Ex-Gloucestershire and Middlesex bowler Ben Gannon talks cricket (From Gazette Series)

Ex-Gloucestershire and Middlesex bowler Ben Gannon talks cricket

8:50am Friday 29th May 2009 in

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THE Bank Holiday weekend produced two uninterrupted days of cricket thanks to the glorious sunshine.

Gloucestershire successfully hosted the second One-Day International against the West Indies and what a refreshing change it was to see the crowds drenched in sunshine instead of rain.

Unfortunately overexposure to the sun brings with it a very real danger as highlighted by the national press earlier in the week, skin cancer.

Possibly due to our indifferent climatic conditions we have an unhealthy obsession for ‘binge tanning’, which has created a massive increase in the incidence of confirmed cases of malignant melanoma. But what of those people, who due to the nature of their work are exposed to the sun, not out of vanity but necessity, for example, professional cricketers.

Much of a professional cricketer’s life is spent following the seasons from one summer to the next, whether it is Australia, South Africa or New Zealand. I was lucky enough to avoid a winter in England for six consecutive years but as a result was exposed to the harsh sun of the southern hemisphere. Having spent time in Australia where awareness of cancer is much higher and advertising much more aggressive, I have always been aware of the dangers, although still been guilty of neglect at times.

However, whilst at Middlesex (who realised the dangers of the sun) I was given the opportunity to get screened for skin cancer by an expert, which I readily accepted and was given the all clear.

A former team mate and Australian cricketer, Ashley Noffke, wasn’t so lucky and has had melanomas removed in recent years.

It is therefore very encouraging to see that the Professional Cricketers Association (PCA) has become fully aware of the potential dangers of the sun after one in seven county players were referred to specialists after potential melanomas were found in check-ups. As a result they now have a full screening programme available to all its members which should help to reduce the incidence of malignant melanomas or at least catch them early enough to avoid serious illness.

As cricketers and coaches it is our own responsibility to ensure that we are suitably covered with hat sunglasses and creams to avoid burning. For those that don’t like the idea of chemicals in the sun creams there are, I’m sure, a number of alternative options which could be investigated at healthcare shops.