RAY Clarke of Frensham Cricket Club will be helping England Over-70s attempt to regain some national pride when they begin their own test series in Australia.

The veteran slow bowler, the oldest cricketer playing regular first-team cricket in the I’Anson top division, leaves with the 17-strong squad on February 24 for a 23-day tour, returning on March 18.

It was originally planned for the seniors’ tour to coincide with the main series, but that was not to be and the trip was in doubt for a while.

However, the veterans, their wives and partners, were determined to go and the tour, both sponsored and self-funded, was fixed for March. It has powerful backers too – the Tour Patron is the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu.

The tour, which spans Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane, will involve five one-day tests and five state matches, all 50-overs.

Test match and Big Bash venues will be used and the fixture with a Queensland Country XI on March 12 will be a day/night game at Caloundra CC. The tour comes to a climax with the fifth one-day international at Brisbane, followed by a finale dinner.

Veterans’ cricket is growing rapidly in both countries and the coming series, although a more sociable exercise than the recent ‘proper’ series – won 4-0 by Australia – will certainly be competitive, especially as the Aussie O70s were defeated on their visit to England in 2016.

Ray Clarke was a member of that victorious O70s side, but the Frensham stalwart, although now 71, plays mostly O60s cricket for both Surrey and England.

He has been a Surrey regular for several seasons and although the county has yet to win the O60s Championship, they have consistently reached the play-offs – apart from last season when, with a strong side on paper, they could finish only fourth.

Clarke, however, had his usual healthy return of wickets, bowling his nine-over spells in ten matches. He declined an invitation to play Surrey O70s as well, feeling that two midweek matches might effect the bowling he was likely to do for Frensham in the I’Anson on Saturday.

He was one of the names put forward by Surrey for England consideration. No selection trial or fitness assessment required for the wiry Frensham man, just a pre-tour net at Leicester where the players gathered for a get-together and team photo. He is one of two Surrey players in the squad, the other being Barry Hart of Streatham.

Lorna, Ray’s wife, is going as well. They were due to tour Australia with Surrey a few years ago. The trip fell through, but the Clarkes, having already committed themselves, went on holiday anyway.

Ray Clarke has played I’Anson cricket for Frensham for more than 50 years, playing truncated seasons for the first 20 years while playing football for Farnham Town.

A hard-tackling right-back, he was known to take no prisoners on the pitch. Although the most genial of characters off the field, he takes this competitive approach into his cricket, whether as an aggressive top-order batsman (in his younger days), limpet-like tailender (these days) or teasing slow bowler.

Even now, a batsman can expect some verbal encouragement, or otherwise, to come floating down the wicket, albeit laced with Clarke’s pithy brand of humour.

Clarke cares little for statistics and doesn’t have a clue how many wickets he has taken in the hundreds of matches he has played for the village.

His bowling is hard to categorise. No orthodox spinner, he is rather a master of length and change of pace, always quick to spot a batsman’s weakness and exploit it.

It’s a fact that even the best batsmen in the I’Anson prefer to face a quickie, with the ball coming on to the bat, rather than have ample time to think about what to do with the next artfully lobbed-up Clarke delivery.

Not just I’Anson either. A few years ago, Clarke took an unprecedented four wickets in an over, including a hat-trick, against Surrey Championship batsmen when playing in the annual inter-league tournament at The Oval.

And the privilege of playing for your country?

“I feel a sense of honour, of course,” said Ray. “I’m not one to shout about it from the roof tops, but if anyone asks, then I’m happy to talk about it.”

England O/70s squad: Martin Pearse (Norfolk), Andy Barnes (Sussex), Mickey Swain (Hampshire), Miles Rawlings (Yorkshire), Peter Crees (Sussex), Trevor Knowles (Worcestershire), Barry Hart (Surrey), Bob Ogden (Leicestershire), Jeff Baxter (Leicestershire) w/k, Ian Watson (Hampshire) w/k, Trevor Spindler (Oxfordshire), Ray Clarke (Surrey), Martin Woodward (Worcestershire), Peter Bettelley (Wales), Billy Smith (Lancashire), Graeme Corke (Sussex), Mickey Allen (Northamptonshire). Tour manager: Nigel Ling. All players guaranteed a test match.