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Marcus Trescothick used to have a dream. It is the sort beloved of cricket-obsessed children, or desk-confined adults who imagine alternative lives as international cricketers. I always dreamed, he says, of the Oval finish where you raised your bat aloft and say, Thanks, thats my career done.Ten years ago, on September 5, 2006, Trescothick came out to open the innings at the Rose Bowl in a humdrum, late-season one-day international of the sort that has become an English speciality. He was yorked by Shoaib Akhtar first ball. He pulled out of the last two ODIs of the summer, and then the Champions Trophy in India, citing a stress-related illness. That November he broke down in the dressing room at the Sydney Cricket Ground, and left the Ashes tour nine days before the opening Test. It was the second tour he had left prematurely in a year.The Oval dream was not to be. He had played the last of his 202 games for England at the age of 30.Over the previous six years Trescothick had made himself one of Englands most cherished cricketers. This was not merely a reflection of his counterpunching batting but also the sense of normality and decency that he brought with him. As 21st-century international cricketers go, he was a little on the rotund side - called the King of Junk Food as a boy, he then became Banger, after his penchant for sausage and mash. He would uncomplainingly do whatever the team needed, even serving as auxiliary wicketkeeper for five ODIs in 2002.On the night of Englands 2005 Ashes triumph, Trescothick and Ashley Giles eschewed an all-night bender and instead waited to receive the first editions of the morning newspapers.There was always a hint of the West Country lumberjack to Trescothicks batting, defined by hefty forearms, scythes through the off side and a stubborn reticence to move his feet. But his runs underpinned Englands progress to their 2005 summit: his 219 at The Oval against South Africa in 2003 secured a series draw; he waltzed down the pitch with impunity to drive Glenn McGrath for four fours in five balls in the semi-final of the 2004 Champions Trophy; another epic against South Africa, 180 in Johannesburg, ensured England won a series there for the first time in 40 years. Now all that was left was the Ashes itself: a blistering 90 at Edgbaston reinvigorated England in 2005 after an opening defeat that indicated a series straight from the 1990s playbook.Yet this veneer of uncomplicated batting concealed the turmoil that lurked within. Very often at the back end of tours Id sit down and go, Do you know what, I cant continue to do all this. I sort of bullshitted my way through it, and just tried to cover it up as much as I could do, without telling people what was actually going on - mainly because I didnt really understand it, and didnt know myself what I was going through.There were signs early in his international career. He found a tour to New Zealand in 2002 onerous, exacerbated perhaps by taking on the new challenge of wicketkeeping. Initially when his spirit flagged on tour he thought it nothing more than homesickness. After becoming a father, in 2005, touring became harder. When Michael Vaughan was injured in Pakistan in late 2005, Trescothick dithered before accepting the captaincy. He then almost flew home after his father-in-law fell from a ladder and was in critical condition.At the start of 2006, England toured India. A few days before they set off, Trescothick approached Steve Bull, Englands sports psychologist. I said to him, Trescothick remembers, Somethings not right. I dont want to train, I dont want to practise, I dont really want to go away next week. Ive got no interest in whats going on at the moment. His wife was suffering from post-natal depression, and he felt guilty going on with a cricket tour as normal.But Trescothick did as he always had done: he carried on. This time it was too much. When Vaughan failed a fitness test, Trescothick was required to captain in a tour match, in Vadodara. He was in no state to do so, suffering panic attacks when he returned to his hotel room each night. At that point I was a shell, he later wrote in his autobiography. You could have taken all my kit, all my money, taken my life away. I didnt care. In the dressing room after the match, he broke down and was sent home. The team management was unsure how to break the news, leading to mixed messages: Duncan Fletcher said it was down to family reasons; Trescothick said that he had picked up a bug.When he returned to England, a doctor told Trescothick: Youve got depression. A few months later, in his first innings back for England, he scored 106 against Sri Lanka. But international cricket, which he had once relished, was increasingly a burden: not the game itself but everything else that went with it.When youre in the wrong frame of mind and youre not thinking rationally, playing in front of that crowd with the spotlight on you, its bloody horrible. Following his return from the Ashes tour at the end of the year, Trescothick had to grapple with how to piece his life back together. He even considered giving up the game altogether.Its one of those things that always sits within you, that youre out of control in your brain. You invent things in your brain that make things a lot worse. What if this happens or what if that happens? And, of course, one of those things is, What if I cant carry on playing? But when your brain becomes a bit more rational, and you understand it a bit more, and youre a bit more healthier again, then you sort of become normal-thinking in that aspect, and appreciate thats not going to happen. Its just when youre in a dark place at times, of course those sort of questions come to you.Before the 2007 