Call it fate, destiny, or a God-sent miracle, but some people arrive in a person’s life akin a messiah to change his/her life for good. Having experienced a similar incident during his teenage years, England Test captain Ben Stokes was funded as he became a beneficiary of a noble man’s donation, after he had blessed him with a sum of money enough to fund for his private cricket coaching classes.
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Stokes’ father, late Gerard Stokes, was struggling at the time to make ends meet. Perhaps spotting the raw cricketing talent of the all-rounder, this secret someone not only did a financial favour to the Stokes family but can also take pride in the fact that his decision helped the country produce one of the best players in modern-day cricket.
Despite the decision taken almost a couple of decades ago paying the best possible dividend, this person still remains anonymous to the larger world. However, there are a handful of people who do know the identity of this mystery man.
13-Year-Old Ben Stokes Was Funded By An Anonymous Person For His Private Cricket Coaching
Stokes’ first-ever coach during his childhood, Jon Gibson, during an interaction with London Telegraph back in 2016 revealed that apart from him and his wife, the identity of this anonymous benefactor is not known to anyone. However, the catch is that Gibson has taken a vow to not reveal the man’s identity, possibly upon the donor’s request.
“There was a benefactor, but we have said we are not going to tell anyone,” he told the London Telegraph in 2016.
Gibson further remarked that Stokes had joined his Cockermouth Cricket Club in Cumbria (county in North West England) soon after his family had moved to the place from New Zealand. Upon being asked whether he had thought that the 13-year-old would go on to represent England at the international level, Gibson would reply in the negative.
“He was a bit raw in his first couple of years. He was very powerful, that was obvious, he was very, very strong and he was a natural timer of the cricket ball, but he was erratic in his technique.”
With Stokes’ bowling also being wayward during his early teens and his batting technique having some noticeable flaws, one cannot help but commend the mystery benefactor to have spotted greatness in him when very few people did.
“I’d lost my job and hadn’t worked for a year” – Gerard Stokes
Stokes’ father, during an interaction with Newsbeat around a couple of decades ago, had revealed how he was rendered jobless for around a year during the early 2000s. This mystery person had an idea about the family’s financial condition, and offered to pay for his son’s coaching out of nowhere.
“I’d lost my job and hadn’t worked for a year. This bloke came and offered to pay for Ben’s coaching and a few other bits and pieces, knowing we weren’t really in a position to do so.”
Stokes and England cricket’s fans and well-wishers can certainly not thank this man enough for his selfless contribution. If you believe that some things are just meant to happen, this story of Stokes and his Good Samaritan will only further strengthen your belief in the same.
Why Did Ben Stokes And Family Move To England?
With Ben as young as just 12, Gerard’s new job as the head coach at Workington Rugby League Club in West Cumbria had meant that the family had to shift to England.
Gerard and Ben’s mother, Deb Stokes, would later move back to their home in New Zealand’s Christchurch (where Ben was born in 1991). That being said, Stokes’ growth as a cricketer in Cockermouth Cricket Club and later at the Durham Academy, where he joined as one of the youngest players, convinced Gerard that his son was at the right place and this is where he belonged.
