From the boiler factory to England's training group – Richard Gleeson's roundabout journey

NICK FRIEND: It has been a long and winding road for the factory-worker-turned-England-hopeful. By the end of the summer, one of the modern game’s most heartening journeys might just have another chapter

Richard Gleeson knows that his tale stands him out. By the time he was 26 – the average age of a professional cricket career’s end, his journey had not yet begun.

Instead, he was representing Cumberland in minor counties competition and climbing the coaching ladder, having completed a degree in coaching and sports performance. Work had taken him on a varied road: from a factory job with Baxi Boilers through to landscape gardening and time spent cleaning maggots at a fish and tackle shop.

Six years on, he finds himself as one of 14 uncapped members in England’s enlarged 55-man training group; a first-class debut for Northamptonshire in 2015 against the touring Australians has led itself to here. Blackpool-born, he was one of seven Lancashire players invited to return to one-to-one action ahead of the international summer.

“It’s quite exciting for me that that opportunity could come up in the not too distant future,” Gleeson says with a smile. He is 32 years old now, but hopes that after coming into the professional game later than most, his body still has plenty left in the tank.

His ability to bowl fast saw him top the wicket charts for his county last season – he took 47 at an average of 20.17 in a title-winning team. That led to winter recognition – first, in the Abu Dhabi T10, before a stint with Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash was followed by a place in Richard Dawson’s England Lions squad for their unbeaten tour of Australia.

“Obviously, I’ve had a little bit of a taste for Lions stuff before,” Gleeson adds. “It’s just quite exciting. It’s the pinnacle, it’s what everyone wants to play – so, to go from a club cricketer at 26 to an England international at 32, it would be amazing.

“It’s just a great story to never give up and keep following your dream and keep pursuing things, because you never know what could happen and when. It’s a great advert for minor counties cricket as well. I think they’ll enjoy the story – I think if it does happen, and hopefully it does, it will make a nice read.

“I did a university degree and after that I spent two winters in Australia. And then, for the third winter I was meant to go back but it was my sister’s wedding, so I stayed at home and I worked in a factory. And then, I went straight into the coaching.”

^{Gleeson was part of the England Lions squad that went unbeaten in Australia over the winter}

He holds a Level Three certificate; it was James Middlesbrook, the former Northants, Essex and Yorkshire off-spinner, who suggested that there might be an opening for him at Wantage Road.

“I probably did think at this age I wasn't going to get an opportunity, so I’ll enjoy what I’m doing,” Gleeson explained.

“I had my career path within the coaching. That’s the direction that I was going down – like any club cricketer, I was enjoying it; I’d always try to play to the top standard I could in minor counties.

“And then James Middlebrook came to me and said there’s an opportunity to maybe play some cricket at Northants. And I said: ‘I’ll take it, give it a go.’ I love playing cricket and challenging myself against the best. Just gave it a go.”

The numbers since then have spoken for themselves: 140 first-class scalps at an average of 21.43 tell the story of a regular wicket-taker, while his stock has risen with the white ball as well.

He was unable to confirm on Thursday whether he has been included in England’s training party with his red-ball or limited-over skills in mind, but added that he had learnt a significant amount from his time in Australia over the winter. During his spell with the Renegades, he worked with Shaun Tait, the former fast bowler.

Returning to training at Emirates Old Trafford this week briefly felt like an unusual experience, he admits, having not had any opportunity since the coronavirus outbreak stopped English cricket’s pre-season in its tracks.

“I think we’ve already adapted to it,” he insisted. “I know that on the first morning driving in, it was a bit like: ‘What can you do, what can’t you do?’ It was quite a surreal experience, but as soon as you got bowling again, it was back to business and back to working on the same things that we work on and going through the motions. It was quite normal pretty quickly, which helped.”

Several measures are in place to ensure that players, coaches and staff remain as safe as feasibly possible once onsite.

“We’re all on an app, where every day we have three questions and we have to record our temperature before we enter training,” he explained. “They’re yes/no questions and if you answer ‘yes’ to any of them, then you’re not to go into training and you have to report to the medical team.

^{Gleeson spent part of the winter representing Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash}

“You get your temperature checked when you get to Old Trafford on the gate. Then, once you’re in, you’ve got your own balls, your own bands that you need to use for your warmups, you’ve obviously got to stay two metres from everyone else – there’s no contact with anybody else.

“For the bowlers at the minute, we’re bowling into a net – we’re not bowling into a mitt or anything or being thrown back. It’s one skin on the ball, that’s it.

“There’s no cross-contamination between any of the coaches. The coaches are allowed to be there and watch; you have to keep your distance. And then the physio, if you do need anything, they need to be in full PPE and masked up. Touch wood, none of us have had any issues yet.”

Gleeson and his fiancée Laura are due to marry on October 10 – a date they still hope to manage despite what this year has thrown in their way. The pair have had a new arrival to contend with as well.

“I spent quite a bit of the winter away,” he adds. “Both pregnancies I’ve spent two months and three months out of the country.

“Laura is really good. She just gets on with it, she understands it’s only a short career and to come from where I’ve come from, I’ve got to take every opportunity that I can. She’s always pushed me into it and wants me to go as far as I can.”

It has been a long and winding road for the factory-worker-turned-England-hopeful. By the end of the summer, one of the modern game’s most heartening journeys might just have another chapter.

Save 30% when you subscribe to The Cricketer’s print & digital bundle. £35 for 12 issues