and, since starting up last year, he hasn’t looked back.
The PCA recently visited Coffee On The Crescent to catch up with Linley to discuss how his first year as a business owner has played out.
“I love the space and I love that people come back and enjoy it – I’m super proud of it,” he told the PCA.
As the Headingley based Coffee on the Crescent has developed and gone from strength to strength, so has Linley himself.
“I feel like a different person, I’ve changed and developed – I make business decisions using spreadsheets.”
Linley has enjoyed the ride over the past year, but admits that he’s had to put in a huge amount of hard work behind the scenes.
“Often people don’t appreciate how much work has gone into making a cup of coffee – it’s a bit like taking a good catch in cricket.”
