Tag Archives: Lee Ames

Hampshire’s new overseas star makes sluggish start

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By Lee Ames

SHAHID Afridi, Hampshire’s new overseas Twenty20 signing, will be hoping his Hampshire cricketing career starts better than his current ICC World Cup campaign. In Pakistan’s opening game of the Tournament against cricketing minnows Kenya, Afridi managed a disappointing 7 runs.

Afridi was due to play in Hampshire’s Friends Provident t20 campaign last year, but changed his mind and resumed the captaincy of the Pakistan test side instead.

The Pakistan all-rounder is due to join up with his new team mates in May and posted this quote on the club website: “I was disappointed not to join Hampshire last season. It would have been fantastic to have been a part of the team that made history by winning the t20 trophy on home soil.

“Having played at the Rose Bowl for Pakistan last year I know that it is fast becoming one of the best places in the country to watch cricket of all levels. I hope very much to play a big part in the club’s success in 2011.”

Afridi has already experienced considerable success at International level in the t20 format of the game. Afridi was named Player of the Tournament after the very first t20 World Cup in 2007 and also played a starring role in helping Pakistan win the next t20 World Cup which was based in England in 2009.

Afridi will be hoping to rediscover his form and contribute more with bat and ball when Pakistan plays Sri Lanka this Saturday in Colombo. Hampshire fans will be hoping he saves his best performances for their upcoming 2011 t20 campaign.

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Martyn Richards: searching for success

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By Lee Ames


One of Martyn's many trophies

I INTERVIEW Martyn Richards as pre-season nets have just got underway for the 2011 cricket season. Martyn has been first team captain for Dorchester Cricket Club since 2007. In his first two seasons as captain Martyn led his team to promotion as League One winners, and then led them to the Premier League title in 2008 – in their first season back in the Premier League.

Martyn, 31, has lived in Dorchester for most of his life and was born into a sporting family in 1980. His father was a very keen footballer and cricketer while his mother played both netball and badminton.

His dad played his football at centre back and his cricket as a batsman and part-time off spinner, roles that Martyn has excelled in during his sporting career to date. Martyn also has a younger brother, Todd, who represents Dorchester at rugby.

Martyn now has his own family, Nina, his partner of two and a half years, and their 11-month-old son, Inzi. ”The greater responsibility of being a father has caused me to grow up years in the space of a few months,” he said. Martyn, Nina and Inzi currently live in Dorchester but a change of scenery may soon be on the cards.

Martyn was educated at the Dorchester Thomas Hardye School where his 10 GCSEs and 4 A-Levels secured him a place at the University of Portsmouth. While studying for his BA Hons in Accounting and Business Information Systems, Martyn continued to play sport and represented the university at both football and cricket.

Martyn’s sporting pursuits continued after university and while travelling through South East Asia and Australia, he had the opportunity to experience both local cricket and Aussie Rules football.

Martyn (centre) leading from the front

“The most telling factor of football for me was the singing of the club song when you won. Team members stood arm in arm and sang their team song with pride to celebrate the hard fought victory.”  Martyn believes that a similar team spirit has helped Dorchester Cricket Club.

“I believe these atmospheres brought about great team cohesion and this was a major reason Dorchester CC won promotion, and then won the Premier league in consecutive years in 2007 and 2008. Individuals recognising their role in the team, and happy to form a team whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

When speaking to Martyn about his family, sport or his job, the one thing that shines through like a brand new Readers cricket ball is his absolute commitment and devotion to anything he sets his heart on.

He rarely mentions the endless hours he spends organising events and fund-raising for the cricket club or the difficulties involved with raising a new family while juggling the demands of a very time consuming job.

The last two seasons have not proved to be quite as successful for Dorchester CC, but you won’t find Martyn offering up any reasons or excuses for the team not winning the title, only reasons why they will win it this year.



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Lee Ames: blonde, bubbly and waiting for Bumphrey

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Up to Speed Journalism student profile: Lee Ames

By Alice Rook


Aspiring sports journalist Lee Ames with his young team member Joseph

YOU’D be forgiven for thinking that blond fresh-faced Lee Ames had only just graduated.

Far from it.

Now 31, Lee has a lot to show for himself. He has been married to Claire for four months, he has a beautiful toddler named Joseph and they are expecting their next child in August. The bump is aptly named “Bumphrey”.

Lee  is a born-and-bred Dorset lad. He was born in Poole Hospital and spent his childhood living with his family in Upton. He now lives in Dorchester.

Despite being born on April 1, Lee is no fool. He knows what he wants and he’s out to get it.

He applied for the journalism training course Up To Speed in Bournemouth because he “desperately, desperately wanted a career that inspired me”.

After graduating from Southampton University in 2001 with a degree in Sports and Business, he began his career as a teacher.

He taught PE, including football, cricket, tennis, rugby, and lacrosse, for just over two years at a boys’ secondary school.

But he decided that teaching wasn’t his vocation and took a job in social services.

