Retirement comes too soon for many, but former Kent batsman Mike Powell believes he has made the right choice.

The 36 year old called time on an eighteen year cricketing career at the end of the season after struggling to hold down a regular place in the side, but the former Glamorgan man believes he has made the best decision for him and his family.

Speaking exclusively to Kent Sports News, Powell told us how he was enjoying life doing a “proper” job and had adapted to life away from cricket quite easily:

“It’s not as bad as everyone said it was going to be like! Nine to five is really actually quite good, although that might be a bit different in the middle of summer when I want sit out in the sun, but at the moment when it’s dark and damp, when most cricketers are twiddling their thumbs wondering what they are going to do with the rest of their lives, it’s actually quite nice to be heading into a new career.”

“I’ve kind of had this job lined up for a while and Thomas Carroll, the biggest insurance brokers in Wales, have always been in contact with me and the door was half open for me and when they heard I was finishing cricket, they jumped on top of me and dragged me in!”

“There’s always that element of cricketers that finish and then wonder what they are going to do, but the PCA now do a great job with their careers advice and different programmes. They pay for various courses and the boys are a bit more wise as to what’s out there when they finish.”

“The first thing I would say to any cricketer now is to get an education. There’s only a small percentage of cricketers that earn enough from the game that they don’t have to work again.”

“Sometimes a benefit year gives you a little bit of breathing space, but you need to make sure you have got something to go to after cricket.”

With cricket having been part of Powell’s life for so long, he told KSN how he is adjusting to not having to be involved on a day to day basis any longer:

“You don’t realise until you’ve retired what skills you have acquired from being a professional sportsman. You learn that your new job is just as competitive and every day you get challenged.”

“When you get into a working environment, you find that you are a well organised and competitive person and you’ve already learnt certain leadership skills.”

“It’s great that I have ended up with a great job and being able to spend more time with my wife Pippa and our daughter Holly.”

Every cricketer looks back on their careers when they finally walk from the field for the last time and Powell is no different.

After starting out at Glamorgan back in 1996, Powell has scored almost 20,000 runs across all formats of the game, top scored with 299 and even taken three wickets, and the 36 year old is proud of what he has achieved:

“I am very proud of what I have done both on and off the cricket field. I have made some great mates and some life long friends.”

“Not only at Glamorgan, but at Kent as well. I am very proud to have played for two great clubs which are both proud of their histories.”

“One of my highlights is that I lasted so long! That proves I wasn’t that bad of a player! I never thought I’d last so long, so that goes to show I must have worked hard to get a career for seventeen or eighteen years.”

“I was lucky to win stuff, because a lot of people go their whole careers without a trophy. I was involved in winning the Championship, two One Day competitions for Glamorgan and a promotion to the First Division in the four day game.”

“I got to a Lord’s final as well, so I ticked a lot of boxes along the way. I went on tour with England A and I got called up to the England team, sadly I never played, but to be honest I was never good enough.”

“I was brought in as cover for Marcus Trescothick when he got injured, but it truth I was never really that good enough. Maybe there are some lesser players that have got a cap, but deep down, I always knew there were a lot better players around the circuit than me.”

Despite having retired from the professional game, Powell is still taking an active part of being involved in cricket and plans to spend some time passing on his knowledge to locals down in Monmouthshire:

“The Chairman of the company I am working for now, John Moore, is the Chairman of a Cricket Club as well and he has roped me into Pentyrch Cricket Club.”

“I am doing a bit of coaching and I will turn up for a few games as well. That’s Division One cricket back here in Wales. It’s a great little cricket club, well organised and I’m glad to be aprt of that.”

“I’ve been in talks with Glamorgan as well about being posted out to Monmouth School to coach them too in the summer.”

“It’s nice to still be involved, but I have taken the leap into the business world now.”

Powell’s last County Championship game for Kent was back in May against Leicesteshire, whilst featuring for the second team as the summer went on, but he has no regrets signing a two year deal with the club back in 2011 and told KSN how he was happy to make way for the emerging talent at Kent:

“I am old enough and ugly enough to realise that there was a new generation of cricketers coming through at Kent. There are some really talented cricketers coming through and who am I to stand in their way?”

“Of course I believed I still had lots to offer and I averaged about 40 in the first month of the season, it’s only natural that I was disappointed that I didn’t play more, but I fully understand the course the club are taking.”

“They are bringing their own players through and I’m big enough to understand that I don’t want to stand in the way of their development.”

“I am happy to have had two very good years there and I signed because it is a very good club and I knew a lot of boys like Rob Key, Geraint Jones, James Tredwell, Darren Stevens, Mark Davies, Charlie Shreck and Ben Harmison before I went there.”

“I knew it was going to be a nice environment in which to finish my career.”

Kent fans hopefully won’t have to wait too long to see Powell back at Canterbury as he plans to come up and watch the side when he gets chance, but joked how he wouldn’t be too fussed about watching certain members of the side:

“I’ll be there, as long as I don’t have to watch Mark Davies bowl as that’s boring and as long as I don’t have to watch Keysey bat as he blocks too many balls now!”

“I’ll probably be in the bar when those two are playing, but will be out on the balcony when the others are playing.”

“Jamie Clifford has made it perfectly clear I am welcome to come back at any time, as long as I pay my £15 to come and watch!!!”

Not only have Kent lost the great experience in Powell this winter, but they will miss his unbounding enthusiasm in the dressing room.

All too often sport is about what happens on the pitch, but Powell brought a breath of fresh air to the Kent dressing room in the past two years.

Pictures supplied by www.sarahansellphotography.com