Sykes learns a new trade

As an up and coming left arm spinner, a cut or clip is very often the last thing that James Sykes wants to see on a cricket field.

Off the pitch is another matter though. Sykes is currently in the middle of a course in barbering, which is a passion of his outside the game.

The 23-year-old signed a two-year contract extension at Grace Road over the summer but suffered a back injury that prematurely ended his 2015 season. So Sykes has put his time out of the game to good use by swapping spinning for scissoring on a ten-week course at Total Barber Academy in Shoreditch.

Although he is fully determined to have a successful career in cricket, Sykes is mindful that professional sport can be a short career so has learnt some skills in the East End of London that will serve him well in general life.  

“It has been very good for me because having another career option will allow me to play with a bit more freedom,” said Sykes.

“In professional sport you can feel as if you’re playing for your career but if you know you have something solid outside of the game, it allows you to play without pressure. You start playing the game because of enjoyment and I think that you need to have enjoyment in playing professionally too.

“This is very much something for later years as I don’t want to be distracted from playing cricket. Leicestershire have shown a lot of faith in me by giving a two-year contract and I am very determined to repay that. I missed a lot of last season through injury so want to have a good season.”

Just as cricket is a way of life for many people, barbering holds a deeper meaning for Sykes. It is something that reminds him of childhood and the important process of growing up. Sykes acknowledges the skill behind the trade and has learnt a profession that will never be short of business.

“I love the image and craft of it,” he said. “To me, a barber’s shop is a sacred place and there are not a lot of those places around nowadays. My dad took me for my first haircut and it is something that you do together at a young age.

“I have always enjoyed a trip to the barber’s and regularly go to get a haircut. It’s not just a place where you go to get a quick haircut, you can spend time there with friends and have a coffee or a beer while you are there.

“You have good conversation while you’re there and some barber places now offer combined services like a beard trim or tattooing. It is all part of image, so there is a real cultural significance to barbering. It has brought communities together over the years so there is a history behind the art.

“It is a good career in that you have the freedom that it provides. It would be great to have my own barber’s shop one day but it is also something that I could do as a day job when I go out to Australia for example. I’ve tried to go into a career that there is a demand for – and people will always need to get a haircut.”

Sykes revealed that the opportunity came about through a combination of factors, including friendships and liaising with both the club and the Professional Cricketers Association (PCA).

He said: “Two of my best mates are barbers, so they have been an influence. We had a chat one day and I got shown around Total Barber Academy and it went from there. Although I don’t take being a professional cricketer for granted, being in what I’d call the ‘real world’ does give you a greater appreciation of the life that you have got as a cricketer.

“The PCA are very helpful by talking to us about life outside the game and the club has been encouraging by allowing me to take time out of the winter programme, and I have been doing gym sessions around the course. I was thinking about doing the course last year but it has all fallen into place this year - so there has been a positive out of the injury, as frustrating as it was.”