Yorkshire cricket players screened for skin cancer to raise awareness of heightened risks

A first-class county cricket club has screened its players for skin cancer to raise awareness of the heightened risks associated with the sport.

All first-team men’s players for The Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC) and women’s players from the Northern Diamonds were screened at Headingley by healthcare provider Portland Clinical earlier this month.

It comes as talks around the risk of skin cancer in cricket continue to amplify, with England cricketer Sam Billings opening up about his melanoma journey earlier this year.

Yorkshire wicketkeeper Harry Duke and Diamonds bowler Jessica Woolston revealed members of their family have experienced skin cancer and praised the club for hosting the screening day.

Woolston said: “My dad was diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma – he had a mole that spread to his lymph nodes. So for me, getting screened was an important and emotional experience.

“I’m happy the importance of the issue is coming to light in our line of work and that we’re getting checked.”Duke added: “It runs in my family. It’s good to have the opportunity to get tested and feel comfortable in knowing I’m all clear at the moment.”

Portland Clinical is looking to work with more clubs to raise awareness of skin cancer in the game, having also worked with Middlesex County Cricket Club in the summer.

At least 100,000 new cases of skin cancer are reported every year, while 60 per cent of UK adults have had a skin condition in their lives.

Natalie Fisher, Head of Community Dermatology at Portland Clinical, said: “We talk a lot in this country about bowel and breast cancer – but we know skin cancer rates are soaring, and not enough people are talking about it.“The players were really interested and asked questions about the signs to look out for.

“We really want to get the message out there that skin cancer is a real issue here in the UK. Statistics are rising and we need to start talking about it.”

Ed Owen, Head of Science and Medicine at YCCC, added: “It’s been fantastic.

“As cricket players they spend a lot of time out in the sun in the summer so it’s beneficial for our male and female players to get checked out.

“It’s also good to raise awareness among people in the professional game and also cricket clubs throughout Yorkshire.”