Photo Credit: Professional Cricketers’ Association
cinch PCA Awards pays homage to players who hung up their boots this summer.
The PCA paid tribute to all those retiring from the professional game in the past 12 months at the annual cinch PCA Awards at the Troxy on Tuesday 1 October.
In total, 11 domestic players hung up their boots from professional cricket this summer and were honoured at the ceremony for their immense contribution to the sport.
Not all PCA members were able to leave on their own terms, with the average age of the retirees in 2024 being just 29.
Many more PCA members have been released and are looking for playing opportunities for 2025 onwards.
The 2024 retirees included some modern-day greats of the county game like Lancashire’s all-time leading T20 run-scorer Steven Croft and Worcestershire’s PCA Rep Joe Leach.
It was also time to reflect some of the younger members who left the game, including Gloucestershire’s Ben Wells who was forced into retirement at the age of 23.
An emotional time for all, the PCA celebrated their achievements and looked back fondly at their respective careers, including the four international retirees, which saw James Anderson awarded the ECB Special Merit.
The PCA wishes all players the best for their transition off the field and will support all as PCA members, for life.
Aaron Beard
Born in Chelmsford, Beard picked up more than 100 wickets in his professional career. A right-arm seamer, the 26-year-old won the Vitality Blast and three red-ball trophies with Essex and was a substitute fielder for England in the 2013 Ashes, aged just 15.
Steven Croft
A modern-day Lancashire legend, Croft retires having won the 2011 County Championship and the 2015 Vitality Blast. Now moving into a coaching role with the Red Rose county, the spin-bowling all-rounder finished with more than 20,000 career runs and 200 wickets.
Matt Lamb
A stylish right-hand batter, Lamb was forced to retire due to a persistent back injury. A double centurion in First-Class cricket, the 28-year-old won the County Championship and Bob Willis Trophy with Warwickshire before he ended his career at Derbyshire.
Joe Leach
Leach captained Worcestershire to promotion in 2017 as Division Two’s leading wicket-taker. The PCA Rep ended his career with 252 appearances, 586 wickets and over 5,000 runs, including one memorable First-Class century.
Tom Loten
A batting all-rounder, Loten represented his home county of Yorkshire and then Nottinghamshire. He made 23 professional appearances in his career, including a half-century on his First-Class debut in 2019 and finished with the majority of his appearances in List A cricket.
Steven Mullaney
Mullaney was a key part of the Notts Outlaws side which went on to win the 2017 Vitality Blast. He captained Nottinghamshire between 2018-2023 and the 37-year-old ends his career with 492 appearances, 14,275 runs and 377 wickets.
Toby Pettman
Born in Kingston, Pettman played for Derbyshire, Kent and Nottinghamshire. The 26-year-old pace bowler took an impressive 44 wickets in his 11-match First-Class career at an average of 23.20, including two five-wicket hauls and a half century with the bat.
Harry Podmore
Born in London, Podmore formed part of the Middlesex team which won the County Championship title in 2016. Known for his accuracy and death-bowling, the 30-year-old pacer has picked up 222 wickets across all formats.
Prem Sisodiya
In 2018, Sisodiya became the first Welsh-born Asian to represent Glamorgan. A left-arm spinner, he featured for England in the 2018 Under 19 World Cup and ended his time in Cardiff with 40 wickets in T20 cricket at an average of 30.57.
Ben Wells
Wells was forced to step away from the game he loved aged 23 after being diagnosed with Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC). Heartbreakingly, his last game was his most memorable, scoring an unbeaten 108 against Durham in the Metro Bank One Day Cup.
Robbie White
A fine wicketkeeper, White made his First-Class debut for Middlesex back in 2018. He went on to make 40 appearances in whites and has two centuries to his name, including scoring 120 against Derbyshire at Lord’s.
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Name of Author: Professional Cricketers Association
The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), founded in 1967 by former England fast bowler Fred Rumsey as the Cricketers’ Association, represents past and present first-class cricketers in England and Wales. In the 1970s, the PCA established a standard employment contract and minimum wage for professional cricketers. It also helped create a pension scheme in 1995 and launched the magazine All Out Cricket and the ACE UK Educational Programme in 2002.