season, Trescothick returned to Somerset, and immediately sensed that he could still find fulfilment in the shires. Once I got the whites back on, and all the kit back on, and then you go back out and continue playing - the minute you get success is the minute you realise, Yeah, do you know what? I was silly to think those type of things because it was not me - that was the illness.County cricket is a different world from that which Trescothick occupied for his six exalted years with England. Taunton embodies county cricket at its most idyllic. This sleepy, low-key town has the county ground at its heart. It is famed for exquisite blackberry ice cream, a special section of the ground for owners to watch with their dogs, and a pitch that is among the truest in the land.It was just what Trescothick needed. I think its easier at your home ground, isnt it? Your familys not far away. He grew up in Keynsham, a small town 45 miles away, and lives a five-minute drive away from Taunton.Theres less scrutiny involved, and the whole thing is just down a notch in the pressure stakes, so youre able to get back and enjoy it for what it is rather than getting stressed out about the other things that come along, which naturally you do when youre under in the pressure cooker of international cricket. These little things are there all the time, but theyre not as great when youre playing down a level.Not that Trescothick has ever treated county cricket like it is down a level. Returning to the county grind can hold little appeal to those who feel they have achieved all they want from the game. Nasser Hussain and Andrew Strauss did not play a single county game after they had retired from England duty. Vaughan, who is a year older than Trescothick, retired seven years ago, as soon as he realised that his chances of an England recall had gone.For Trescothick and Mark Ramprakash, the two most sought-after wickets in the Championship over the last decade, it was different. For contrasting reasons - Ramprakash after he was dropped by England for the tenth and final time, Trescothick after his stress-related illness - the two returned to the shires with plenty more to give. Three years ago the writer Jon Hotten interviewed Ramprakash expecting to find a brooding Heathcliff, banished to the deserted moors. Instead he realised that it was better viewed as an act of love for batting and for cricket. Much the same is true of Trescothick. He is motivated not by anger at the missed years with England, nor frustration at the lost riches and global adulation he could have earned as a gallivanting T20 specialist, but instead by a visceral relish for batting, especially at the club he has represented for 23 years.Its the love, its the passion of the game, the excitement of what it gives you, he says. When he was appointed Somerset captain in 2010, a role he held for six seasons, Trescothick longed to be a history-maker and to lead the county to their first ever Championship crown. He hurled everything of himself into this quest. It was not enough. In 2010, Somerset finished level on points with Nottinghamshire but missed out on the title because they had won one fewer game - all they had needed to triumph was for Lancashire to survive 16 overs against Notts without losing three wickets. Between 2010 and 2012, Somerset were runners-up in six of the nine county competitions. In the T20 final in 2010, they muffed a run-out chance when Hampshire needed a single off the final ball to level the scores and win the title. That still haunts me to this day, Trescothick says. You wake some nights and think, Throw the ball! or Someone run him out!Trescothicks enduring excellence in county cricket led to a clamour for him to be picked for the final Ashes Test in 2009. It was a notion he fleetingly entertained - until rumours of a recall led him to wake up in a cold sweat. He sent a text to Giles, who was an England selector: Mate, Im not interested. If you were thinking about it, dont bother. Im done.Trescothick is now the oldest first-class player on the circuit. His opening partner, Tom Abell, was not yet born when he made his first-class debut. To see him in full flow, you have to look closely to find the only discernible change from the batsman who thrived in international cricket 15 years ago: the spectacles he took to wearing a year ago. The rest? No, nothings really changed.In the decade since his last England appearance, no one has scored more County Championship runs than Trescothick. He has passed 18,000 first-class runs for Somerset: second only to Harold Gimblett, who had himself suffered mental health problems in silence and committed suicide at the age of 63.But all these imposing numbers are not the measure of his impact at Somerset. That is best measured in the mutual warmth between player and club. At Taunton they see in Trescothick someone they nurtured from stocky adolescence, when coaches used to force him to bat in four sweaters in the nets to sweat out the junk food. Always Trescothick relished coming back to Taunton when international commitments allowed, his essence unchanged by stardom. He has revelled in the chance to commit himself to Somerset.The club has not just been a job for me and a career, he says. Its been my home away from home for all these years. Thats what its been.All the while, Trescothick has continued to confront mental-health problems. Until March 2008, he had hoped he would be able to return to the England team. But setting off on a pre-season tour to Dubai, he broke down at Heathrow and realised that he could not go abroad. A few days later he formally retired from international cricket.Later that year Trescothick wrote his memoir, Coming Back to Me, which detailed his challenges in brutal detail. Once I could manage