HE took 380 first-class wickets for Hampshire, but James Tomlinson jokes that he will only be remembered for his beard and his retirement statement.

It is typical of one of Hampshire Cricket’s great characters to be so self-deprecating, but it is certainly true to say his witty valediction will be remembered for a long time to come.

“Retirements statements can be a bit boring and I’d known I was going to leave on my terms for a while so thought I’d write something alternative,” explains Tomlinson, whose beard will always be synonymous with Hampshire’s promotion season of 2014.

“I’m not on social media but everyone got excited when Graeme Swann retweeted it and said it was the greatest retirement statement.

"I hoped people would enjoy it and am pleased they did. I’ve taken my cricket very seriously but I’ve never taken the job too seriously in terms of its perspective because it’s county cricket, for the community and the members.

“Cricket’s going in all kinds of directions which is very exciting but ultimately I was just a Red Ball County Cricketer.”

It was fitting that Tomlinson announced his retirement in the week a new city-based T20 league took a big step towards reality.

A keen birdwatcher, he knows all about vanishing species. “I’m a purist and part of the old era, the specialist bowler rarely exists now.”

Tomlinson’s four-day focus is one reason why not playing at Lord’s is the only regret he has from a career that began in 2002 (he was a spectator while his teammates played in four finals at the home of cricket).

Being left out of Hampshire’s first County Championship match at Lord’s for a decade was the day his career entered its twilight.

“If I ever write an autobiography, the title would be ‘I’ve never played at Lord’s!’,” laughs the 34 year-old left-armer, who was replaced by Brad Wheal for last season’s away match against Middlesex, a fixture that had always been on his bucket list.

“I’ve hardly played Middlesex because when we’ve gone up they’ve generally gone down and vice versa,” he explains.

“I was 12th man there under Shane Warne in 2006 but last year was a hammer blow.

"I’d put some serious hard yards in to get fit and bowled shedloads of overs in the first six games because we didn’t have any bowlers.

“It was one of those horrible moments in life when you don’t see it coming. You sit there at 10am getting your boots on and then you’re told you’re not playing.

“I did take it badly. Even though we were bottom, I felt I deserved a crack at it. But it’s also quite a hilarious story.

“There aren’t many county players who have played 129 first-class games and not one of them at Lord’s!”

Hampshire Chronicle:

Tommo celebrates the wicket of Nottinghamshire's Mark Wagh at Trent Bridge in 2008, the last game of his most successful season (PA)

Tomlinson’s hunger diminished when he knew his dream of playing at the home of cricket would never be realised.

“I felt something was missing after that Lord’s moment. My focus shifted slightly to coaching.

“Even though I still love bowling something changed. One simple example is that when I was hit for four it wasn’t hurting as much.

“As soon as you lose that desperation you’re going to seriously struggle and that was where I was at.”

After his Lord’s disappointment, it was ironic that Tomlinson’s last match for Hampshire turned out to be Middlesex away. It was not the high he hoped to end his career on.

Hampshire’ season reached its on-pitch nadir at Merchant Taylor’s School in May. They left with minus one point after a slow over rate compounded their innings and-116-run defeat.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the start of this year because I had the opportunity I didn’t think I would have,” continues Tommo, who took 14 wickets at 34.5 in April/May.

“But after those first six games it was deja vu. We were bottom again and being minus one at Merchant Taylor’s was a very dark day for the team.

“I just felt that was the right time to say that younger players maybe should play or that there should be a rethink about the team.

“I’m just a seamer, I’m not an all-rounder. I was, I think, a very good county seamer during a period when I was in my fittest stage, but there were other options; Gareth Andrew is a good seamer, but he can bat. 

"Brad Wheal is very exciting, he’s proved that to be the case on very, very flat wickets in the second half  of the season. He’s actually bowled some very good spells and is very exciting.

“The key point was that Bergy (Gareth Berg) was back from his bad knee - a very similar bowler but more accurate than me, who can bat nine and score runs.

“Ryan McLaren and I are similar bowlers but he bats six  so I just felt we needed to go in a different direction and I made that clear to Chalks (director of cricket Giles White) and Benky (former coach Dale Benkenstein). 

“I said I was very much available but I felt that we’re bottom and nothing’s really changed from last year and that it was time we went a slightly different route.

“I also know Carts (Andy Carter) well and he gave us something different at Trent Bridge. Other than being left arm I’m fairly run of the mill. It’s just being honest with yourself.

“I could potentially have carried on but I just don’t think it’s right. It’s time to give others an opportunity and the people that have come in will have more impact ability wise on the team than I will. So I’m quite happy to call it a day.”

Hampshire’s season may yet end well. Victory against Durham next week should be enough to keep them in the first division.

But it is a season that will always be scarred by the tragic death of trialist Hamza Ali and Michael Carberry’s cancer diagnosis.

“It’s been a surreal season, on a scale I’ve not seen before.” admits Tomlinson. “It was a very sad start to the season, young bowlers are hard to find and Hamza could have done really well for a long time. Most importantly, he was a lovely guy.

“Carbs' news was a massive shock to the team, a lot of the younger players were affected by it.

“It does put things in perspective. Carbs has stayed remarkably positive and was very kind when I announced my retirement. We’ve all got our fingers crossed, he’s a remarkably strong individual.”

