STARS TURN OUT FOR PCA PAST PLAYERS’ DAY Almost 90 former county cricketers, including 20 who played international cricket, enjoyed the fifth annual Professional Cricketers’ Association Past Players’ Day at Cheltenham College. The event, which took place during the second day of Gloucestershire’s Specsavers County Championship match against Essex, and brought together players from across the generations. Roy Booth, the former Yorkshire and Worcestershire wicketkeeper, was the oldest player present at 89 and Steve Adshead, another wicketkeeper who played for Leicestershire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire , was the youngest at 36. Among the first time visitors was Alan Butcher, the former Surrey, Glamorgan and England opening batsman, who enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with former team-mates and opponents. ” I have had a fantastic day. It’s a great setting to begin with, I always enjoyed playing at Cheltenham and it’s fantastic to come and meet lots of cricketers from lots of different eras,” said Butcher, who coached Surrey and Zimbabwe after he retired from playing. ” There were people that I haven’t seen for ages, some whom were difficult to recognise at first glance but I’m sure they thought the same about me. I have got to thank the PCA for putting on such a fantastic day for all us old blokes to come along and enjoy, reminisce and remember the old days.” Although Past Players’ Day is a highlight of the PCA’s social calendar it is also an opportunity for PCA staff to remind former players about the services that the Association provides and to make them aware of some of the pioneering health initiatives available to them. Former Lancashire, Durham and England batsman Graeme Fowler has recently been appointed a PCA Mental Health Ambassador and he spoke at Past Players’ Day about the work he is doing in helping to raise awareness of mental wellbeing. Mike Soper, the former Surrey chairman, spoke his battle against prostate cancer and stressed the importance of regular check-ups against the disease. ” In view of what we heard about the work that the PCA are doing on mental health within the membership this day is very important,” Butcher said. ” A vital part of the mental health process is feeling connected to people and feeling that you are still part of a community. ” You might spend 20 years in a dressing room which is like being in a family. It means that you have a support group around you but when you have to walk away from that it can prove very difficult to re-create that situation. ” Days like this re-create it, to relive their careers and remember that they are still part of a special community and that they are not on their own.” Jim Cumbes, the former Lancashire, Surrey, Worcestershire and Warwickshire seamer, combined his cricket career with that of a professional footballer as a goalkeeper for Tranmere Rovers, West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa and Southport before he became Lancashire’s chief executive. Cumbes, who was awarded the PCA Special Merit Award last year, was a member of the Professional Footballers’ Association before the PCA was formed in 1967 but he attended the second meeting of the Association in the spring of 1968. ” I think the PCA is a great organisation. I went to the second ever meeting which was held at the Strathallan Hotel in Birmingham when Derek Dougan of the PFA came and addressed the cricketers,” Cumbes said. ” It was amazing how many players were against it in those early days. A lot of them took the view that it was a union and they saw it as a left wing organisation rather than an association of cricketers. ” It’s great to see how the organisation has grown and it now does some fantastic work in educating players about mental health and preparing them for life after cricket through the excellent work of the Personal Development and Welfare Managers.” The PCA Past Players’ Day was hosted by former Kent captain David Fulton who interviewed Cumbes, Fowler and PCA founder member Fred Rumsey. Players who attended the PCA Past Players Day were: PCA Chief Executive David Leatherdale (Worcestershire), PCA Assistant Chief Executive Jason Ratcliffe (Warwickshire and Surrey), PCA Professional Cricketers’ Trust President David Graveney (Gloucestershire, Somerset and Durham). Steve Adshead (Leicestershire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire), John Aldridge (Worcestershire), Younis Ahmed (Surrey, Worcestershire and Glamorgan), Iain Anderson (Derbyshire), Ray Bailey (Northamptonshire), Phil Bainbridge (Gloucestershire and Durham), Roy Booth (Yorkshire and Worcestershire), Dickie Bird (Yorkshire and Leicestershire), Andy Brassington (Gloucestershire), David Bridle (Gloucestershire), Alan Brown (Kent), David Brown (Gloucestershire), Alan Butcher (Surrey and Glamorgan), David Capel (Northamptonshire), Rodney Cass (Essex and Worcestershire), Brian Crump (Northamptonshire), Jim Cumbes (Lancashire, Surrey, Worcestershire and Warwickshire), Jack Davey (Gloucestershire), Winston Davis (Glamorgan and Northamptonshire), Richard Doughty (Surrey and Gloucestershire), Malcolm Dunstan (Gloucestershire), Kevin Emery (Hampshire), Duncan Fearnley (Worcestershire), David Fulton (Kent), Graeme Fowler (Lancashire and Durham), Norman Gifford (Worcestershire and Warwickshire), Shaun Graf (Hampshire and Gloucestershire), Bran Hall (Worcestershire), John Harris (Somerset), Mike Harris (Middlesex and Nottinghamshire), Basher Hassan (Nottinghamshire), Ted Hemsley (Worcestershire), Alan Hill (Derbyshire), Simon Hoadley (Sussex), Robin Hobbs (Essex and Glamorgan), Alan Hodgson (Northamptonshire), Dean Hodgson (Warwickshire and Gloucestershire), Vanburn Holder (Worcestershire), Ron Hooker (Middlesex), Geoff Humpage (Warwickshire), John Jameson (Warwickshire), Allan Jones (Sussex, Somerset, Middlesex, Glamorgan), Ray Julian (Leicestershire), Tim Lamb (Middlesex and Northamptonshire), Jamie McDowall (Warwickshire), Charlie Mulraine (Warwickshire), Alan Ormrod (Worcestershire and Lancashire), Dudley Owen-Thomas (Surrey), Ken Palmer (Somerset), Roy Palmer (Somerset), David Partridge (Gloucestershire), Derek Pearson (Worcestershire), Pat Pocock (Surrey), Clive Radley (Middlesex), Peter Robinson (Worcestershire and Somerset), Fred Rumsey (Worcestershire, Somerset and Derbyshire), George Sharp (Northamptonshire), Mike Smedley (Nottinghamshire), David Smith (Derbyshire), Geoff Smith (Essex), Mike Smith (Warwickshire), Neil Smith (Warwickshire), Alan Spencer (Worcestershire), David Steele (Northamptonshire and Derbyshire), John Steele (Leicestershire and Glamorgan), Bob Stephenson (Derbyshire and Hampshire), Andy Stovold (Gloucestershire), Roy Swetman (Surrey, Nottinghamshire and Gloucestershire), Bill Taylor (Nottinghamshire), Bob Taylor (Derbyshire), Mike Taylor (Nottinghamshire and Hampshire), Ian Thomas (Glamorgan), Phil Thorn (Gloucestershire), Graham Tripp (Somerset), Stuart Turner (Essex), Peter Walker (Glamorgan), Bob White (Middlesex and Nottinghamshire), Barry Whittingham (Nottinghamshire), Steve Wilkinson (Somerset), Steve Windaybank (Gloucestershire), Matthew Wood (Yorkshire and Glamorgan). {{ak_sharing}}
