Right at the top of the list of the players you wanted to watch was Wayne Larkins...

I had a few... in fact, I had a pretty big stack.

There were those that were out of reach, invariably they played football for Celtic, Scotland or Liverpool.

There were others that were in reach, they played for the Cobblers, or they played for 'the County'.

When I was a nipper, we lived about a mile away from the County Ground.

On a Saturday evening, as a family we would take advantage of the free admission after tea, and go and watch some cricket

Now, this to me was an awakening... I loved it.

It led me to going along whenever I could to watch Northants, and, being a child of a certain age, it meant I got to witness on a regular basis perhaps the best team this county has ever produced.

And right at the top of that list of players you wanted to watch... Wayne Larkins.

Me and my pal, Kurt Smith, would get to Wantage Road for the start of play, every day over a couple of summers.

When the toss was made, and the announcement was made, or the scorecards were pushed around the ground, I can't remember... 'Northamptonshire have won the toss and chosen to bat'... there was a little punch in the air.

A little bit of glee that Geoff Cook and Wayne Larkins were going to be batting, in a matter of minutes.

They were both pure class.

Different in how they went about their craft, but both absolute quality.

The type of opening 'batsmen' that Northants would love to be able to send out today... and that is nothing against the class of 2025.

In fact, they were the type of opening pair any team in the country would desire, now or any day.

Cook and ‘Ned’ Larkins were different gravy, and in particular, the latter was a joy to watch.

Even his name... Wayne Larkins... a name made for cricket, made for Wisden. It had a little bit of glamour about it.

I am not going to pretend I know anything about how he played, what his strengths were, or where his weaknesses let him down.

I will leave that to the experts.

All I know is, I loved watching him bat.

I remember an absolutely exquisite cover drive, a punch down the ground, a pull over square-leg, the sweet crack of the ball on that bat.

The desire, skill and ability to take on any bowler, and the fact he scored runs quickly.

Wayne Larkins was playing T20 before it was invented, and in this day and age of franchise cricket, would have been a man in huge demand.

He was also, from the many tales I have been told over the years, and also from personal experience with the odd interview I did with him in my junior journalistic career, an absolutely top man.

So, to finish off, every single person who follows Northants knows how good Wayne Larkins was.

Every County fan of a certain age knows the thrill of what could be about to happen when Wayne Larkins walked to the crease.

But the absolute joy for me, is that the nation got to share in the world that was Wayne Larkins.

The England tour to the West Indies in 1990... and the fact it was our man, Northamptonshire's Wayne Larkins, who hit the winning runs to secure England's first win in the Caribbean since 1974.

It is an image etched in my head, and a moment of absolute pride and love.

Wayne's two arms in the air, a celebration to remember.

And for all of us back in Northampton, a vindication that England had perhaps let a generational talent slip through their fingers…

I certainly believe that to be the case. He was a one-off.

RIP Wayne, you gave us, and the cricketing world, so much joy... raise that bat one last time... and cheers for all the memories.