FORMER Worcestershire paceman Graeme Cessford has set up his own customized flip flop company.

Cessford hit on the idea of setting up a business that might provide him with a career after eventually leaving the Royal Air Force when stationed working in air traffic control in the Falklands.

The 33-year-old is now back in the United Kingdom and has established YEARONE.

Cessford, who spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons at New Road, buys in flip flops from China and prints them with personal designs using a printing machine bought by his sister.

He said: "I was in the Falklands and I was bored staring at some penguins and I thought of setting up a flip flop company.

"It had been a long hot day, it was windy and it was quite hot and I was sunburnt so it could have been sunstroke!

"But all of a sudden the idea came into my head. It was the Eureka moment.

"It was a long six months in the Falklands and as soon as the opportunity came to push the business as much as possible, I decided I would.

"It was a case of having the confidence to say 'this is what I want to do' and to get on with it.

"I was quite lucky because my sister already had all the equipment. I asked if I could borrow it, made myself a few pairs of flip flops and it went from there.

"As the business has started to take off, I have had to get my own equipment. The machine is similar to the one for printing cricket shirts. You design it on a computer, print it off and heat press it onto the flip flops."

Cessford now has two other members of staff helping him out and says county cricketers have been impressed with the scheme.

He said: "Quite a lot of the county guys who have seen the flip flops are trying to get their counties sorted out with them."

Cessford made six first class and four List A appearances for Worcestershire and was a popular figure with his team mates and supporters.