Free No Boundaries by Ronnie Irani

loose ends needing to be tied up, I had a whole new opportunity opening up at one of the top clubs in country – a club with a strong tradition and a long list of outstanding players such as Graham Gooch, Keith Fletcher, John Lever and further back to Doug Insole and Trevor Bailey.
    ‘Really?’ I asked.
    ‘Sure. Keep in touch.’
    Sav was a man I liked and admired and suddenly playing for Essex seemed like the best idea so far. Having walked into the gym feeling confused and unsure, I left thinking, Essex! I think I’ll have a bit of that.
    I went to meet Bob Bennett in the library, the same room where he had greeted me the day I signed.
    ‘So, Ronnie, you are thinking of leaving us?’
    I explained how I felt. I pointed out that Mike Watkinson had just been made captain and he was an all-rounder, so he was always going to be ahead of me, and that they already had other top all-rounders such as Wasim Akram and Phil de Freitas (I didn’t know at the time that Phil was about to leave too). In addition, players such as Peter Martin and Glen Chapple were ahead of me, so I couldn’t see a path to first-team cricket.
    I added, ‘Ian Austin is a good cricketer but he seldom gets a chance here. I’m coming up to 23 and I feel I need to get regular first-team cricket. I think I need to move on.’
    The chairman nodded and said, ‘I understand your position, but I’ll be honest, I don’t want you to go. I think you are a fine cricketer and you have a future here. Have you spoken to any other counties?’
    I knew this was a tricky one because legally I wasn’t yet free to talk to other clubs but Bob had always been straight with me and I decided to trust him. I told him I’d had a chat with a few people and knew that some counties were interested.
    ‘Who are they?’
    I told him. Again he nodded his head, as if to approve of what I was saying, so I decided to go the whole hog. ‘And Essex have made me an offer,’ I said, which wasn’t a complete lie but was perhaps gilding the lily based on the conversation I’d had with Sav a few minutes before.
    Bob’s face changed. ‘I’ve no problem with Durham or those other counties you mentioned,’ he said. ‘But I think it might be difficult if you chose Essex. People on the committee might object to that because we see them as one of our main competitors and you might strengthen them at our expense.’
    I could hardly believe what I was hearing. It seemed it was OK for me to leave as long as I didn’t go to a club where I might be successful and win things.
    ‘Look,’ Bob said. ‘I’m very friendly with Keith Fletcher. I’ll have a chat with him and see what we can sort out.’
    Oh shit, I thought. Keith Fletcher doesn’t know anything about it. I had to back down quickly and said, ‘Don’t bother, Bob. It probably won’t come to anything anyway. I’m much more likely to go to Durham.’
    We left it at that. He told me I had to write a letter to the committee, explaining why I wanted to leave and asking them to make me a List Two player. I went straight to see Rose Fitzgibbon who, together with Anne Murphy, ran the office at Lancashire. Rose was a gem, always friendly and helpful. She had been there when I signed, and whenever I’d been to her for anything it had never been any problem. She was a big cricket fan and a member of the committee. I explained that I had to compose this letter and asked her advice – letter-writing was one of the subjects I’d rather neglected at school – and she said, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll draft it out for you to sign and I’ll put your case to the committee. I don’t want you to leave but I understand why you feel you must.’
    True to her word, she did exactly as promised and a couple of weeks later I was told that I was a List Two player. Now I just had to sort out a contract with someone else.

CHAPTER 7
SOMEWHERE NEAR THE DARTFORD TUNNEL
    I t was time to get on the phone. I’d narrowed it down in my mind to Essex or