"Holding the B&H Trophy" Photo Daily Echo

The most immediately obvious was the first appearance, in sandals, during the icy weather of April 1979, of Malcolm Marshall, the player I would rate, along with Robin Smith, as the most important and respected of the modern era.

Chris Smith, Robin's elder brother came from Natal's hard school a year later to provide a solidity, in harness first with Gordon Greenidge and then Paul Terry, that our generally adventurous approach to the game needed.

Terry, whose batting had international class if not always the confidence which takes such talent to a higher plane, was an incredible fielder and therefore a great entertainer - a point which is often forgotten.

In the later 1980s it seemed as if Jon Ayling would quickly become a formidable all rounder but injury struck him with a wicked cruelty doing for his career almost as soon as it had begun. Think of it, Jonny would still be playing now if the cricketing gods had been with him. Moving the idea forward it really should be that three local boys, Derek Kenway, Chris Tremlett and John Francis carry the torch into the new century for they have a quality and flair given to few Hampshire born players. For them now it is a question of heart and mind.

During the winter of 1987/1988 I rethought my own play through a series of coaching sessions with Jimmy Gray. For this we needed bowlers among whom was a quiet, modest - he was, honest - 16-year-old who was tall with reddish hair and who bowled lovely, natural off-breaks.

Within a couple of years Shaun Udal was playing for the county. I still say that had he arrived earlier, for the 1985 or 1987 season, we would have won the championship.

Alongside Macho and the Judge, Shaggy has been my favourite Hampshire cricketer. Enthusiasm is an enviable gift and for that alone he deserves a rich summer in every way.

At his best he has been a marvellous cricketer. Rated by Ray Illingworth eight years ago as the stand out young spinner in the country, he uses brilliant changes of pace, extra bounce and, particularly in one day cricket, accuracy as weapons to outthink even the best batsmen. Under pressure he has been quite brilliant responding immediately to big games and big crowds. If I was to pick a triumph which best illustrated the first part of his career it would be the wicket of Carl Hooper in the 1992 Benson and Hedges Cup Final. Hooper is a destructor of off-spin but our boy won the little vignette between them forcing Hooper to play on and gain us precious ground in the match.

He could bat too, if horribly inconsistently, a clean striker of the ball with enviable timing. And he could field, particularly in the deep where a bullet throwing arm shocked many a disbeliever. He could celebrate big time punching a fist to the sky and revealing a smile that had once showed free spirit and an unbridled joy in the game itself and the success of his team.

England awarded him one-day colours and a tour to Australia in the middle '90s but he returned from down under expecting things to continue to happen instead of making them happen as he had done previously. He got lazy, and a bit too showy, and suddenly his career stood still. As niggling injuries plagued him so an outstanding cricketer lost some of his gloss.

But, and here is the rub. I believe that the Shaun Udal we watched last summer is a cricketer embarking on the second part of a distinguished career. I think he had learnt to simplify things, to focus his mind as he did in the old days rather than to be so easily distracted. His bowling has a resonance and consistency which it lacked for a year or two; his batting has gained edge and defiance. And he seems properly fit again.

If Hampshire are to compete for the championship Shaun must be a key figure, shouldering responsibility and turning matches as he once did, with his skill and personality. You can do it Shaggy, you can. Crikey, you could play test matches for England yet if only you truly believed it.

Mark Nicholas