Farmer Jones
Will Hawkes of the Independent catches up with Geraint Jones, the former England wicketkeeper, who reveals his new obsession – farming.
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
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Will Hawkes of the Independent catches up with Geraint Jones, the former England wicketkeeper, who reveals his new obsession – farming.
In terms of inspiration, Geraint Jones can take his pick when pondering the men who have gone before him as Kent wicketkeeper. There's Alan Knott, the England stalwart of the 1960s and 1970s, Godfrey Evans, whose dramatic exploits enlivened the Test scene in the 1950s, or even Les Ames, the brilliant pre-war wicketkeeper-batsman. Jones, however, has recently been inspired by someone slightly different: the television chef and food campaigner Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
The reason is simple. Jones, who played 34 Tests for England before falling out of favour during the ill-fated Ashes tour of 2006-07, has turned his hand to farming. He owns an eight-acre smallholding a few miles east of Canterbury and was inspired to invest in a handful of sheep and pigs after watching Fearnley-Whittingstall on television. "Once I finished playing for England I realised I needed to do something outside of the game to help me deal with the pressure," he said.
Ashok Ganguly is an editorial assistant at Cricinfo