Yorkshire wicketkeeper Andrew Hodd ditches electrician plans (From York Press)

Yorkshire wicketkeeper Andrew Hodd ditches electrician plans

9:58am Monday 10th September 2012 in Sport By Graham Hardcastle

If a fuse blows in Yorkshire’s dressing room at Chelmsford this week, the players will know exactly where to turn.

So unsure was new wicketkeeper Andrew Hodd about his long-term future in cricket, he had begun training to be an electrician.

Now, with a two-year contract at Headingley sealed, he can take his time learning about the intricacies of wiring and concentrate on stumpings, catches and runs with Yorkshire on the verge of a return to LV= County Championship division one.

Ahead of tomorrow’s season-ending clash with Essex, Yorkshire are five points clear of third placed Kent in the race for one of the two promotion places. They are also only a point behind division two leaders Derbyshire.

Kent face bottom side Glamorgan at Cardiff and Derbyshire host fourth-placed Hampshire, who are 24 points behind second and all but mathematically out of the promotion race.

“I’m over the moon,” said Hodd, 28, who has impressed in his three Championship matches so far during a month-long loan spell.

“I’ve played some decent cricket since I’ve been here, and I’m really happy that people at Yorkshire have been happy with what I’ve done.

“A two-year deal gives me that bit of security. You pay bills and stuff like that, but ultimately you want to play cricket.

“I did think about what I was going to do after cricket. I started my sparky course. That puts things into perspective about how lucky you are to play the game. I wouldn’t change it for anything.

“I started a couple of modules, but you can spread it out which obviously helped with the cricket. You can’t do it all in one winter.”

Hodd, who scored a debut half-century against Derbyshire last month, had fallen down the pecking order behind Matt Prior and Ben Brown at Sussex, and had not played Championship cricket in 13 months prior to his arrival at Headingley.

Now he has quickly enhanced his reputation, and is even regarded as one of the best glovemen in county cricket by the Yorkshire hierarchy.

Yorkshire head to Essex knowing a haul of 19 points will secure promotion even if Kent win with the maximum of 24 because they have lost fewer matches than the Canterbury side.

Depending on results elsewhere, Yorkshire may not need to win to take a division one place vacated by Roses rivals Lancashire, who were relegated last week.