'I just couldn't cope' - why Lloyd almost quit because of county schedule

Had former Glamorgan captain David Lloyd not moved to Derbyshire for the 2024 season, he might not still be playing the game.

Raised in Wrexham, Lloyd and his parents made almost weekly four-hour journeys to Cardiff in the hope of him becoming a professional cricketer for Glamorgan.

The 31-year-old made his debut in 2012, before an impressive 11-year stint with the club yielded almost 5,000 first-class runs and 96 wickets.

However, nearly three years ago, the dream job that Lloyd had once done almost everything and anything for, began to feel like a burden.

“The last couple of years have been quite difficult, in terms of coping with the game and having two young kids,” he tells BBC Sport.

“It added more pressure on. It’s like any profession, but you want to do as well as you can and if I don’t, what if?

“It is difficult because you are away. I’m not saying cricket is different to other jobs, but you miss out. We had no family support down in Cardiff, it is four hours away.

“My wife was by herself looking after the kids and it’s hard for her, so you feel like you need to help out, but then cricket is your job.”

With such external pressure and expectations, compounded by those inside the game, the top-order batter struggled to remove himself from the professional cricket bubble.

The Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA) recently revealed that the majority of professional men’s players feel the county cricket schedule is ‘not fit for purpose’, with 62% of players noting mental well-being concerns.

“Sometimes you have no time to get away from the game and just forget cricket. The last few years, you’re constantly thinking cricket, cricket, cricket,” Lloyd says.

“You can get caught up in the whirlwind of the fixtures and flip between formats, it can be difficult.

“Having captained the last few years, you sometimes lose track of your own well-being because you’re trying to please everyone else. You can fall into that rut of forgetting about yourself.”

This all came to a head for Lloyd.

“I isolated myself from my team-mates and my family. I didn’t speak to anyone and that built up over time,” he said.

“It got to a point where I just couldn’t cope. Sometimes you feel like everything’s against you when you get to a low level of self esteem and confidence.

“I didn’t want to play anymore. I wanted to pack up and give up.”

Fortunately, with support from his family, friends and team-mates he decided on a fresh start with Derbyshire and the once dying embers of his love for the game were reignited.

“I sat down with my wife and said, ‘What do I do?’ I knew I could still perform, but my energy was all gone," Lloyd said.

"We thought maybe a fresh start would be an option before giving up.

“I’m so glad I’ve moved to Derbyshire because I’ve still got a lot more to offer. Mickey [Arthur] and Derbyshire have been fantastic to me and my family. It’s a new lease of life.

“It wasn’t anything to do with Glamorgan. Mentally, it was a lot do with having kids and your whole way of looking at life changes.

“It made me open my eyes on looking after them and trying to give them the best upbringing I can. A new challenge closer to our family home, in Wrexham, was what we needed.”

That being said, Lloyd, who is now Derbyshire skipper, is under no illusion that this is a quick fix.

Moving forward, he carries a renewed attitude towards mental health where his, his family, and his team-mates’ well-being comes first.

“I still go through things mentally, but I know how to deal with it. I know that I can speak to people and be more open about having a bad day or having those feelings again," said Lloyd.

“It’s important the families and partners feel involved because they are doing our jobs. They live the game with us. They know the ups and downs.

“And it’s about making sure first and foremost the players are in a good place mentally and physically. Then the cricket will thrive.”