to understand it myself, and knew what I was dealing with, we wrote the book, we told people, and the more I told people, the better it became.Ever since, he has been far more open about his problems. My reason for not talking about it in the first place was partly I didnt understand it. And youre always guarded about what the media are going to say. The less Ive got to hide the easier it is for me. The light at the end of the tunnel was basically being honest and open and telling people about it, because as soon as I did, the reception was far different to that we all expected it to be - really the turning point for my life from that point on.You kind of get a grip of it, of course you do. But depression is a funny thing. When youre somebody who suffers with it and its always lingering, youve always got to be guarded, because you dont know when youre going to suffer another bout of it. Each one is as bad as the next one. When you get it badly it knocks you back for a few weeks. Im somebody who, if you get it badly, youll be suffering for a good month, or where you strip everything back to basics. Touch wood, those are fewer nowadays, but its always something youre careful not to try and take yourself back to, this dark place when it hits you all the time.His coping strategies are as long as my arm, taking in everything from what to eat to how to sleep better and how to keep himself busy. I never was somebody who could ever really sit down to dwell on things that were happening, he says. It was a case of, right, get up, get busy, do the things youve got to do, get your work done, and try and distract yourself from how crap you feel, you know.His depression almost lies dormant now, and just sort of flares up now and again. I dont think its anything that will just naturally go away or disappear. I think it will just be lying there in the background for things to kick off. He still takes antidepressants every day.In October 2009, Trescothick travelled to India with Somerset for the Champions League, but his illness forced him to leave after two matches. In the last two years Somerset have been on pre-season trips to Desert Springs in Spain, and Trescothick has been among the happy tourists.Ive loved every minute of it, because it reminded me of what I loved about touring: you had that feeling of just pure relaxation at times, and being with the lads, which you do enjoy as a sportsman. It was a significant staging post in his recovery.Im not ready to just suddenly jump on a plane and go off working around the world, but I know I that I can do it a little bit more.Of all the innings he has played in a storied career, Trescothick reserves particular pride for a game at Headingley in early 2010. On the face of it this seems curious: in Trescothicks first match as full-time captain, Somerset were defeated.The significance lies in how he overcame himself. He arrived at the ground in a wretched state and considering pulling out of the game. I felt awful. Going into the match, I thought, I cant be captain, I cant cope with the pressure of it already - and this was the first game of the season. His condition was so obvious to his team-mates that they feared he might even retire his innings; Somersets chief executive Richard Gould moved to the media centre ready to explain if he did.I felt so bad and I thought I was going to break down at any minute when I was out in the middle, but I forced myself to stay out there and I concentrated my ass off, Trescothick recalls. He ended up scoring 117. I was like, Thats great. If you can perform under that amount of pressure, then you can do anything.It embodied his approach of dealing with the illness. Theres probably times when I could have taken a day off or taken a game off and said, Im not well enough, but I never have done that because one of my biggest things was to carry on my daily life and just be busy and play the game. Theres probably been many a game where Ive not been up to scratch and been a 100% focused on what Ive got to do.Though runs on a cricket ground are insignificant against Trescothicks challenges, they have a cathartic effect. The biggest healer when youre in that sort of environment is when you succeed out in the middle, because you get the buzz of scoring runs, he says. And the captaincy, which he held for six years until 2016, was a help. When youre feeling rough and you think youre in a dark place, you focus internally on yourself, but when youre captain you cant do that.Over this journey Trescothick has done much more than learn to manage his problems: his openness, the copious hours he has devoted to raising awareness about mental-health issues, have helped hundreds of others manage theirs. Theres letters you get, saying, You saved my wifes life. Thats incredible to hear. You know youve done something good. There would be so many emails, letters, postcards weve had along the way, which has been fantastic.He hopes other cricketers will learn from his mistake in not confronting his problems for so long. The spate of players who have followed him in speaking up about their challenges with mental health include Andrew Flintoff, Steven Davies, Michael Yardy, Jonathan Trott, Sarah Taylor and John Mooney. The catalogue of suicides among ex-cricketers, documented in David Friths Silence of the Heart, invites the question of whether there is something about cricket that makes those who play it particularly susceptible to mental-health problems, or whether the game attracts those who are vulnerable to them. Trescothick cant see how we could be any different or more susceptible being professional sportsmen than any other person walking down the street. The most recent Professional Cricketers Association survey of past players, in 2012, suggested that one in