Cancer test for cricketers

CRICKET: ALL FIRST-CLASS cricketers in England will be tested for skin cancer this season.

In an initiative by the Professional Cricketers Association (PCA), about 400 county players will have checks for the disease which is now Britain's most common form of cancer.

"Every first-class player will get a 20-minute check from a visiting nurse," PCA assistant group chief executive Jason Ratcliffe said.

No England-based players are thought to have contracted skin cancer through exposure to the sun during matches, although there have been several causes for concern, added former Warwickshire and Surrey player Ratcliffe.

Screen4Life are already offering assistance in a similar initiative with golf's European PGA Tour, testing players and caddies.

According to UK-based Screen4Life there are 100,000 cases of skin cancer detected in the UK each year with more people now dying from it in Britain than in Australia.

© 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times