After five years of working as a resident child-care worker in West Moors, he decided it was time to pursue his dream of sports journalism.

Lee is set to pass his NCTJ Diploma in Journalism in June this year. He feels sure his insatiable appetite for a range of sports will translate into journalism gold.

Proof of the pudding? He claims that if his house flooded and he was granted one item that he could save, it would be his golf clubs!

Once Lee gains his qualifications at Up To Speed, he aspires to be a top-notch sports reporter.

And once his career is settled, he hopes that Claire can be a stay-at-home mum. “I feel the need to provide for my family immensely,” he said.

Lee admits that juggling his time between his family and the Up To Speed course is taking its toll. “I permanently feel tired these days. There’s always such a lot going on. My biggest priority is time management.”

It’s great to know that Ames manages to keep his feet firmly on the ground despite the strains and pressures that day-to-day life throws at him: he spends his spare time watching comedy programmes like My Name Is Earl and drinking scrumpy.

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Alice Rook: secret superstar?

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Up to Speed Journalism student profile: Alice Rook

by Lee Ames


WHEN you first meet Alice Rook you can’t help but feel comfortable in her presence. Even though it is her being quizzed, she somehow puts you at ease.

Alice, 21, currently lives with her parents in Broadstone, Poole. After attending the independent Talbot Heath School in Bournemouth, where she was offered a scholarship due to sporting and academic potential, Alice studied at Exeter University, gaining a high 2:1 in English Literature.

Alice Rook: the whole package

It was at university that Alice took her first steps towards a career as a journalist when she wrote for the student paper Expose reviewing albums and attending gigs.

Alice currently works for the monthly magazine DV8 every Friday where she gets to review films, compile celebrity profiles and organise competitions.

She cites Fearne Cotton and Jonathan Ross as sources of inspiration and with her vast array of knowledge concerning music and film it is quite easy to imagine Alice fulfilling her dream of working for OK or Heat magazine.

But Alice is no star-struck celebrity wannabe. If you dig deeper into her past, you can discover a very talented and determined young lady, but not one that likes to shout about it.

Her reluctance in offering up her considerable achievements while representing Dorset at tennis is matched only by her modesty when revealing she has achieved Grade 8 on the saxophone and toured such places as Paris and Prague with her university jazz band.

Alice appears to have the whole package: brains, looks and talent. This makes it even more surprising to find there is no significant other (at the moment).

It was a pleasure to find out more about such a genuinely engaging young lady. If anyone deserves a little luck in their pursuit for the dream job, it’s Alice. But I don’t think luck will come into it.

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Split decision on top-end earnings

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By Dominic Bryant and Lee Ames


WITH footballers’ wages spiralling upwards and golfers earning millions before even hitting a ball, the question has to be: has sport lost touch with the common man? How do people in Bournemouth town centre feel when comparing these figures with bankers’ bonuses and the widespread cuts in local services?

While most felt sportsmen’s earnings were ludicrous and out of touch with reality, many did not blame them, saying they would accept such fees themselves. Paul West, 43, a fruit salesman from central Bournemouth, said: “The sportsmen are not to blame, it’s the people in charge who throw money at them. You ain’t gonna say no are you?”

IT student Liam McGarry, 22, agreed about excessive footballers wages. “Why not introduce a salary cap as in rugby? Teams wanting to succeed so badly means money is being thrown around. £35 million for Carroll? Ridiculous!”

Nigel Buchan, 21, a Big Issue seller, from Westbourne in Bournemouth, was one of the many sports fans who would love the opportunity to watch more live sport but couldn’t afford admission prices. “Footballers’ wages are great for the players but also the reason for expensive tickets. Fees paid to the likes of Tiger Woods are ultimately funded by us, the viewer.”

Echoing this view was Frances Owen, 74, from Poole, who added: “Wayne Rooney should give some money back and help out local communities.”

Mohmut Elhazir, 23, a shopkeeper from Branksome, Poole, was clear. “Of course they get too much,” he said.

And Chris Horne, 25, a golf centre assistant from Bournemouth, agreed. “The top end of sportsmen get far too much. It is unfair when thousands are unemployed. A balance needs to be struck. However, people like Tiger Woods bring millions of pounds into their sport.”

But not everyone felt that sportsmen’s earnings were excessive. David Steele, a 70-year-old pensioner from Reading, was more understanding. “It’s just a market, you get what the market is willing to pay. Players like David Beckham put their money back on top of the cake. He has increased attendances in some areas of America from 3,000 to 68,000.  If you compare sportsmen to film stars, what’s the difference?” He felt sportsmen’s’ earnings and bankers’ bonuses were separate issues. “For bankers to take bonuses is immoral.”

This view was shared by Bill Kavanagh, 52, a flower salesman from Southampton. “Bankers’ bonuses and footballers’ wages are on different levels of being wrong. They are two separate entities. If we didn’t do our job, we would get the sack not a bonus.”

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