Gooch and Gower join star-studded Festival of Cricket

Graham Gooch and David Gower have joined an already star-studded line-up for this summer’s Festival of Cricket, with the duo set to coach the PCA England Legends and a Sir Paul Getty XI during the day’s showcase T20 fixture.

The pair, who have over 24,000 England runs between them across Test and ODI cricket, are the latest addition to the event which has already seen 14 former England internationals confirmed to play across the two teams.

Gooch and Gower will be able to impart wisdom gained from a combined 33 years’ international playing experience, with the former having gone on to become a successful coach and the latter a respected pundit in retirement from the game.

England legend and former Trust director Gooch said: “The Festival of Cricket promises to be a wonderful occasion, and I hope that through my role as coach I can inspire some brilliant performances from the players on the day to entertain the crowds at Wormsley.

“The Professional Cricketers’ Trust is a cause close to my heart. I’ve been a supporter of the Trust for a long time and I’ve seen first-hand the great work that the charity does for PCA members and their immediate families. It would be great to see as many people as possible come down on 30 July to support the charity after what has been a difficult year for us all.”

Former England captain Gower added: “In Alan Igglesden’s heartbreaking yet inspiring story, we recently saw a perfect example of why the Professional Cricketers’ Trust plays such an important role within our game.

“The Festival of Cricket will be the perfect opportunity for the cricket community to give something back, so please do join us for what will be a great day, headlined by a T20 showdown between myself and Graham Gooch.”

The likes of Matt Prior, Mark Ramprakash and Graeme Swann will be joining Gooch and Gower at the Festival of Cricket, and you can find the full list of confirmed names so far here.

With eight former international players still to be confirmed, you can secure your spot for a day of food, drink, entertainment and cricket via our ticket portal.

A celebration of the players, the day will kick off with a T20 fixture between the Barmy Army and a cricket media XI.

Following this, on-field entertainment will run alongside net sessions with past and present players, before the Legends and the Sir Paul Getty XI take to the field to do battle in at the scenic Wormsley estate, recognised as one of the most beautiful cricket grounds in the world.

Here’s how you can support the Trust by joining us at the Festival of Cricket between 10.00 – 19.00 BST on Friday 30 July:

Tables in the VIP marquee are also still available, and you can contact our Head of Fundraising Kathryn Ford at kathryn.ford@thepca.co.uk for more information.

The Professional Cricketers’ Trust supports PCA members and their immediate families when they need it most. Since 2015, the players’ charity has supported 426 individuals in the area of mental health alone.

Following a Covid-impacted year which led to an estimated annual fundraising shortfall of £140,000 for the Trust, the need for your fundraising support has never been greater.

Find out more about the Professional Cricketers’ Trust.