Here’s new writer Rob Stephenson with a tribute to Lancs legend Peter Martin …
My first experience of live cricket was back in 1991- a reserve England side played Sri Lanka A at Old Trafford. I got my first ever autograph from a tall blonde bloke wondering round the boundary. This was Peter Martin.
Shortly after this match I became a Lancashire member, and my teenage years of cricket watching coincided with the great Lancashire one day team of that era. They won a number of trophies including the domestic “double” in 1996.
There were some standout players in that side including the likes of Mike Atherton and John Crawley, both fine test players, and Neil Fairbrother, a formidable one day batsman for England. Wasim Akram was the outstanding overseas players – perhaps the greatest Lancy have ever had. He bowled at ridiculous speed and soon attained cult status.
The rest of the side was comprised of less glamorous but dependable yeomen – Mike Watkinson, Ian Austin and, of course Peter Martin. He quickly became one of my favourite players both for his commitment and the fact he seemed able to laugh at himself no matter how the game was progressing.
Digger, as he was nicknamed, was a fine county seamer and good enough to play eight tests for England as well as 20 one day internationals. In his first ODI in 1995 against the West Indies he was man of the match. He took four wickets including Brian Lara.
There was plenty of talent there. Indeed, Digger probably could and should have played more for England. He was blessed with height, swing, and decent enough pace. So what went wrong?
He seemed, superficially at least, to be just too nice a bloke. Whereas the likes of Cork and Gough were aggressive, up and at em characters, Digger was laid back and seemed too polite to get stuck in. He lumbered in with a grin not a snarl.
In 1995-96, Martin topped the bowling averages in South Africa with 11 wickets in three tests at 19.81 – better than both Cork and Angus Fraser – yet he only played another two tests before returning to comparative obscurity at Old Trafford. If that was Stuart Broad he would’ve been complaining on Twitter within 2 minutes after treatment like this.
It’s worth remembering that Digger could also contribute with the bat. He finished with two first class hundreds; therefore he certainly had plenty to offer. England’s loss, however, was Lancs gain. Although he did get to play at the 1996 World Cup at least.
Snubbed by England, Martin went back and finished his career at Old Trafford – pounding in with the new ball and swinging it away prodigiously. Never as celebrated as Paul Allott, another Lancashire seamer who dabbled with England, but valued by his team mates and fans all the same.
Re-watching footage the 1996 NatWest Final on YouTube brings back happy memories of Essex being bowled out for 57. Digger took three wickets with the new ball but, perhaps typically, found himself overshadowed by Glen Chapple’s six.
Anyway, thanks for the memories Digger. I miss you. I’m sure I’m not alone.
Rob Stephenson
Good solid county pro, a bit like Paul Allot. Another one of the legion of quality English seamers who could have some impact in home tests, but were never trusted to succeed abroad. As a Warwickshire man I well remember probably the ultimate English seamer this applied to in Tom Cartwright.
If you have aspirations to succeed as a seam bowler at test level you must develop some nip or lift, preferably both, so have have some weaponary on unresponsive sun baked hard wickets. Look at the way Woakes has developed from a good county bowler by adding that extra half a yard of pace.
Thank you for the article,Rob.
No you are not alone.
Peter Martin always seemed to me as a thoroughly decent bloke.
I have seen him play many times and I was fortunate enough to see him get a Century against Durham.
He was part of a team in which every player had scored at least one Century.
Ah ,nostalgia.
Those were the days when players picked for England actually played for Lancashire too during the Season.
Sadly we will never return to those great times but at least we were there when they happened.
I agree that he seemed like he should have played more. England had a lot of very good seamers in the 1990s contrary to the endlessly repeated myth that England were totally useless throughout that decade.
According to The Cricket Paper in 2014, Martin now “earns a living as a bowling coach, corporate trainer and he has also been a commercial artist since 1997”.
Nice nostalgic memories Rob.
Many thanks
I think that the match referred to might actually have been a Lancashire match against Sri Lanka on 8th, 9th and 10th September 1990. It was a very enjoyable game featuring the early exuberance and talent of the Sri Lankans. I also enjoyed Peter Martin’s career and felt that he contributed hugely to Lancashire’s success in that period. I took a party of school children to see a Benson and Hedges game in Liverpool. We hoped to see Freddie Flintoff bat; however Derbyshire did so, rather slowly! The children started doing sketches of the various players. One of them did what I thought was quite a reasonable one of Digger. Encouraged by me he showed it to Peter as the players left the field, ‘Bloody hell, is that me?’ he smiled, the boy looked back and just grinned. A lovely moment.
Hello Guys thanks for the comments glad digger has some more fans out there! And no it was the sri lanka game in 91 i was referring to he was a sub fielder rather than playing i got his autograph when he was taking drinks round the boundary i think. I looked up the scorecard when writing the article it brought back some memories! I think i have lost the scorecard with his autograph though sadly now. Tim munton of warwickshire was another maybe unlucky not to play a bit more.
Hi Guys thanks for this good digger has some more fans out there! And no the match was in 1991 digger was twelfth man i got his autograph when he was taking drinks or something round the boundary rope. I looked up the scorecard when writing the article that brought back some memories! I think i have lost the scorecars which had his autograph though sadly. Tim munton of warwickshire is another bowler if that era that perhaps could have played more. Best Rob.
Apologies Rob, you are quite right of course. Digger did play in the match I mentioned and took a couple of wickets in Sri Lanka’s first innings.
Nostalgia and autograph hunting. Takes me back to 1947 when Tom Barling, a Surrey cricketer, invited my brother and I to the Oval to watch him play against Warwickshire with his son who was our friend. He collected our autograph albums and returned them to us with all 11 autographs including Peter May, Alec Bedser and Jim Laker. We were beckoned by a player in whites, 12th man, and and dashed over to where he was standing and added his name to our collection.
On the way home in Tom’s car he told us “I’m going to tell you something you’ll remember to your dying day” evidenced by this post! “Do you remember when I handed back your albums that the 12th man beckoned you and in your rush to get to him, you trampelled over an elderly man sitting down peacefully? Well in order to get the 12th man’s signature, you trod on…Jack Hobbs!”!
This tragedy was somewhat mitigated when in later years my brother told me that the 12th man for Surrey that day was Tony Lock but the even worse tragedy is that somehow we both lost our autograph albums!
Yours in recalling this painful memory
Ron