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BBC News1 min read
Ex-goalkeeper Martyn savours England cricket call
TL;DR
Ex-goalkeeper Nigel Martyn is on the verge of joining the select group of athletes who have played both cricket and football for England. This group includes legends like Denis Compton and CB Fry, with Martyn's potential inclusion marking a significant moment in sports history.
Key points
- Nigel Martyn is a former goalkeeper.
- He may join the rare group of athletes playing both cricket and football for England.
- Denis Compton and CB Fry are notable members of this group.
- Arthur Milton was the last to achieve this in 1958.
Mentioned in this story
Nigel MartynDenis ComptonCB FryTip FosterArthur Milton
The names of those to play both cricket and football for England conjures up the feeling of a very different era: cigarette cards, blazers and the faint whiff of Brylcreem.
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.
Another on the verge of joining that pantheon is of a more recent vintage in the form of goalkeeper Nigel Martyn.
Well, kind of...
Martyn, capped 23 times by the Three Lions in football, has forced his way into the reckoning for the England Over-60s cricket team after returning to a sport he has always loved.
He might be a little greyer at the temples but the prospect of becoming a dual international this summer has nevertheless stirred something in him.
"It's pretty special," Martyn told BBC Sport.
"Obviously as a professional goalkeeper I wasn't allowed to play cricket in the summer, as it would threaten breaking fingers and things like that.
"I retired with a stress factor on my ankle so I didn't think I was able to play cricket again. But I got the all-clear to do it in about 2011 so I started playing again."
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 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.
St Austell-born Martyn's road to the international fold came off the back of county age-group matches for Cornwall - which necessitate a 800-mile round trip for matches from his Yorkshire home.
"My good friend Sean Hooper, who was the captain of Cornwall Over-50s, spoke to me about six years ago asking if fancied playing for Cornwall," he said.
"We last played when we were together with Cornwall Schools Under-15s. From there Cornwall recommended me to England.
"It's a long trip but being able to go home and see family more often was always the added bonus with it as well."
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Q&A
Who are the athletes that have played both cricket and football for England?
The select group includes Denis Compton, CB Fry, Tip Foster, and Arthur Milton, among others.
When did Arthur Milton last play for England in cricket and football?
Arthur Milton last played cricket for England in 1958 after earning his sole football cap in 1951.
What is Nigel Martyn's significance in English sports history?
Nigel Martyn is significant as he is on the verge of becoming one of the few athletes to represent England in both cricket and football.
What era do the names of cricketers and footballers like Denis Compton and CB Fry represent?
These names represent a bygone era characterized by traditional sports culture, including cigarette cards and blazers.
