What we should all aim for…
On September 8th, 2007, the third day of a county championship match at Edgbaston, Surrey opener Scott Newman received an excellent away-cutter and edged it to wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose.
Newman was gone for 87. It didn’t make a shred of difference to the outcome of the match (Surrey won by nine wickets) or the destiny of Warwickshire’s season (ignominious relegation) – but it was a first championship wicket for Christopher Roger Woakes.
He should have had his first a little earlier, actually, but Alfonso Thomas dropped the mother of all sitters at mid on (Chris never mentions it, but all these years later I bet it still rankles…just wait ‘til he catches up with ‘Fonz!).
On July 2ndh, 2025, Chris opened the bowling for England against India in a Test match at his beloved Edgbaston. On September 8th, 2007, he ran in to bowl in silence, the great ground near-deserted as Warwickshire hurtled towards the drop. On July 2nd, 2025, it was cacophonous as a full house roared their support for one of the most popular players of his era. And he went on to bowl superbly.
It’s been quite a journey for Christopher Roger Woakes and many thanks to him for recalling it so engagingly for listeners to Reports from Arbroath. He speaks with typical humility and grace and gratitude but there are also some valuable takeaways for those aspiring to succeed in sport – or anything else – to take on board. That success is built on hard work, hard work and then more hard work. And that resilience is crucial…criticism and advice flood in and you have to evaluate all of it wisely. Some of it is brilliant. Some of it is crap.
But perhaps the most valuable takeaway is one that Chris is far too humble to articulate himself. He is just the manifestation of it. That you can achieve success, great success, and remain a grounded, humble and generous-spirited person. Arrogance is just a sad cloak of self-regard, often deployed to disguise brittleness and insecurity.
In any walk of life – cricketer, journalist, cleaner, chief executive, window-cleaner, councillor, river-widener, lawyer, shepherd, auditor, actor, powder-puff handle-fitter or anything else – you can achieve success, but still stay a cool person. Let’s go for it!
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