It was a rain-affected pitch and we were batting against three of the best bowlers the world's ever seen

It was a rain-affected pitch and we were batting against three of the best bowlers the world's ever seen - Freddie Trueman, Bob Appleyard and Johnny Wardle. I never laid bat on ball for 15 minutes and afterwards Arthur Mitchell, the Yorkshire coach, said, "Tell me, what does tha' do for a living?" I said, "I work in the fitting shop at Monk Bretton Colliery." He said, "Tha' hasn't shaped too well here today If tha's going to play like that, don't come back. What does tha' mate, Parkinson, do?" I said, "He works on the local newspaper." "I've some advice for him," said Mitchell. "Tell him to stick to journalism."The experience didn't put us off, though, and we carried on playing for Barnsley. When I was 19, on the weight of my runs in the Yorkshire League, Yorkshire County Cricket Club asked me to sign. If Michael was disappointed not to be asked, it never showed. I always felt he wanted me to do well.Soon after, he got stuck into journalism and moved away - first to the Manchester Guardian and then to Fleet Street.

To get to the top from being a coal-miner's son has taken application, dedication and mental strength, and I'm proud of his achievements He always had that will to succeed. Michael was a bit more outgoing than me and used to pull the girls, but there was never any rivalry between us Even when we weren't playing cricket we were together. Michael loved film stars - Errol Flynn, Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne - and I'd go with him to the Rock Cinema in Cudworth. In winter, when we couldn't play cricket, we played football and supported Barnsley Football Club.Like all Yorkshire kids, we had an ambition to play cricket for Yorkshire. After we left school, we received invitations to try out in the nets at Yorkshire County Cricket Club. It was an honour for any youngster and, as we walked through the gates at Headingley, we could hardly contain our excitement But I had a terrible time, and so did Michael. On Saturday afternoons they'd watch us and take the mickey out of each other.

Michael's father would say his lad was better than me, and my father would say I was better than Michael.When we played away at Scarborough or York, Michael and I had tremendous fun At Scarborough we liked to walk along the sea-front. My idols were Sir Leonard Hutton and Johnny Wardle; and Michael looked up to these great players too We had other things in common We were both coal-miners' sons I'm shy, and deep down Michael is the same. He's had those famous nervous habits of flicking his ear, scratching his nose and putting his hand through his hair all his life. Perhaps it's something about Barnsley boys, because I have nervous mannerisms, too. When I'm umpiring I twitch my arms and tug at my jacket and cap.Michael and I opened the batting for Barnsley and held the record for the opening partnership As far as I know, it still stands Our fathers were proud of us. That would be a great joy - to live next door to Dickie Bird!DICKIE BIRD: I've known Michael since our schooldays.

He went to Barnsley Grammar and I went to Raley Secondary Modern, but we played cricket together at Barnsley Cricket Club. I thought grammar school boys were little toffee- noses, but I took to Michael because he shared my love for cricket, and I soon realised he was very down-to-earth.After school we'd practise in the nets, then sit on the boundary and talk cricket. We occasionally glance off each other; but we each know that if anything happened to the other, there would be no question about how we might respond.Dickie has a very simple lifestyle. He lives alone in Barnsley, and his sister does the odd bit of cleaning and washing for him Our worlds are very different, but none of that matters. We talk about mutual acquaintances and cricket, and I find I'm incredibly comfortable in his company and he in mine The nice thing about Dickie is that there is no envy in him. He comes to my house and sits by the river and looks around and says, "My goodness, it's a bloody nice place this, Mike." But there's no feeling that he thinks, "God, why haven't I got this?" He is just a very easy man whom it's always a joy to see.Dickie has never married - he always says he is married to cricket - and I do worry that now he's retiring there will be a great vacuum in his life His friends will have to keep a watch on him Perhaps we'll take turns living next door.

You don't have to do all that fanny if you've got a real friend, and Dickie and I have the perfect friendship. We often speak at the same cricket dinner or bump into each other at test matches and county grounds - we rarely arrange to meet. It's interesting when you talk to cricketers about him: umpires are not generally top of their Christmas card list, but Dickie is. I once asked Dickie why he thought that was, and he said, "They trust me." I think that's right - people do trust him and they are right to.Dickie is on the move all the time so I see him very occasionally. I'd much rather have him as a friend than me - he's a far nicer man. If he is flying to the West Indies, he will worry that he has left the gas on, and whether he is on the right aeroplane, but his worst worry is whether the pilot knows the way.