Double T20 winner Alex Wakely 'thrilled' as he is awarded testimonial by Northants

With the late February rain hammering down outside, and the groundstaff battling with the wind to get the covers flat on the County Ground square, Alex Wakely is sitting in the Steelbacks Cafe on the first floor of the Lynn Wilson Centre.

Taking a break from the rigours of fitness training with his team-mates in the indoor school, Wakely is discussing the announcement that he has been awarded a testimonial year by Northants, and it is clear he is very proud.

The 31-year-old first rocked up at Wantage Road as a 13-year-old, playing through the County age-groups and going on to make his first-team debut at the age of 18.

Now, 13 years, hundreds of matches, thousands of runs, more than five years of captaincy, two T20 finals day victories and several hairstyles later (see right), Wakely will celebrate a deserved testimonial throughout 2020.

And he is pretty chuffed about it.

“I am very proud,” said the former Bedford School pupil. “I have been here since I was 13, and coming from just down the road in Bedfordshire I am as close to homegrown as it comes.

“I have loved every minute of my career here.

“The people I have met and the opportunities and experiences I have had have been unbelievable.

“Hopefully there are a few more years to come yet, but when I found out I had a testimonial year it was a great feeling and I am thrilled by it.

“It is an honour to be given one, and the way I like to look at it is it is a nice way of giving back.

“It is a nice way to have some fun with a blank canvas for my testimonial team to create some events.

“We will try to have some fun, get all the people who have supported me over the years involved, and have a few beers and celebrate.”

A one-club man, Wakely has enjoyed a strong career in Northants colours, scoring more than 11,500 runs for the County in all formats, in more than 360 matches.

He has hit 11 centuries and 69 half-centuries, and with a new two-year contract signed just a few months ago, there is sure to be plenty more to add.

So when the young Alex Wakely first walked throught those doors as a kid back in 2002, did he ever imagine he would still be at the club moving into the 2020s?

“I am a laid-back person who takes things day by day,” said Wakely. “So if somebody had told me back then I would still be playing here now all these years later then I would have said there was no chance at all.

“But I have played with some amazing people, I have met some superstars from across all sports, I have been given opportunities that would never have been there before, and I owe a lot to this club.”

The testimonial events will be kick-started on April 17 with a dinner at Bedford School, where the very special guest speakers will be former England cricket captain Alastair Cook and former England and Saints rugby captain Dylan Hartley.

There is also a golf day at Collingtree Park on May 13, and many more events will be announced in the near future, with Wakely keen to raise as much money as possible to aid the two charities his testimonial year is supporting.

Wakely is backing the Professional Cricketers’ Trust and also Dreamflight, and he explained why.

“The Cricketers’ Trust is a PCA (Professional Cricketers Association) charity, and they are one of the best charities out there,” said Wakely.

“It’s a difficult one, because I know some people think ‘that’s only for cricketers’, but professional sport is brutal, and they are there for people when they need it the most.

“Whether that be from an emotional point of view, or from a healthcare point of view.

“For me, they might be supporting me in 40 years’ time when I am retired at home, and I may fall ill.

“If I were to get cancer or if I have something that I need some help with, then the PCA will be there, they are phenomenal.”

Dreamflight is a charity that changes young lives through taking children with a serious illness or disability on the holiday of a lifetime.

“When I was looking at it, there were so many good charities out there that I could have easily represented anybody,” said Wakely.

“I have a good affiliation with Woburn Golf Club, and Ian Poulter (Woburn club professional) is the patron for Dreamflight, and the work they do for those kids is phenomenal.

“They take children who are terminally ill or have serious problems and a lack of money, and they take them on the holiday of a lifetime to Orlando.

“They then integrate them back into society when they come back, and they make the kids feel they are not alone, that there are other people like them and there is support.

“When you see it first hand it is brilliant, so I am also hoping to get involved in the actual flight at the end of the year as well, and the more money we raise the better.”

And he added: “Having a testimonial year is obviously nice for me, but it’s also a chance to raise money and it is my chance to give something back.

“If I can put some money in those charities’ pockets, then that’s great and I will try to raise as much as I can.”

The website for Wakely’s testimonial is at http://wakerstestimonial.com/

Testimonial events can be tracked on Twitter by following @Wakely2020 while the email contact is [email protected]