As a youngster growing up in Cambridgeshire, I loved cricket.

Randall, Gooch, Gower and Botham were my heroes, among many others. And I dreamt that one day I would get the call from the England selectors, and walk out to bat in a Test match in front of a full house at Lords.

Though I say it myself, I was quite useful with the bat, and Middlesex had shown keen interest.

But I was also attracting attention on the football pitch too, as a budding goalkeeper. And I was invited to go along to Ipswich Town, to meet the then manager, Bobby Robson – now of course SIR Bobby, and as much a passionate advocate of football's virtues then, as he continues to be now.

Persuasive he most certainly was, and blessed with the choice, I opted to go full time with football, and in a career spanning 26 years, have been lucky enough to play almost 800 senior games, latterly with Watford FC, where I’m now goalkeeping coach.

But my enthusiasm for cricket has never waned, and I cannot start to tell you how delighted I was, years on from my days as a useful schoolboy cricketer, when the chairman of selectors finally caught up with me, and gave me a call.

OK, so it wasn't David Graveney calling on me to boost England's batting line-up. But taking a call from David English was just as thrilling, especially when he invited me to line up for the famous Bunburys. Wow! I'd finally made the big time.

I might have chosen football over cricket, but our national summer game has been good to me over the years. For a start, it's given me a lot of pleasure - I make time every summer for a day out at Lords, and we all know there are few better occasions in the British sporting calendar. But be it Edgbaston, Trent Bridge, The Oval, wherever, there's little I enjoy more than supporting the England cricket team.

Cricket has also made me many friends - from the people I played with in Ramsey when I was growing up, to my team-mates at Abberton, a wonderful club based near Colchester, who I played for for a few summers before football completely took over my life.

And more recently, I have become great friends with Rob Bailey, the former Northamptonshire and England batsman. Rob and me actually go back quite a few years to when we were schoolboys, and both triallists for the East Midlands. Rob was selected and went on to have a great career as a cricketer, and now a First Class umpire. 

But our paths crossed again recently when - through a pottery business he now runs - Rob was a great help to me during my recent testimonial year. And now we’re teammates, as well as good mates,  (Rob, Rob's wife Rachel, my wife Jane and I regularly meet up for dinner) because Rob, of course, is a fellow Bunbury!

As I say, I really was thrilled when David English offered me the chance not just to play cricket for the Bunburys, and with it the opportunity to play with and against some of the professionals I have been watching over the years. And, not forgetting to play alongside the sportsmen who, like me, made a living in other sports, but love their cricket.

Like Lloyd Honeyghan, who played in my debut match for the Bunburys. The game was at Blenheim Palace, which is a glorious setting for playing cricket, and also lining up alongside me was another good friend, and fellow goalkeeper Kevin Miller.Steve Bennett, the Premiership referee was there too and was a big hit with my son, Ryan, as he spent a lot of time bowling at him while I was batting!

Obviously I was nervous, and determined to make sure this wouldn’t be my one and only Bunbury hurrah. Happily, I hung on in there when I got the chance to bat, and made 50. I tried to take it all in my stride, but trust me, I was chuffed to bits!

And I hopefully justified my next selection – I was called up for a game against Saracens Rugby Club at Mill Hill, where I came face to face with an Australian legend in Michael Lynagh, the great rugby player. But we had a New Zealand legend in our line up – and Chris Cairns duly walloped a score of 113, a knock that included 8 fours and 9 sixes! I rather got the impression he didn’t like running for his runs!

Football made up a lot of our team that day, with Joe Kinnear, Paul Davis and Alan Smith all playing. But we also had Harry Judd in our team – the affable young drummer from McFly, who won me serious brownie points with my daughter, Natasha, as he happily posed for photos with her, and her mate Amy. Harry revealed himself to be an extremely useful player, and shared in a huge stand with the aforementioned Chris Cairns.

And then I got one last call before the season ended. This one was at North Middlesex CC on another beautiful day. Ben Foster, Watford’s on loan goalkeeper from Manchester United, and now part of the England set up, came along as an interested observer.

Well, that’s what he thought. But David English soon had him involved, in the true spirit of this wonderful organisation called the Bunburys. Indeed, the match was a classic Bunbury tale: We batted first, set a target, and then defended it with 23 fielders. Great fun!

And a great moment, too, at the end of that game: I was awarded a Bunbury tie, along with all the other players on duty that day. I now wear it with pride.

So thank-you David for giving me the opportunity to play cricket in such a wonderful environment, and to mingle in the terrific company a Bunbury occasion attracts. The money raised over the years is incredible and long may that continue.

OK, so I never did get to bat at Lords for England. But hey – playing for the Bunburys is not a bad consolation at all! I had a fantastic time last year, and I can’t wait for the new season to get started.