Wigley's work of faith

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Max Wigley told ecb.co.uk that his work as Yorkshire's chaplain is “a pastoral role. I’m just there for folks, both players and staff."

Yorkshire’s chaplain Max Wigley knows better than most how cruel sport can be, not least from parental experience.

His son David, now 30, was forced to retire from professional cricket after a routine injection went wrong.

The Northamptonshire seamer made only one more senior appearance, against the Netherlands in the 2010 Clydesdale Bank 40. His contract was up at the end of the season and was not renewed.

As well as coaching cricket, David now runs WellBeing Sport – a company that implements employee wellbeing programmes in businesses.

David’s new career follows the ethos of his father’s work at Headingley Carnegie where Max has been chaplain for nine years, beginning shortly after David left the White Rose for Worcestershire.

“Professional sport is, I think, very harsh at times for many,” Max, a 73-year-old former parish priest, told ecb.co.uk. “From my son’s point of view, I felt what happened to him was really harsh and so did a lot of players.

“He came home from New Zealand with a hamstring problem, went into hospital for an injection in his back and the operation went pear-shaped. They put the needle in too far and punctured his spinal cord.”

“He was out of contract at the end of the season and they just released him. I felt that was very harsh really because the season before he’d had a really good season,” Max added.

“That happens a lot. That happens in most professional sports, not just cricket, and I do feel there needs to be somebody there on those occasions to pick up the pieces.”

‘Picking up the pieces’ is just part of Max’s varied remit at Yorkshire, including all manner of life events such as christenings, funerals and weddings.

“It’s a pastoral role. I’m just there for folks, both players and staff. I regard myself as chaplain to the whole club,” he said.

“I'm not just a social worker. It's more than that. I'm there to work with people in a holistic way, ministering to body, mind and spirit. If problems arise I want to be around should they need me.

David Wigley played only one senior game for Northants after a botched back injection, against the Netherlands in the 2010 CB40

“For instance, if there’s a player that’s going through a difficult time – they’ve lost form or they’ve got an injury that’s keeping them out – I’ll maybe drop them an email or send them a text message or a card. Just say ‘I’m here if you want me’, just to give them a few words of encouragement.

“They nearly always get back to me. If they want to talk further about things then I’m happy to do that.”

“At Christmas and Easter I’ll send out a card together with a little booklet about what those festivals are about in the Christian calendar,” he continued.

“My ministry is not just to the Christian groups because of course we’ve got Muslim lads in there. They’ll come across and shake hands with me and chat with me.

“That’s good really. I don’t try and convert them to Christianity. If they wanted to talk about Christian faith, of course I’d do that. But I’m just there for all the staff.”

Max, a former club cricketer who works for a registered charity called SCORE, has been able to draw on his son’s experience as a player.

The Professional Cricketers’ Association, an organisation Max speaks highly of, were also there for David following the botched injection.

“He said the problem with cricket is that from March to September players are 24-seven with each other except for an odd day off here and there,” Max added. “They are living together, eating together, travelling together. They become very, very close.”

“If they lose that close bonding because they are released, or have an injury which removes them from the group, they can feel totally lost unless they have something else in their lives. It's a statistical fact that professional cricket has the highest incidence of suicide and marital problems in any professional sport.”

“If they have organised their lives sufficiently then this need not be a problem. However, there are players who haven't much else in their in lives apart from playing cricket so if they have to finish for various reasons they are lost.

Max believes David's release by Northants "was very harsh really because the season before he’d had a really good season."

“I know the PCA are very aware of this and give players many opportunities to prepare for the time they are not playing cricket for a living. The PCA has appointed personal development and welfare regional managers to give help and advice regarding personal welfare to players whilst they are playing so they can be more prepared for when they are not.

“The PCA provides all sorts of courses now for the players to prepare them for finishing really. I think that’s absolutely superb and I regard in some respects my job is within that context as well.

“Certainly up at Yorkshire, I’ve been brought in at the start of each season to speak to the academy boys and the junior pros about expectations, about what’s going to happen when they finish, about lifestyle, about drugs or whatever, just to give them some advice and let them know that I’m there to talk about things.”

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