Nigel Martin: Former England wicketkeeper experiences ‘special’ call to international cricket

For England, the names of both cricketers and footballers connote very different eras: cigarette cards, umbrellas and the faint whiff of Brylcreem.

Former sports greats such as Dennis Compton, CB Fry and Tip Foster are among the 12 people who have done so.

Arthur Milton was the last man to play in the first of six Tests in 1958 – seven years after winning England’s only football title in Austria.

Another on the verge of joining that pantheon is a recent vintage in the form of goalkeeper Nigel Martin.

Well, kind of…

Martin, who played 23 times for the Three Lions in football, forced his way to England after the over-60s cricket team returned to his favorite sport.

He may be a little gray at the temples but the prospect of a dual international this summer has sparked something in him.

“It’s very special,” Martin told BBC Sport.

“Obviously as a professional wicketkeeper I wasn’t allowed to play cricket in the winter because it would scare my fingers and stuff like that.

“I didn’t think I would be able to play cricket again so I retired because of a stress on my ankle. But in 2011 I got the all clear to do so I started playing again.”

Martin got his professional football break for Bristol Rovers in 1987 after being recommended to then manager Gerry Francis by the club’s tea lady Vi Harris.

The Cornishman later played for Crystal Palace, Leeds and Everton, making 666 league appearances before retiring in 2006.

Martin still plays club cricket and is currently with Scarcroft CC, just outside Leeds.

A few years ago he helped Knaresborough CC reach the North Yorkshire Premier Division alongside former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson.

St Austell-born Martin’s route to the international fold has required an 800-mile round trip from his Yorkshire home to Cornwall – on the back of county age-group matches.

“My good friend Shaun Hooper, who was captain of Cornwall’s over-50s, asked me six years ago if I wanted to play for Cornwall,” he said.

“The last time we played was under 15s against Cornwall Schools. Then Cornwall asked me to go to England.

“It’s a long journey but being able to go home and see family more often has always been an added bonus.”