First year professional cricketers – including Worcestershire duo Josh Tongue and Ben Twohig – will benefit from advice from former England Test players Chris Lewis and Simon Jones at the sixth annual PCA Rookie Camp at Edgbaston tomorrow (Tuesday February 16).
More than 20 players from the 18 first-class counties will attend the camp, generously sponsored by the Tom Maynard Trust, which will give them an early insight into life as a professional cricketer and some of the challenges they may face.
England Development Programme duo Tongue and Twohig are spending their first winter as professionals at New Road after signing two year deals following their graduation from the Worcestershire Academy.
Ex Worcestershire paceman Jones, an Ashes winner in 2005, will talk to the young players about his experiences as a player and his life outside of cricket since he retired during a question-and-answer session.
Former England all-rounder Lewis will help to educate the first year professionals about the importance of planning for life after cricket by talking about his own traumatic experience of being jailed for 13 years for smuggling liquid cocaine into England.
Lewis was released from prison last June and is committed to helping others learn from his experience by working closely with the PCA.
Mervyn Westfield, the former Essex fast bowler, will also continue to assist the PCA’s anti-corruption programme.
Westfield was jailed for his involvement in spot-fixing but is now playing an important role in helping to combat corruption in cricket.
This will be the third Rookie Camp that Westfield has attended and he has also accompanied PCA on pre-season county visits as well as joining PCA Assistant Chief Executive Jason Ratcliffe in a series of anti-corruption education workshops in South Africa last November.
The PCA Rookie Camp will also include sessions on social media, contract negotiations and gambling addiction with support from guest speakers and PCA staff.
