Cricket club enlists help of a faith healer in bid to ward off ‘evil spirits’
Kent Cricket Club has resorted to unconventional methods in a bid to overcome their persistent injury problems, enlisting the services of a faith healer during the off-season.
Head coach Adam Hollioake disclosed the unusual approach, telling The Cricketer: “We got a faith healer in over the winter, or a spirit healer.
“I’m not sure what the exact title was, but we got someone to warden off the evil spirits.”
The county confirmed that a “non-denominational geopathic surveyor” visited their Canterbury headquarters during the winter months.
The 54-year-old former England all-rounder described the move as a final attempt to prevent key players from spending extended periods sidelined through injury.
The desperate measure comes after Kent endured a torrid spell, propping up Division Two in both of the past two campaigns following their drop from the County Championship’s top tier.
Injuries have plagued the club to such an extent that fielding a competitive team capable of securing results became a significant challenge.
Kent Cricket Club has resorted to unconventional methods in a bid to overcome their persistent injury problems, enlisting the services of a faith healer during the off-season
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PA
The toll of absences is reflected starkly in their record, with the county managing just three Championship victories across the last two seasons.
The crisis left Kent scrambling for solutions, ultimately leading to the decision to explore alternative approaches alongside their conventional methods.
In an official statement, Kent stressed that the visit was arranged to promote positive wellbeing ahead of the new campaign.
Head coach Adam Hollioake has said the faith healer was brought in to ‘warden off evil spirits’
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PA
The club was keen to emphasise that their player welfare and injury prevention strategies remain grounded in established sports science principles.
Their statement outlined that strength and conditioning programmes, medical support, physiotherapy services and carefully structured training schedules continue to form the foundation of their approach.
Kent made clear that the surveyor’s visit neither replaced nor influenced any of these existing professional practices, positioning the unconventional measure as a supplementary initiative rather than a departure from evidence-based methods.
The bowling shortage forced Kent to recruit two loan players and bring in three overseas signings to bolster their depleted ranks.
Their 2026 domestic campaign begins with a lengthy journey north to face Durham on 3 April.
The first home fixture at the St Lawrence Ground since the faith healer’s visit comes a week later when Northamptonshire travel to Canterbury on 10 April.
England opener Zak Crawley features among the players available for selection in Kent’s squad as they look to reverse their fortunes in the coming season.
Whether they can do that remains to be seen.
