Matthew Maynard
His son, Tom, was killed in 2012 after being electrocuted and hit by a train in London. Matthew is now director of cricket at Somerset.
We had a knock on the door in the morning. I was upstairs and my daughter knocked on my door and said the police were here. They told us there had been an accident and Tom was dead. They were very blunt about it. And then it was on the news channels on TV and very soon everyone knew about it.
We went down to west Wales to a friend’s caravan and had a few days down there, walking, going to the beach. Just to try to comprehend what had happened. But what are the options? They’re drastic. The options are that you consider taking your own life. To think that we would never see him again was horrendous.
Alcohol helped, I suppose, but I don’t think you can deal with something so life-changing to you as a family. But you do see who your true friends are at those times, those people who are there for you and seem to just listen.
You need to talk, you need that avenue of communication and that channel is very helpful. Speaking to a counsellor about Tom really helps. I still have dark days but I know that I can always pick up the phone and speak to someone if I need to.
And the PCA will not just help the one person who has played cricket: their Benevolent Fund will look after the whole family. I fell out of love with cricket but through the Benevolent Fund I have got that love back. You want to help people become the best people and cricketers they can be.