Photo Credit: Professional Cricketers’ Association
Former England captain partners with the Cricketers’ Trust for the inaugural Invitational golf event.
The Cricketers’ Trust and former England captain and long-time Trust supporter Graham Gooch teamed up to organise the inaugural Cricketers’ Trust Golf Invitational in the Algarve, Portugal.
The three-day event held at the Quinta do Lago Resort raised £45,000 from various fundraising activities including live auctions, silent auctions, raffles and golf challenges.
Gooch, a former PCA President himself, has supported the Trust in various capacities over the years. The 71-year-old recently pledged £90,000 to the Trust and the PCA over the next three years, having previously been involved in events such as the Coast to Coast Walk and Three Peaks Challenge in 2018 and 2019 respectively, which raised more than £70,000 in total.
The invitational golf event was another initiative between the Cricketers’ Trust and the former Essex captain. The event was attended by 52 golfers in 13 teams to compete for prizes including TaylorMade drivers.
At the end of three days, the team consisting of four PCA Reps came out victorious: Martin Andersson (Middlesex), Kate Cross (England Women), Rob Keogh (Northamptonshire) and Phoebe Graham (Thunder).
The team generously decided to donate their prizes back to the live auction to raise further funds for the Trust.
The invitational golf event was attended by current and former cricketers, including the current PCA President and 2019 Men’s World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan, PCA Hampshire Rep Chris Wood and 2024 cinch PCA Men’s Player of the Year Liam Dawson.
Former England and Surrey batter Mark Butcher hosted the fundraising dinner, before former England bowler Darren Gough, having also been part of the Q&A, impressed the room with a rendition of a dance from his days on Strictly Come Dancing.
Gooch had a successful career for England and Essex. He went on to play 118 Test matches for his country and scored 8,900 runs – the third highest for England. He also captained the team from 1988 to 1993 where he led his side to the World Cup final in 1992.
The Cricketers’ Trust is a registered charity created to support the life-long health and wellbeing of PCA members and their immediate family. Money raised by the charity has gone towards members’ physical and mental wellbeing.
The highest profile case in 2024 emphasised how the Trust is helping former England and Gloucestershire bowler David ‘Syd’ Lawrence. The Trust helped Lawrence with a number of necessities, including a support chair, renovations to his home for mobility purposes and mental health support.
Cricketers’ Trust Chair, David Ford, said: “Graham (Gooch) is once again helping the Cricketers’ Trust, he is a huge advocate of the charity and has supported us over the years financially through his foundation. There’s a lot of cricketers that owe him a huge debt and gratitude for the support he’s given, particularly to young cricketers.
“But we’re hoping that the invitational, which has gone wonderfully well, will become an annual event here in Portugal.”
Former PCA President and former England captain, Graham Gooch, said: “We’ve had great support from everyone that has attended, some ex-cricketers and some current players. It’s a wonderful event and I strongly believe in all the things the PCA and the Cricketers’ Trust do to help present, past and future players. It’s a wonderful organisation.”
PCA President, Eoin Morgan, said: “To come and support a flagship event for the Cricketers’ Trust is integral to the role as President of the PCA. To raise money and support a magnificent cause, but also to come and enjoy such great camaraderie and be a part of something that has been such a magnificent fundraiser for the Trust has been great. I can safely say I will be coming back again.”
Find out more about the Cricketers’ Trust here.
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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.
