SYKES AIMS FOR PERFECT CUT Leicestershire slow left-armer James Sykes has spent two months since the end of the season trying to perfect the perfect cut by training as a barber. Sykes is on a ten week course, which has been part-funded by the PCA, at the Total Barber Academy in Shoreditch in east London where he is learning the basics of barbering including using clippers, shaving and scissor work. He is the second county cricketer after Lancashire’s Luke Procter to train as a barber in the past year and hopes to qualify with an NVQ Level Two in barbering when the course ends later this month. ” Barbering is definitely something I am looking to do after cricket,” Sykes said. ” But it’s also something that you can do while you are still playing. You can pick and choose when you do it. You can either do wholeheartedly and do it as a job, or do it when you have some spare time. ” When you are playing cricket it’s not always easy for players to get to a barber shop when they need a haircut. ” The course is every day, Monday to Friday. It’s intensive but the way the course is structured it doesn’t feel like that. There is a family feel to the academy. There is one-to-one teaching but also a relaxing atmosphere which is a good way to learn. ” You cover all the clipper work, do razor work so you can do wet shaves and scissor work. You learn all the basics so that you could go into a job straight away. ” A good friend of mine did the course and he went straight into working in a shop which gives you the chance to get to a very good level. ” Hopefully I will have the chance to do some work after training on the lads.” Sykes has already used his Leicestershire team mate Niall O’Brien and Nottinghamshire batsman Greg Smith as models to test his new skills and Ned Eckersley is due in the barber’s chair at Total Barber shortly. ” I have already had Greg Smith come into the academy, Ned Eckersley is coming in and I went to cut Niall O’Brien’s hair,” Sykes said ” It went well. Niall was very happy with his cut. That was me on my own so that was a bit different. Greg come into the academy a couple of times and he has been happy. Hopefully, I can carry on the trait and make Ned happy.” Sykes first considered training as a barber two years ago and has been supported in his training by Charlie Mulraine, one of the PCA’s team of Personal Development and Welfare Managers. ” Charlie, as always, has been amazing and very helpful. He was a massive advocate of the idea when I first went to him two years ago with it,” Sykes said. ” As we got to the business end of sorting it out he was very positive. The PCA have part-funded the course which has been amazing and very helpful as it has helped ease the financial blow.” Sykes had planned his barber training before a stress fracture of the back cut short his season after listening to advice from Steve Harmison, the former England fast bowler, during the PCA’s pre-season county visit to Leicestershire in March. Harmison accompanied PCA staff on around a dozen of the county visits where he spoke to current players about his experience of coming out of cricket without having another career to go into. ” When I was 18-19 I was always a massive one for just wanting to play cricket the whole time. When you come out of school you have no cares and playing professional cricket you probably aren’t aware of the reality of the world,” Sykes said. ” It’s a dream job and you live in a bubble at times. But when Steve Harmison came in and spoke to us about his experiences got me thinking. When you see someone who has had success and the riches that go with that success still talking about life after cricket it does makes you realise how important having another skill really is. ” Playing for England doesn’t guarantee you a job after cricket. Playing for England is your aim but for most cricketers it won’t be a reality, so if you can get something else behind you earlier than later then it’s a big help.” Sykes is among the 82 per cent of current professional cricketers in England and Wales who have a personal development plan. Last winter more than 200 players attended a PCA winter development workshop. {{ak_sharing}}