Considering all the injuries they have also suffered, staying up would be a Great Escape to rival those of 2015 and 2010.

Tomlinson rates the wicket that clinched first division survival at Canterbury in 2010 as his career highlight, above his career-best 8-46 against Somerset at Taunton in 2008 or the 6-48 he took against Glamorgan at Cardiff in 2014 to clinch Hampshire the second division title.

“That one at Kent when [Simon] Cook’s chipped the ball to Jimmy [Adams] at short leg with three minutes to go...I’ve never felt more pumped and emotional after a moment than that.”

Tomlinson’s 46th wicket of that season gave Hampshire the win they needed to stay up in the penultimate match, while Kent were relegated.

“It was an amazing moment because again we were underdogs and had had a lot of injuries. I felt I was at the absolute peak of my powers. I’d bowled a million overs, the team had battled the whole season to stay up and we did it with a few minutes to go.

“Cardiff was just a sense of relief. I was a nervous wreck for about a month because I desperately wanted us to go up. I didn’t actually bowl very well so when I got the first six wickets and we knew we were going to win I just felt relief. But any Championship win is a real highlight, because there aren’t many. It takes hard work.”

Hampshire Chronicle:

RELIEF: Tommo celebrates after dismissing Glamorgan's Will Bragg on the way to a proimotion-clinching 6-48 at Cardiff in 2014 (Getty Images)

Tomlinson’s Cardiff heroics came in the last match of a six-year spell he brackets as the peak of his career. He took 301 Championship wickets at 28.8 from 2008-14.

“For six seasons I was our lead bowler and that’s something to be very proud of - and 2008, ‘10 and ‘14 were wonderful seasons.”

Tomlinson was the leading wicket taker in the country in 2008, when he took 67 at 24 apiece as Hampshire finished fourth in the Championship’s first division.

Like most seamers, he was in pain during most of the 3,643 overs he bowled. “I’ve always had trouble with my right ankle, going back over a decade, but like the Brownlee brothers once said, I wanted to be the best injured athlete I could possibly be.

“There are some exceptions who are naturally physically fit, flexible and able to do wonderful stuff with a minimal amount of pain.

“But it’s all about having bowling resilience. A lot of ex-bowlers and coaches have been surprised that I’ve lasted this long so I am proud of that.

“Without getting the violin out, the only times I was 100 per cent fit were when I had four weeks off between games and it was the first spell of a new game. After that I’d be knackered but had to find a way to bowl another 50 overs.”

That is the key attribute Tomlinson tries to instil in the next generation, as well as other nuggets from the myriad influences on his career.

“Paul Terry leaned me towards red-ball cricket and I’m grateful he did because I don’t think I’d have survived all forms because of my injuries.

“Dimi [Mascarenhas] was an amazing bowling mentor, he taught me how to bowl and really made me understand what was required in first-class cricket, about accepting what you can and can’t do.

“From a coaching point of view [former Hampshire bowling coach] Bruce Reid had the biggest impact on me. He taught me how to hold and swing the ball. Watching Shane Bond and Stuart Clark very close up was a real highlight and so was the hour’s coaching I had with Wasim Akram [in 2003].

“I was obsessed with him growing up. I followed him for all three days when Pakistan played at Northlands Road in 1992.

“I would go to the changing rooms and just stare at him...he was absolutely my hero. But I just couldn’t do what he did. The way he moved his wrists to swing the ball...he had amazing flexibility.”

Hampshire Chronicle:

A successful appeal for the wicket of the great Mark Ramprakash (ct Burrows b Tomlinson 17) at The Ageas Bowl in May 2008 (Pic by Matt Watson)

Playing under Shane Warne was also the realisation of a dream.

“I only played ten games under Warney but enjoyed every one.

“You imagine you’re young, you run in to bowl and Shane Warne’s at first slip...what more do you need in life?

“Every now and then he would bring me into the side from the seconds. I remember catching a caught and bowled against Surrey to win the game. He ran over and bundled me. I found myself hugging Shane Warne, one of those surreal moments.

“I wish I played more with him but that was during a period when I was learning the game.

“Warney, Dimi, Skeg (Nic Pothas) and Corky (Dominic Cork) were the main influences out in the middle. You could say what you wanted and they never held it against you.

"I could phone Warney up and ask what I could do to get better and why I wasn’t playing and he would give a brutally honest answer.

“He just said ‘your bouncer’s not good enough’ or ‘you’re not accurate enough’ or ‘you need to do this...’ or ‘so and so’s playing because I think he’ll get a certain player out and I don’t think you will’.

“Corky was also a joy to play with. He was hilarious. He took all the pressure off you because it was all about him. He would wind up the opposition, the fans and the umpires and make it fun.

“I loved that because I could bowl from the other end and enjoy watching this whole thing kick off!”

Tomlinson is also grateful for the support of director of cricket Giles White - “he’s kept the team going over the last eight years and has been a great support” - but will not miss batting at No 11 or fielding.

“When you’re a No 11 you sit there just dreading it and I never really wanted the ball in the field. But I used to love being a nightwatchman - if you survived you were a bit of hero and you could relax the next day - and I will definitely miss bowling.”