Latest news with #GaryPratt
The Sun
11-08-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Unlikely England hero now runs shop in his hometown after becoming ‘literally someone who could just throw a ball'
ASHES HERO Gary Pratt has had an unusual career trajectory since his heroics against Australia in 2005. The Durham native is best known for his iconic running out of Australia captain Ricky Ponting as a substitute fielder in 2005's Ashes series. But for Pratt, who was in his early twenties at the time, life has not followed on from that moment of glory in the way most might have expected. Now 43, Pratt runs Lorimers cricket shop in his home town of Bishop Auckland, County Durham. He plays his cricket for North Yorkshire and South Durham Premier League's Richmondshire, as he has done since arriving at the club in 2012. It is a far cry from his peak, playing six years of first class cricket for Durham as a youngster between 2000 and 2006. In conversation with The Times, Pratt attributed part of his career's fall off to his most heroic moment. 'I scored 1,000 runs for Durham in the Championship [in 2003] and stuff like that. "But after [Ponting], I wasn't known for holding the cricket bat. I was just literally someone who could just throw a ball." His moment came as Ponting and batting partner Damien Martyn set off for an ambitious single after the latter rolled an Andrew Flintoff delivery away to his right. Pratt scooped it up and fired the ball back at the stumps from range, catching Ponting out as he stretched for the crease. The image of the youngster being hoisted into the air by his teammates became a rallying point, around which England would go on to win the series. Ricky Ponting is run out by sub fielder Gary Pratt at the Trent Bridge 2005 Ashes 2 "I wouldn't say it hampered my career," Pratt continued. "But it probably did in a way because there was a lot of attention on me for that reason. "I could have just plodded on in the background, with this not happening. I could have probably still been playing today, really.' Pratt also plays social cricket for a local car dealership, SG Petch, and receives a car in return for his participation in matches and charity events. Between playing for his multiple clubs and running his cricket shop, Pratt is still clearly as in love with the game as ever. He told The Times: "You don't realise there is a different life. All I have is cricket, literally. 'From when I was ten years old it was just cricket non-stop. It was all I wanted to do. "In a way, I kind of achieved it, but finished too soon.'
Times
10-08-2025
- Sport
- Times
Gary Pratt: Unlikely Ashes hero on life 20 years after Ponting run-out
G ary Pratt had just finished a busy shift at Lorimers, the cricket shop he runs in his hometown of Bishop Auckland, County Durham, when we met. A few weeks of glorious sunshine meant that orders for new kit had the team at the family-run business rushed off their feet. The conditions were not so kind to us that evening, though. Torrential rain had scuppered our plans to meet at Richmondshire Cricket Club, where he was supposed to play against close rivals Barnard Castle. So instead we sheltered up the road from his shop, meeting for a pint at The Stanley Jefferson pub to chat about how life has treated him 20 years on from when he became an unlikely hero of the 2005 Ashes by running out the Australian captain Ricky Ponting as a substitute fielder.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Corvette Racing to Drop Traditional Yellow Livery for Sebring
Since the debut of the C5-R, Corvette Racing and its successor Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller have made bright yellow the iconic racing color of the modern Chevrolet sports car. The team still runs a solid yellow car in most races, but none will be present on track at this year's installment of the 12 Hours of Sebring. Instead, the Corvette team is opting to run a red, white, and blue tribute livery. The new colors are a salute to a C4-generation IMSA GTO Corvette run by Protofab Racing during the 1987 season. Gary Pratt worked on that car with Protofab before going on to found long-time Corvette Racing partner Pratt & Miller in 1989, giving the C4 a direct connection to the factory-backed Corvettes of the past 27 years. Although the livery looks nothing like the typical Corvette Racing design, the traditional American racing colors of white and blue match the colors used on the first Corvettes raced at Le Mans in 1960. Just as the Protofab-inspired livery finishes the colors of the American flag with red wing endplates, some of the Briggs Cunningham Corvettes entered in that race featured red accents along the grille or headlights. This is the second straight year that Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller has opted for a special livery at Sebring. Last year, the brand ran its cars in a unique shade of gold to honor the 50th anniversary of sponsor Mobil 1. Chip Ganassi Racing also ran one of its Cadillac GTP racers in gold during that event. You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car
