
HAMPSHIRE and OTs & Romsey left-arm pace bowler Chris Wood has opened up about his long-running gambling addiction.
The Academy-raised former England under 19 international has revealed all about his 11-year-battle and his road to recovery through the support of the Professional Cricketers’ Trust and Sporting Chance.
The 29-year-old has spoken to Arsenal and England legend Tony Adams in a Sporting Chance podcast where he explains how gambling had taken over his life to an extent he relied on betting to sedate his feelings.
The talented player, who cut his teeth locally with Alton and Basingstoke & North Hants, has helped Hampshire to four white-ball trophies since his 2010 debut where he played an integral role in his county’s maiden T20 trophy. However, he has explained success brought him off-field pain through escalating his dependence on gambling.
Wood, who recently became a father for the first time, revealed his fight with addiction throughout his entire career, writes the Daily Echo's Loreli Reddin.
In excerpts taken from the recording, Wood recalled turning down a night out with some Hampshire team-mates after winning the Friends Provident T20 in 2010 in order to gamble away the prize money he had won from the tournament.
He also described walking off the pitch after fielding in a T20 in 2012 and "not having a clue what had just happened" because he was only focused on whether the bet he had placed before the innings had won. "It was quite scary actually, playing there in front of 8,000 or 10,000 people and I'm not even present," he said.
“The problem had got to me and I could not deal with life on life’s terms.
Self destruction
“I was gambling every day and I started to get self-destruction thoughts, not necessarily suicidal thoughts as such but thoughts such as ‘do I have a place here’, I didn’t necessarily go to the lengths of thinking of ways that I could do it but the thoughts started to arise.
“All day every day all I wanted to do was to sedate my feelings through gambling, I couldn’t do anything else.
“I have nothing to hide anymore, I am not scared of who I am. I like talking about my situation now because it gives me a sense of achievement of where I have come and it gives me a sense of power again that I can control my own thoughts and feelings.
“I am going to have to deal with this for every single day for the rest of my life and not get complacent.”
Professional Cricketers’ Trust Director, Ian Thomas, said: “The Professional Cricketers’ Trust believes Chris is the first cricketer to speak out on his gambling addiction while still being a professional. This makes Chris’s story incredibly powerful, brave and inspirational. He has come a very long way to now be in a position to be so honest which I am sure will resonate with people who have faced similar situations.
“Chris has put in a lot of hard work and persistence to reach this stage of confronting his addiction publicly and as he explains, it has been a long process with many setbacks before he has reached this point.
“Sporting Chance’s excellent care and support for Chris has been vital in reaching this point and if this story can bring one more person forward with a willingness to address the issue then Chris will have made a huge difference and potentially saved a life.”
Courage
Sporting Chance Founder, Tony Adams, added: “For us, Chris’s story shows the importance of all the services we offer, starting with the education programme in clubs. Going into a first team environment, which the PCA first asked us to do last year, just one of those sessions can make a huge difference to someone’s life. It’s not just about a story, it’s about how experience can connect with a player who might be suffering or at least open up their minds to the fact it might be something for them further down the road.
“We treat everyone the same, if you qualify for our services and have the courage to pick up the phone, you’ll get the same level of care – and that level is high, that is unqualified compassion and support to help you with whatever problem you are going through.”
Chris Wood is one of the first interviews in Sporting Chance’s new podcast series. Each month Adams will publish a series of interviews with people who have used the charity.
The Cricketers’ Trust officially launched their partnership with Sporting Chance in March, to provide PCA members with mental health treatment and support after a record 85 PCA members – including 40 current players – were diagnosed with related issues in 2019.
The Academy-raised former England under 19 international has revealed all about his 11-year-battle and his road to recovery through the support of the Professional Cricketers’ Trust and Sporting Chance.
The 29-year-old has spoken to Arsenal and England legend Tony Adams in a Sporting Chance podcast where he explains how gambling had taken over his life to an extent he relied on betting to sedate his feelings.
The talented player, who cut his teeth locally with Alton and Basingstoke & North Hants, has helped Hampshire to four white-ball trophies since his 2010 debut where he played an integral role in his county’s maiden T20 trophy. However, he has explained success brought him off-field pain through escalating his dependence on gambling.
Wood, who recently became a father for the first time, revealed his fight with addiction throughout his entire career, writes the Daily Echo's Loreli Reddin.
In excerpts taken from the recording, Wood recalled turning down a night out with some Hampshire team-mates after winning the Friends Provident T20 in 2010 in order to gamble away the prize money he had won from the tournament.
He also described walking off the pitch after fielding in a T20 in 2012 and "not having a clue what had just happened" because he was only focused on whether the bet he had placed before the innings had won. "It was quite scary actually, playing there in front of 8,000 or 10,000 people and I'm not even present," he said.
“The problem had got to me and I could not deal with life on life’s terms.
Self destruction
“I was gambling every day and I started to get self-destruction thoughts, not necessarily suicidal thoughts as such but thoughts such as ‘do I have a place here’, I didn’t necessarily go to the lengths of thinking of ways that I could do it but the thoughts started to arise.
“All day every day all I wanted to do was to sedate my feelings through gambling, I couldn’t do anything else.
“I have nothing to hide anymore, I am not scared of who I am. I like talking about my situation now because it gives me a sense of achievement of where I have come and it gives me a sense of power again that I can control my own thoughts and feelings.
“I am going to have to deal with this for every single day for the rest of my life and not get complacent.”
Professional Cricketers’ Trust Director, Ian Thomas, said: “The Professional Cricketers’ Trust believes Chris is the first cricketer to speak out on his gambling addiction while still being a professional. This makes Chris’s story incredibly powerful, brave and inspirational. He has come a very long way to now be in a position to be so honest which I am sure will resonate with people who have faced similar situations.
“Chris has put in a lot of hard work and persistence to reach this stage of confronting his addiction publicly and as he explains, it has been a long process with many setbacks before he has reached this point.
“Sporting Chance’s excellent care and support for Chris has been vital in reaching this point and if this story can bring one more person forward with a willingness to address the issue then Chris will have made a huge difference and potentially saved a life.”
Courage
Sporting Chance Founder, Tony Adams, added: “For us, Chris’s story shows the importance of all the services we offer, starting with the education programme in clubs. Going into a first team environment, which the PCA first asked us to do last year, just one of those sessions can make a huge difference to someone’s life. It’s not just about a story, it’s about how experience can connect with a player who might be suffering or at least open up their minds to the fact it might be something for them further down the road.
“We treat everyone the same, if you qualify for our services and have the courage to pick up the phone, you’ll get the same level of care – and that level is high, that is unqualified compassion and support to help you with whatever problem you are going through.”
Chris Wood is one of the first interviews in Sporting Chance’s new podcast series. Each month Adams will publish a series of interviews with people who have used the charity.
The Cricketers’ Trust officially launched their partnership with Sporting Chance in March, to provide PCA members with mental health treatment and support after a record 85 PCA members – including 40 current players – were diagnosed with related issues in 2019.