'Le God' swaps soccer for Mavericks cricket

MATT LE TISSIER will be turning out for Mavericks in the summer. The 38-year-old Southampton and England football legend has put pen to paper and will join his brother, Carl, for the Carey Olsen Weekend League side.

He is also interested in playing for St Pierre with his brother in the Barclays Evening League, but that particular competition's laws will probably not allow it.

Although he lives in Hampshire, under the current rules for the weekend league he is allowed to register as he is committing to playing more than 50 per cent of the matches.

Since leaving Guernsey to join Southampton as a 15-year-old, his football career meant that he has not had the opportunity to play regular cricket.

'I've just signed on as I'm eligible,' said the man known as Le God.

'I play a couple of times a year in charity stuff - it's like riding a bike. I'm normally over a few weekends during the summer and if the rules allow, I want to play in the evening league as well.'

The sublimely-skilled midfielder retired from football at the end of 2001-02 season with 209 goals from 462 games for Southampton.

Arguably one of the most gifted footballers of his generation, it was a travesty to many that he had only eight caps for England.

It seems a promising career in cricket also might have beckoned for Le Tissier if football had not taken over. He hit his first century as a 14-year-old and his highest score as a junior was 164.

His club in the island was St Saviour's before he took up football full-time.

Le Tissier has kept up an interest in the summer sport and has had a few training sessions with the Hampshire county team.

He said he had batted against former England left-arm fast bowler Allan Mullally and his good friend, Australian leg-spinning legend Shane Warne.

The Sarnian said it was an experience taking on the world's leading Test wicket taker.

'I've faced Warney in the nets and it was great,' he said.

'I didn't have a clue. I couldn't lay a bat on him for the first half-a-dozen.'

Carl Le Tissier, who is a big-hitting opening batsman, says his younger brother is no slouch with the bat.

'He hits it a long way,' he said.

'He's got my eye but he's a straighter bat.'

Mavericks captain Justin Meades is delighted to welcome Le Tissier into the fold.

'Matt is obviously a massive football personality and just to have his presence around the club will be great,' said the Australian.

'If his eye is as good as Carl's it will be fantastic and rumours have it that he has been netting with Hampshire lads. If it all goes to plan, we'll open with the Le Tissiers, then GH Smit and I'll probably end up bringing myself in down at seven.

'There will be massive depth to our batting and we proved last season that we can chase any total. To play alongside Matt will be a massive opportunity not just for me, but for the rest of the team.'

There is also a chance that Matt Le Tissier will come up against his son, Mitchell, who is a promising wicketkeeper-batsman with rivals Rovers. The colts player could feature in the Port Soif outfit's A team in the summer.

Le Tissier senior says he relishes the opportunity of taking on his lad and says he will not be going easy.

'Of course not: I don't like being beaten,' he said.

'That could be fun.'