Burgoyne suffering stress-related illness

Peter Burgoyne, the Derbyshire allrounder, has been granted a period of leave to deal with stress-related issues.

A club statement said Burgoyne, 20, had been suffering with the issue for some time and a decision had been taken by Derbyshire, the PCA and the player that it was in his best interests to step away from cricket in the short-term.

"We are obviously disappointed that Peter won't be actively involved with final preparations for the new season," Simon Storey, the Derbyshire chief executive, said. "He is an exciting young cricketer with bags of potential and a promising future ahead of him.

"Unfortunately, the pressures on young cricketers trying to make it in the professional game can be very challenging to handle.

"We have a number of welfare programmes in place at the Club while the PCA and ECB also offer extensive support to players and staff.

"We've assured Peter that we will continue to do all we can to support him as he concentrates on making a full recovery."

English cricket now has significant structures in place to help players suffering from stress-related illnesses: the most high-profile recent case being that of Jonathan Trott who returned home early from the Ashes and is now preparing for his return with Warwickshire.

The case of Marcus Trescothick stung the game into action regarding stress and the PCA, who run a programme called Mind Matters, now take a central role in both helping those who are suffering and educating clubs. In November, the PCA chief executive Angus Porter said that the organisation could be helping up to 20 individuals at any one time.