Nigel Martyn, the former England goalkeeper, is in line for a call-up to the England Over-60s cricket team.
Martyn, capped 23 times by the Three Lions in football, has made his way into contention for the England Over-60s cricket team after returning to a sport he has always loved. The prospect of becoming a dual international this summer has stirred something in him.
Martyn’s Return to Cricket
Martyn said it’s pretty special. He wasn’t allowed to play cricket in the summer as a professional goalkeeper. This was because it would threaten breaking fingers. He retired with a stress factor on his ankle so he didn’t think he was able to play cricket again. But he got the all-clear to do it in about 2011 so he started playing again.
Martyn 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 fellow ex-England goalie Paul Robinson.
Cornwall Roots and International Ambitions
St Austell-born Martyn’s road to the international fold came off the back of county age-group matches for Cornwall. This necessitates a 800-mile round trip for matches from his Yorkshire home.
Martyn said that his good friend Sean Hooper, who was the captain of Cornwall Over-50s, spoke to him about six years ago asking if fancied playing for Cornwall. They last played when they were together with Cornwall Schools Under-15s. From there Cornwall recommended him to England.
He added that being able to go home and see family more often was always the added bonus with it as well.
Making the England Squad
Despite his prior sporting pedigree Martyn was not shown any preferential treatment when he attended England Over-60s trials at Loughborough University earlier this year.
After a recent intra-squad match he was subsequently picked for the England Over-60s ‘Lions’ squad. This is the ’emerging’ pool of players who support the full side, which the 59-year-old qualifies for later this year.
Martyn said the batting and bowling standard is really, really high.
From Football to Cricket
Nigel Martyn’s professional football career spanned nearly two decades.
Martyn got his professional football break for Bristol Rovers in 1987 after being recommended to their 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 he retired in 2006.
Martyn is on the verge of joining the pantheon of those to play both cricket and football for England. Sporting greats of a bygone time such as Denis Compton, CB Fry and Tip Foster are among the 12 men to do it. Arthur Milton was the last man when he played the first of six Tests in 1958 – seven years after he won his solitary England football cap against Austria.
Martyn got his professional football break for Bristol Rovers in 1987.