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Anyone who thinks being an England cricketer sets you up for life should look at Wayne Larkins. The opening batsman, who played in England's last Test of the Seventies and first of the Nineties, turns out today for his native Bedfordshire against Derbyshire in the NatWest Trophy.

Since his release by Durham in 1995, times have been hard for Larkins, 45.

Despite more than 20 years of first-class experience, mostly with Northamptonshire, and a reputation as an aggressive player of fast bowling, Larkins has been unable to find a full-time role in the game he still loves.

``I've been looking for coaching jobs, including some at private schools, but nothing has come up yet,'' said Larkins, who gets by in the summer as the professional with club side Leamington Spa.

Despite scoring a century in his last match for them, Larkins was released by Durham - and what made it worse was that the man giving him the boot was his old Northants opening partner, Geoff Cook, then Durham's director of cricket. Larkins said: ``The end was abrupt. It was just thrust on me. It was cruel in its way because I had had no time to prepare. It's not so bad if they tell you 12 months in advance that it's going to be your last season, but Durham never did. In retrospect, I should never have left Northants. It was my home and if I had my time again I would have finished there. But I felt I needed a new challenge.''

Larkins was one of a long line of England cricketers who were messed about by the selectors. When he made his Test debut, England's captain was Mike Brearley, another opening batsman. With Geoff Boycott and Graham Gooch also around, it was hard for Larkins to nail down a place, even when Brearley dropped down the order.

By 1981, though, things were looking up. ``I played in the last Test of that summer against Australia and then I made 50 in the NatWest final. The first I heard that I wasn't in the squad for India was when a group of pressmen told me while I was having a net at Northampton that Geoff Cook was going instead. I felt I got let down badly.''

Larkins joined up with close friend Gooch on the 1982 rebel tour to South Africa and was banned from international cricket for three years. ``I don't regret that. It was the right thing to do at the time. I had to earn a living after all. We were expecting a ban but we all thought three years was a bit harsh. Those three years probably saw me playing the best cricket of my career.''

Eventually his chance came again when Gooch, now captain, selected him as his opening partner for the tour of the West Indies in 1990. ``Walking out to bat with Graham in Jamaica was fantastic. Hitting the winning run was the proudest moment of my career.''

But a damaged finger in pre-season fielding practice opened the door to Mike Atherton, Larkins playing his last Test that winter against Australia in Melbourne.

Larkins, who captains Bedfordshire today in the absence due to work commitments of Richard Dalton, is anxious not to be seen as a bitter figure and insists he still gets tremendous pleasure from cricket. ``I enjoy it hugely and I'll carry on as long as I can and as long as people want me.''