Blakey keeps up to challenge of sports business

Now, however, Richard Blakey is involved in a different competition as he tries to win work in the hard-fought field of sports and events management.

The former wicketkeeper set up his business 20 years ago, in the days when cricket was a six-months-a-year game for all except the Test-playing elite.

Since quitting the game and running the business full-time, he has had to contend with some of the toughest economic conditions in post-war Britain but, today, Richard Blakey Leisure (RBL) is growing as corporate clients realise they still need to look after their clients and suppliers.

The firm has expanded beyond simply traditional sporting events and dinners to offer the wider public more affordable evenings out, such as darts events with leading names in the game, as well as comedy nights with veterans of the Yorkshire circuit.

After steering the business through the recession , Mr Blakey, 44, who lives in Hartshead near Brighouse, wants to put on more events in other Northern business centres, such as Manchester and Newcastle.

“It has coincided with the tightest three years but I have still managed to get new clients,” he said.

“If you are laying people off, you don’t want to have a big party but you have to look after the customers you have got.

“I have managed to keep it going and introduce big names. I have kept big events coming to Leeds when a lot of the competition has fallen by the wayside.”

RBL, which is made up of Mr Blakey and one other permanent member of staff, has put on a range of events, including high-profile sporting dinners, private celebrity dinners and sports tours, using casual staff when necessary.

It has also arranged for groups to attend a series of foreign events such as this year’s Monaco Grand Prix, in Monte Carlo, and golf’s US Masters in Augusta.

Late last year, the firm began offering “curry and comedian” nights featuring performers such as Brendan Healy and Gary Marshall, and it has planned a new darts event for September 16.

World Darts Supremacy, featuring 15-times world champion Phil ‘the Power’ Taylor and current title holder Adrian ‘Jackpot’ Lewis, as well as other Premier League stars, takes place at the O2 Academy in Leeds. Mr Blakey said he would like to take the event around the country, and prices below £27 show that the firm has begun seeking out a new audience.

“In challenging times, people are looking at cheaper ticket prices.

“It (darts) is a good vibe and it is exciting for a night out, it is a little bit different. Tougher times mean you really have to diversify into different events.”

The business, based in Hartshead, grew out of Mr Blakey’s free time in the 1990s. Although he played a handful of matches for England’s Test and one-day sides, many of his winters were spent in England in the days before the demands of television and sponsorship grew the world cricket calendar.

“Now it is a 12-month job, but when I started it was a six or seven-month job. During the winters, you were left to do your own thing.

“If you didn’t go abroad, you were left to your own devices.”

Mr Blakey held his benefit – traditionally a county’s fund-raising reward for a long-serving player and his chosen charities – in 1998 and said he “tried to give people something extra” for their money with better hostesses, more entertainment and a warmer welcome. It was a success, and more events followed.

Now retired, after making more than 750 appearances for the White Rose county, Mr Blakey still trains most days and also coaches at Elland Cricket Club.

“Having spent three years away, I do at times miss the spirit of the dressing room and the camaraderie.

“It would be nice to get a top coaching job but there are not that many opportunities.”

He is ready to expand the business – albeit it at his own pace.

“I have always been a bit of a perfectionist in what I do. I always want to run a professional service for people.

“As long as it doesn’t outgrow that, I would be happy to grow, but I don’t want to take out the personal touch.”

A big hit on the cricket field

Richard Blakey was a vital part of the last Yorkshire CCC team to win the County Championship, in 2001.

Playing alongside several major figures in the club’s history, such as David Byas, Craig White and Australian Darren Lehmann – as well as Michael Vaughan and Matthew Hoggard when England commitments allowed – the keeper made 15 appearances, scoring 405 runs at 27, taking 49 catches and making five stumpings.

A year later, he captained the one-day side to victory in the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy.