One of England’s greatest ever cricketers in all formats of the game visited Gosfield School on Tuesday 22nd March 2022. Sir Alistair spent time with members of the Gosfield School Cricket Academy and took the opportunity to plant a Gosfield Willow, one of the willow trees that have been planted at Gosfield School through our partnership with Grays International, makers of Gray Nicolls cricket bats.
Sir Alastair Cook is the fifth highest Test run scorer of all time. He captained the English Test team in 59 Tests as well as 69 ODIs. He is the leading run scorer in Test matches for England and the youngest player ever to score 12,000 Test runs. He scored a record 33 Test centuries for his country and also broke the world record for most consecutive Test appearances, ending with 159 at the Kia Oval where he had a fairy-tale ending to his international Test career, scoring a century in the victory over India.
In 2019 Sir Alastair Cook received a knighthood from her Majesty the Queen in an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
Following Sir Alastair’s retirement, he added sports TV presenter to his long list of achievements. Sir Alistair is also proud to act as an ambassador for Gosfield School’s very own sporting partner, Grays International.
Grays tree legacy program began in February 2020 when the former England captain visited the home of the brand in Robertsbridge to plant 33 willow trees, one for each of his test centuries. Sir Alistair commented: “It’s amazing to be involved with the launch of this campaign. It’s growing willow for a game I’ve always played, for a brand I’ve always used…As we become more aware of the need to look after the planet, sustainability initiatives like this one are going to be absolutely crucial.”
Gosfield School is honored to be part of this wonderful program which combines sustainability with a proud sporting heritage. In 15 years time the willows planted as part of this programme will be transformed into Gray Nicolls cricket bats ready to be put to good use by the international cricketers of the future. This program embodies the Gosfield values – Grow. Achieve. Inspire!