jack bannister

RECRUITMENT taster
for county players
Middlesex players James Harris and Ollie Rayner,
Essex seamer Tom Moore and Sussex wicketkeeper
Callum Jackson attended a successful PCA Taster
Day in Recruitment in London designed to give
professional cricketers a valuable insight into a
possible future career in the industry.
The event was organised by David Townsend, the PCA
Personal Development Manager for the South East,
and Nick Makin, a former professional rugby player
with the Newcastle Falcons and Cornish Pirates, who
also played county Second XI cricket for Hampshire.
“Having an interest in an industry and actually getting a
chance to work out if it is for you is a situation that most
cricketers find themselves in during the off-season,”
Townsend said. “For some the idea of
work experience can sound enticing
until the realities of a week spent
photocopying or cleaning up
a tired excel spread sheet
become a reality.
“Nick moved into
recruitment after he had
experienced the highs of a
career as a professional rugby
union player. Like most players
it was filled with a sense of
trepidation, as he started off
in an industry that he knew
little about. He soon realised
that the skills he had brought
from sport would be crucial,
however, as he found that the
industry was like his previous
career: the more effort you put
in, the greater the rewards.”
Makin was joined by
colleagues, all of whom have
an interest in sport, for the
taster day which gave the
county players a fascinating
insight into the highs and lows
of the recruitment industry and the
attributes required to succeed in
the corporate world.
“The exercise as a whole
was very educational,” said
Rayner. “I’m still at the stage
where I am looking at what
options there might be after
cricket and I knew very little
about what working in recruitment
involved. One of the things that stood
out was that you didn’t necessarily need a specific
qualification to work in this field. Many of the stories
we heard involved people coming into the industry with
little knowledge, but a strong work ethic, and this was
the thing that had made them successful.”
Suttons show
their support
Luke Sutton, the former Derbyshire and Lancashire wicketkeeper,
and his wife Jude are organising a celebrity charity cricket match
to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
The Suttons’ seven year-old twin daughters Amelie and Alvie both
have type one diabetes and both wear permanent insulin pumps.
Jude, who used to work for Sky, now works as a fund-raiser
for the JDRF in the North West and the cricket match between a
JDRF XI and the Royal Household Cricket Club at Windsor Great
Park on July 8 will support the charity.
Luke, who retired from playing in 2011, now runs Activate
Management and hopes that some of his clients, who include
James Anderson, James Taylor and Matt Prior, might be available
to play in the charity match.
For sponsorship and hospitality details about the JDRF Charity
Cricket Match email Jude Sutton at jsutton@jdrf.org.uk
Tim Boon, now an England Development
Programme coach based at Loughborough,
has an association with Sri Lanka that goes
back to 1982 when he had a spell playing club
cricket on the island.
Boon has many friends in Sri Lanka and
decided to organise the kit and clothing
collection to help reciprocate the help and
support he has received during more than 30
years of visiting the country.
“I have incredible memories that have
helped shape who I am and 35 years later I
have remained connected with friends in Sri
Lanka,” Boon said.
“The Sri Lanka people have such a good
nature. They have very little financial wealth,
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boon’s sri lanka kit bag
Tim Boon, the former Leicestershire batsman and coach, has been helping
charities in Sri Lanka by delivering cricket kit and clothing collected from his
local village in Leicestershire.
but a wealth of generosity and contentment.
“I wanted to help in some way so I contacted
a couple of charities out there and then with
the support of people in and around my
local village in Leicestershire, we organised
collection of kit and clothing which I took out
to Sri Lanka.
“I chose the Temple at Waskadua and
the area of Kalutera to make a very small
difference in people’s lives. Whether it be a
container of goods or a game of cricket on
the beach or in the schools with local kids.
“Ten minutes of inspiration can be the
catalyst for dreams to be formed and a
pathway to follow if we can find the time and
make that connection.”
thepca.co.uk / BtB issue 18 9