Proud Phil Lloyd can reflect on a job very well done

Lloyd is heading off into retirement following a 12-year stint that saw him serve as coach, team manager and finance and administration manager.

A popular figure around the local cricket circuit, Lloyd can reflect on a job well done and believes the future looks bright for the sport in the county.

“It’s been good fun, there have been lots of trials and tribulations and lots of successes as well,” said Lloyd.

“Shropshire cricket is moving in the right direction. It’s in good hands and things are looking good going forward. There is a good structure in place.

“We are engaging more with clubs now, with Steve Reese becoming club and community manager.

“There has been a greater move towards supporting the clubs, that’s the main thing. I have always, always said that without the clubs then the Shropshire Cricket Board wouldn’t exist.

“We have round 75 clubs in Shropshire and since I started we have lost three or four, but there have been three or four new starters.

“There will be a lot of work to be done after coronavirus and a lot of clubs will have to start again.

“But I am confident that with the help of the cricket board and the ECB, our clubs will be OK. The ECB will provide funds to ensure the game carries on.”

Lloyd, who moved across the border from Wrexham in 1998, can take great pride in his work expanding the Chance to Shine programme across Shropshire, while he is also delighted to have seen a number of Shropshire cricketers progress into the professional game.

“The job has given me a lot of pleasure,” added Lloyd, who played his club cricket in the county for Wellington and also turned out for Shropshire over-50s.

“Supporting everybody from clubs, coaches, county coaches and squads. And watching players develop. We have got a long list of players who have progressed.

“Dillon Pennington, Joe Clarke and Ed Barnard, they have all gone on to play professional cricket.

“And the Chance to Shine project was a success. When I started at the board we had 10 schools and we took it up to a 130 at it’s peak.”

But despite opting to retire, there is no danger of Lloyd, who was a member of the Wales squad that competed in the 1979 ICC Trophy that acted as a qualifier for the World Cup, taking a break from cricket.

His son, Dan, is vice-captain at Wellington and a member of the Shropshire minor counties squad, while his other son, Sam, played for club before relocating to London.

And his nephew, David, is vice captain at Glamorgan. The sporting family theme also includes Lloyd’s father, Cliff, who was secretary and manager of Wrexham and his brothers John, who was a Premier League referee, and Geoff, who was secretary of North Wales League from when it started in 1973 and still umpires now.

“I am 65 in August so it was a good time to retire,” said Lloyd, who was awarded the Energize William Brookes Trophy for outstanding contribution to sport and physical activity in 2009. “And my wife, Chrissie, also retired recently.

“It will be nice to spend a bit of time travelling around visiting friends and watching some cricket.”