Harry Gurney, Stuart Broad and their 'other' life pulling pints, not shots

Whereas becoming a landlord used to be the staple preserve of the ex-footballer, it seems that cricketers are now getting in on the act too, explains Gurney

Harry Gurney owns a pub with Stuart Broad and a third friend and is currently looking to broaden his horizons within the industry (Getty Images)

There will be no shortage of cricket lovers just waiting to raise a glass to Stuart Broad as he prepares for his home Test match against India at Trent Bridge.

And thanks to England’s second leading wicket-taker there will soon be another drinking hole for Midlands cricket buffs to sit back, have a pint and mull over Broad’s finest spells for his country.

Broad has been back to his best this summer after a disappointing Ashes series and although there’s clearly more to come from him on the pitch, he is already ensuring that his future is in safe hands off it.

The Cat and Wickets Pub Company is the brainchild of Broad, Harry Gurney - a Notts team-mate and former England one-day left armer - and friend Dan Cramp.

The trio currently own one pub, the Three Crowns in the Leicestershire village of Wymeswold but will, next month, add another to their stable.

And whereas becoming a landlord used to be the staple preserve of the ex-footballer, often thanks to proceeds from a desperately-needed testimonial, pubs and the wages of the sports stars investing in them have changed a fair bit in the intervening period.

“The new pub is undergoing a big refurbishment at the moment and we’re hoping to open in the first or second week of September,” says Gurney.

“It’s in a village called Upper Broughton which is halfway between Wymeswold and Melton. It’s a nice little village among some big farming communities.

“It’s not a big village so it’s going to have to be a destination pub. We’re hoping to drag people from Nottingham, Leicester and all the surrounding villages.

Alongside his partners, Gurney currently owns one pub in Leicestershire (Getty Images)

“It’s called the Golden Fleece at the moment but we’ve applied for planning permission for it to be called the Tap and Run.”

If that doesn’t bring the Notts and Leicestershire members flooding in then what will? That is, though, one of the few nods to the cricket owning Nottinghamshire pair. This gastro pub menu won’t be sampled alongside walls furnished with framed shirts or mounted balls from Broad’s England career.

That’s not to say that he doesn’t play as full a role as possible in the burgeoning company, although that didn’t extend to coming up with the new pub’s name.

“It was the Notts scorer, Roy Marshall, believe it or not,” says Gurney. “We were all sat around the table in a hotel in Leeds during our second game of the season, me, Broady and few of the other boys. It seemed like a good one. We might have to give him a plaque on the wall for coming up with it.

“Dan Cramp is operations and he runs the current site and will oversee the new pub. I look after the accounts and finance side of the business.

Stuart Broad in action during the second Test against India (Getty ) (Getty)

“I’m also involved in the business development side of things as well, so I went out and found this pub and dealt with the purchase and the solicitors involved.

“And what do I publicly want to say about Broady? He provides us with very valuable PR! But joking aside, he’s involved in key decisions. We have a WhatsApp group for the three of us and he always gives his input.

“It’s obviously full on trying to combine anything alongside a career as a full-time sportsman. With the season in full swing I’m doing a lot of hours when I get home and with a nine month old kid too, there’s not a lot of free time.

“I’m just devoting all my time to ensuring that I’ve got something in place when the cricket stops.”