They say opportunity can present itself at any time. It is certainly true in the case of Richard Gleeson.
Gleeson had more experience cleaning maggots for a living than playing first-class cricket five years ago. But the 32-year-old now has a good chance of playing for England.
The fast bowler is one of 14 uncapped players included in a training group of 55, marking the latest milestone in a career that developed late.
Gleeson's journey included a university degree, some less than glamorous employment opportunities and a stint with Cumberland in minor counties cricket.
He was eventually picked up by Northamptonshire while working for Lancashire as a cricket development officer and now plies his trade as a leading member of the Red Rose attack.
The Blackpool-born seamer needs no reminding how unusual his route to the top has been and happily wears the title of poster boy for those outside the elite game.
"To go from being a club cricketer at 26 to an England international at 32? That would be amazing," he told the Press Association.
"It's a great story, to never give up and keep following your dream, to keep pursuing things because you never know what can happen or when.
"It's a great advert for the minor counties as well, I think they'll enjoy my story. If it does happen for me with England, and hopefully it does, I think it will make a nice read."
Talking about his journey, Gleeson said he had done all kids of jobs.
"I've done all sorts of jobs - in a fishing tackle shop cleaning maggots, landscape gardening, all kinds," he said.
"I spent two winters in Australia and was meant to go back for a third but it was my sister's wedding so I stayed home and worked in a boiler factory. I was a bit of dogsbody, lifting and carrying, getting things off the shelves to send to the production line."
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Stars and their cars
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Cricket coaching offered a potential route out and Gleeson fully expected to be mentoring the next generation at close quarters rather than inspiring them in the middle by performing at the highest level.
"I had my career path in coaching, I've done my level three, I've done tutoring and that's the direction I was going down. I was a club cricketer and I was enjoying it. I probably did think at this age I wasn't going to get an opportunity.
"That's when James Middlebrook came to me and said I had the opportunity to play at Northants. I thought I'd give it a go."
The experiment has gone better than either party might have expected. His first-class debut against the touring Australians in 2015 saw him remove both Marsh brothers, Shaun and Mitch, and he now boasts 140 wickets in 33 matches at an average of 21.43.
He has also been a fine T20 performer and toured Australia with the England Lions this winter. The Lions usually go for a younger age profile, but as a late starter Gleeson has fewer miles in his legs than most of his contemporaries.
"Hopefully they see me as a little bit younger, maybe it's my boyish good looks," he adds with a smile.
"It's a tough old game and it takes a lot out of the body but when I've had scans with the physios at Lancashire they've said to me there's nothing they wouldn't expect to see in any normal 32-year-old, let alone one who's been playing cricket."
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Power: 272hp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 331Nm from 5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.7L/100km
On sale: now
Price: Dh149,000
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
RESULTS
Men
1 Marius Kipserem (KEN) 2:04:04
2 Abraham Kiptum (KEN) 2:04:16
3 Dejene Debela Gonfra (ETH) 2:07:06
4 Thomas Rono (KEN) 2:07:12
5 Stanley Biwott (KEN) 2:09:18
Women
1 Ababel Yeshaneh (ETH) 2:20:16
2 Eunice Chumba (BRN) 2:20:54
3 Gelete Burka (ETH) 2:24:07
4 Chaltu Tafa (ETH) 2:25:09
5 Caroline Kilel (KEN) 2:29:14
