Growing up, England cricketer Alice Davidson-Richards, 30, idolised her cricket-loving dad. So it was devastating when the Northern Superchargers and South East Stars player found herself helping to care for Geoff as he struggled with Alzheimer’s.
Alice is fronting a film by Alzheimer’s Society to be screened tomorrow – World Alzheimer’s Day – by Sky Sports during a One Day International between England and Australia in Leeds.
Here, Alice explains to Tessa Cunningham why she is determined to do all she can to help raise awareness of the disease.
My entire life Dad was my hero. He was fit, active and incredibly wise. Next to cricket, the one thing he and I shared was a passion for tea. We drank six or seven cups a day – usually while talking about cricket. So the day Dad forgot where he kept the teabags, I knew something was terribly wrong.
He was standing in the kitchen and had no idea where they could be. The most chilling part was the scared look on his face – he was so frightened and confused. I tried to make light of it but I was terrified. I knew what it meant.
It was the middle of 2020. Dad was 79. Mum had been telling me for ages she was worried about him. I still lived at home but was travelling a lot for cricket so I missed many of the signs.
So I hadn’t noticed he was becoming forgetful and withdrawn when he’d always been so active and outgoing. If I’m honest, I’d also been in denial. I kidded myself it was part of the normal ageing process. But that day I knew.
It took a while to organise tests through the GP. I was sitting at the kitchen table with my parents when the doctor rang and broke the news – Dad had Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia. All these emotions were swirling around – relief that we knew what was going on, terror about what the future held and, most of all, gut-wrenching sadness.
By then Dad was so confused he didn’t really understand what it meant. Over the next few weeks, as the diagnosis sunk in, he became terribly upset. He kept saying he was sorry. Watching my big, strong dad cry with guilt because he had Alzheimer’s was heartbreaking.
I’d walk him to the cricket ground and he’d always say, ‘We saw Shane Warne play here’
All my life he’d been the one looking out for me. I was only 26 but at that moment I really grew up. I was the one protecting him – I was his little girl, hugging him and saying it wasn’t his fault and I’d always love him. I meant it and I know he never forgot how much he loved me. We’d always been so close. I have three older brothers but I’m the only one to share his passion for cricket. He’d been a decent club cricketer and was desperate for his kids to play.
I was two when I first held a cricket bat. Our home in Tunbridge Wells was next to a cricket ground. I’d beg Dad to take me to practise at the nets. As he worked from home he’d happily oblige.
I was overwhelmed when I joined a junior club at nine and was the only girl, but Dad encouraged me all the way. Wherever I needed to play, he would drive. On the way home we’d put Rod Stewart on the stereo and unpick every part of the game. Dad wasn’t just my biggest supporter – he taught me almost everything I know about cricket. I wouldn’t be where I am today without him.
Even after the Alzheimer’s started to take hold, he still enjoyed cricket. When I got a century on my Test debut for England against South Africa at Taunton in June 2022, Dad was there. He understood what it meant – it was one of his proudest moments. Alzheimer’s robbed him of so much but that love of cricket lingered.
Dad kept his sense of humour right until the end. Whenever I mentioned going to Taunton, he’d smile and say: ‘Good vibes there.’
When we got the diagnosis, I went on to the Alzheimer’s Society website, which was brilliant, helping me understand what to expect. South East Stars, were hugely supportive and the Professional Cricketers’ Association organised counselling.
Dad’s Alzheimer’s was relatively fast-moving – we could always hold a conversation but by the end of 2022 he was in a wheelchair. There were days when he was angry and others when he had no idea who I was.
I made sure to go round every day for a cup of tea. I’d find an old cricket match on Sky and we’d watch it. I’d also walk him to the cricket ground – he loved it and always said the same thing: ‘We saw Shane Warne play here.’ It was decades ago but he remembered seeing the legendary Australian cricketer as if it were yesterday.
Mum was determined to keep Dad at home with her for as long as possible. We all helped. It may seem like a huge shift from the father-daughter relationship to being a carer but, when you love someone, you do whatever you can to make life OK for them.
I helped him get dressed, eat and go to the loo. I feel lucky I got the chance to show him that amount of love. I saw in his eyes how much he loved me – the way he looked at me was amazing.
We were all with Dad when he passed away on November 9 last year.
I miss him every day. He’s the reason I’m proud to be an Alzheimer’s Society Sport Champion. I was keen to take part in the film but found talking about Dad emotional.
The more we talk about this terrible illness, the less scary it is. There’s no cure as yet but it’s vital to raise awareness and money to support those affected and to fund essential research.
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Dementia’s devastating impact is enormous – it’s the UK’s biggest killer but often the realities of the condition remain hidden behind closed doors. Share your dementia story at alzheimers.org.uk/stories to help Alzheimer’s Society create an unignorable case for urgent action. For information and support, visit alzheimers.org.uk
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