Hamish Saddle Sore But Proud
29 October 2013
Hamish Marshall reflected on his mammoth cycle trek for two of cricket’s best known charities and admitted: “It was a tough five days.”
The Gloucestershire batsman joined a host of past and present cricketers who are on course to surpass their fund-raising target of £200,000 for the Tom Maynard Trust and PCA Benevolent Fund after cycling from Durham to Lord’s.
The Big Bike Ride, which began on October 18, saw a host of cricketers, administrators and fans of the game ride over some of the most testing terrain in England.
Hamish was accompanied by former Gloucestershire team-mate Richard Coughtrie. Among the current and former cricketers who took part were Andrew Flintoff, Marcus Trescothick, Jos Buttler, Alan Mullally, Graham Napier, Gareth Batty, James Harris, Phil Mustard and Matthew Maynard, father of Tom.
Hamish told this website: “I was a bit apprehensive because I wasn’t sure if I had done enough training. Every day was a grind and I was sore every morning, but I managed to get through.
“Richard Coughtrie had a knee problem that meant he saw quite a bit of the physio. But, with a lot of help from the other riders, we made it to Lord’s.
“It was a fantastic experience. We were split into three groups, with group one the most experienced riders. We were in group two, which was for the fitter people, who were not experienced cyclists.
“Everybody helped everyone else when it came to punctures and the like. Fortunately my bike held up well, even if my legs didn’t.”
Along the way riders stopped off at a number of England’s leading cricket grounds, including the County Ground, Emirates Old Trafford, Trent Bridge and Lord’s.
They arrived at the Home of Cricket to a hero’s welcome last Tuesday shortly after covering the 441 miles in five days, and capped off proceedings yesterday by attending the PCA’s Ashes Farewell Lunch for Alastair Cook’s England team.
An auction at the lunch raised an extra £40,000 for both causes to go with the £150,000 that was gathered in before and during the ride.
Donations are still being made as a result of The Big Bike Ride and Gloucestershire fans can still support Hamish and Richard by accessing :https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/glousboysonbikes
