A play is to be held at The SSE SWALEC dramatising the tragic decline of former Northants & England cricketer Colin Milburn, who died following a heart attack aged 48, following a battle with depression.
As part of the Professional Cricketers’ Association’s Mind Matters campaign and with the support of the Arts Council England, When the Eye Has Gone will be on a month’s tour of all the 18 First Class Counties in November, stopping off in Cardiff on 3rd November, 7.30pm
The purpose of ‘When the Eye Has Gone’ is to help current players appreciate the importance of planning for life after cricket.
It was written by ex-Kent and Derbyshire all-rounder, James Graham-Brown, and produced in association with Live Wire Theatre and the PCA.
Milburn made 13,262 runs in first-class cricket for an average of 33.07; he took 99 wickets at 32.03 and made 224 catches. In nine Tests he made 654 runs at an average of 46.71.
Well-established as a Northants legend, he holds the record for catches in a season having taken 43 in 1964.
All too briefly he became a household name, and he even caused a sensation playing for Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield one winter, smashing 243 against Queensland at Brisbane on the first day before his dismissal just after tea. He was called up for the England tour of Pakistan and made 139 at Karachi in a Test cut short by crowd riots.
His glistening career was cut short when he lost his eye in 1969, aged 27, in a car accident. Milburn, from then on, was unprepared for life outside of the sport and, tragically, turned to alcohol as a form of escapism – an addiction that proved his downfall 19 years later.
We hope to welcome as many members as possible to the performance and invite you to bring your friends and guests.
Tickets are priced at £10 for adults and £8 for concessions. CLICK HERE to secure your seats