PCA urge players to seek help on drugs

By Paul Bolton, County News Correspondent

The Professional Cricketers’ Association is to encourage county players who may be taking recreational drugs to seek help for their addiction before more rigorous testing is introduced.

Out-of-competition testing for recreational drugs and hair sampling are likely to be introduced into English cricket after it was revealed at the inquest into the death of Tom Maynard this week that the Surrey and England Lions batsman was a habitual user of cocaine and ecstasy.

The players’ union is working with the ECB on a new drugs testing programme but would prefer players who are taking recreational drugs to come forward before they are caught.

PCA chief executive Angus Porter said: “After this week I would expect that we are going to get into a more extensive recreational drug testing programme. One of the things that we will be saying to players in our pre-season visits is: if you have got an issue now is a good time to talk about before we get into any kind of testing regime. 

“What we are saying is: sort yourselves out. If you need help to sort yourselves out then we are here to help.

“We are all agreed that what is critical is that any testing regime triggers support, counselling and treatment rather than punishment unless we get into second or third offence. By the time we get into second or third times it is an offence, the first time it’s a finding.”

Porter was at Edgbaston yesterday where he attended the third PCA rookie camp which offered personal and career advice to first-year professionals and which was sponsored for the first time by the Tom Maynard Trust.

“It’s important to have senior figures in the dressing room setting the right standard. If one of these rookies walks into a dressing room they will have an arm around their shoulder and that arm around their shoulder will be helping them to live their lives in the right way as well as becoming better cricketers,” Porter said.

Date: 01/03/2013 09:35:12 by Paul Bolton
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