Bicknell - Bickers

Jack Hobbs, Alec Bedser, Stuart Surridge, Peter May and Ken Barrington are just some of the greats that have represented Surrey CCC over the years, and I dont think anyone would mind if I added to the list the name of Martin Bicknell. When Bickers started off his career as a young and very promising swing bowler no one could have predicted just how big a contribution he would make to Surrey cricket. It is not often that I am immediately impressed, but this young man made his mark on me as soon as he began his professional career. He bowled with decent pace and had the natural ability to swing the ball an art that is dying in the modern game while maintaining excellent control of his line and length, and was a good listener as he aimed to improve on his all round game. Geoff Arnold, his bowling mentor, played a huge part in his development and it is no coincidence that their bond is still as strong as ever. Bickers bowling record is outstanding and, but for injuries and the England selectors desire for genuine pace bowlers, I am convinced that he would have had a long and successful International career. When he retired from Test cricket, in the same game as I did against South Africa on our home ground at The Oval in 2003, he will have looked back and wondered if he deserved more than his four caps. I will not be in the minority when I say he could and should have had a minimum of 50 caps to his name, when you consider he was first selected to go on the Ashes Tour of 1990/91. Bickers should not be too depressed with his lack of caps as he knows just how much respect he has earned from all those that have played against him and how highly he is thought of. The Surrey success of the late 1990s early 2000s was due, in no small measure, to Martins all round contribution. By this time he had developed into a genuine all rounder, making telling contributions with the bat while regularly removing the opposing top order without fuss. Adam Hollioake, the Surrey captain at the time, knew that when the going got tough, Bickers would step up to the plate and perform. Like all good opening bowlers he believed that the game of cricket was always in the batsmens favour and that the bowlers were hard done by. As you can imagine, us batters took great delight in telling him otherwise, while reminding him that if a batsman makes a mistake more times than not his innings is over while a bowler has so many more opportunities to make up for the bad ball!! He would have none of this, and many a dressing room discussion would centre around Bickers and his theories on the game! As time went by and he became the senior voice of the dressing room, he was always keen to have his say on anything and everything, and in his eyes he was always right! A more popular member of a team you will not find, and whether he was offering advice or leading by example out on the field, Bickers was always the consummate professional. I would like to think that any young player who has spent time in his company will have learnt from the great man and realised that hard work and dedication to your profession pays off. He certainly learnt a lot from playing with the likes of Sylvester Clarke and Waqar Younis, and though he never had their pace he was able to pick up things that helped improve his bowling, whether it be the use of the bouncer or the art of reverse swing. By the end of his playing time Bickers was the complete bowler, and as much as I hate to admit it, it was a pleasure to watch him purvey his trade. As a wicket keeper you always knew that an edge would be coming your way and it was then your job to hang on to the catch as I promise you, from experience, if you dropped it he would never let you forget it! I once dropped the prolific Jimmy Cook while playing against Somerset at Weston Super Mare in the mid 1990s when he was on 14 and he went on to get a big hundred. I have to admit that it was the easiest catch I dropped in my career, and to this day Bickers still goes on about it!!!

I am sure that this book will give you a true insight into his wonderful life as a Surrey cricketer as well as his time away from the cricket field, but all I can add is that it was a great privilege to have seen him develop from a schoolboy cricketer into the finished article, and to count him not just as a team mate but a true friend as well. A Surrey legend he most certainly is and I suggest that anyone looking to make their way in the great game of cricket takes on board what Bickers has to say. He may have finished playing but I hope that he will be in a position to pass on his wisdom to the next generation of cricketers. Congratulations on a fine career, I just hope this book is more interesting than listening to him drone on about his beloved football team, Leeds United!!!!!

Alec Stewart