five had struggled with anxiety and depression, which is actually slightly below the national average of one in four. Trescothick believes his problems would have been picked up earlier in todays climate, though he has no idea whether this could have prolonged his own international career. Besides, his interest now is more in preventing other people from going through a similar ordeal. It could still be better. And the more we talk about it and be honest about it and open up, then the more people who dont suffer will understand, and can relate to it.On July 5, 2016, Mohammad Amir and Pakistan had 73 overs to bowl out Somerset in the tour opener: more than twice the time they needed in the first innings. They did not manage it, largely because of Trescothick bunting the ball through the off side, uppercutting impudently, harrumphing a slog sweep over midwicket for six. The upshot was the 61st first-class century of his career and the 47th for Somerset, taking him level with Viv Richards. He has since scored another two, drawing him level with the record holder, Gimblett.It was tempting to think of all those lost runs for England over the last decade. Despite playing in only one World Cup, he had set an England ODI record for most centuries, which remains unbroken. He was on course to be Englands first player to 10,000 Test runs, and would have been a terrific T20I player too. Yet rather than embitterment there is gratitude for what cricket has brought him - 26 international centuries, a crucial role in the 2005 Ashes, and partly because of the premature end to his international career, a treasured status at his county, unmatched by his England contemporaries. Cricket has given him so much: The runs, the friendship, the wins, everything.At the age of 40, bespectacled and a little slower than he once was, Trescothick is still pounding balls through the Taunton outfield. Since 2008, supporters have been able to watch him do so from their seats in the Marcus Trescothick Stand. Giving up limited-overs cricket has allowed Trescothick to watch matches there with his children.To watch the cricket from a stand that has your name on is a bit odd, he says. Its something that I wanted to do - just to go and have a look and see what it all looked like from that angle. But it is quite nice. Its just a little extra perk that has come along through my time of playing. Wholesale Lakers Jerseys . Uniteds eighth defeat of a wretched campaign means Liverpool, which currently occupies the fourth and final Champions League place, could go nine points clear of its fierce rival by beating West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. 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Thats about all he can do right now, so hes trying not to think about when he might be able to play again for the Los Angeles Lakers.Sky Sports Ian Holloway predicts the outcomes of the big games in the Football League, including Cardiff v Brighton, Brentford v Derby and Preston v Sheffield Wednesday. Cardiff v Brighton - Sky Sports 1, Saturday 12.30pm Im there for this one and I think it will be a draw because these are two good squads going quite well.Cardiff are there or thereabouts, still with a chance of getting in the top six, but they have to start winning more games after drawing with MK Dons and Charlton. Brighton will be in the top six at the end of the season and wont blow up. In Chris Hughton they have a manager who has won the division before so they have the experience. The teams with the advantage are the ones who have done it before.OLLIE PREDICTS: 1-1 (Sky Bet odds 9/2)Fulham v Charlton, Saturday 3pmFulham looked like world beaters against QPR then lost 3-0 to Blackburn in midweek. I cant get my head round that, the talent they have and how well they played on Saturday, then two days later they get absolutely whooped.Its got to be the players, they played so well at the weekend but they have to get some consistency. They cant string performances together. Its really weird and they need to have a good look themselves and say, We should be better than this with the talent we have. Fulham were beaten 3-0 by Blackburn on Tuesday evening Maybe they need a good start to a game and if they get that they keep their confidence, if they lose it then the game goes. But with the likes of Jamie OHara and Scott Parker you would think the group could be more consistent. They are good going forward, very exciting, but maybe they leave themselves a bit open. Its a puzzle for me.What on earth is happening with Charlton as well? They are still in the relegation zone and they need to start winning. They will be better under Jose Riga but the unrest with the crowd wanting the owner out is not good. I cant even give them a goal this weekend!OLLIE PREDICTS: 2-0 (Sky Bet odds 15/2)Huddersfield v Wolves - Saturday, 3pmHuddersfield got a fantastic result last week against Nottingham Forest, stopping their unbeaten run with a 2-0 win away from home.Wolves are struggling a bit and need a win. I feel for Kenny Jackett because he needed the owner to stick around and stay motivated, but now they need a new buyer as quick as they can if Kenny is going to have a chance to take that massive club higher up the table.Its a tough game to call and they might cancel each other out and it will be be a war of attrition.OLLIE PREDICTS: 1-1 (Sky Bet odds 5/1)MK Dons v Bristol City - Saturday, 3pmI wouldnt mind going to this one, it could be a belter. Bristol got a fantastic result last weekend against Ipswich and then MK Dons won at Derby - thats the joy of the Championship.But sometimes you get a good result away and then you get home and disappoint your fans because they become a bit more expectant. MK Dons won at Derby last time out This is a vital game for both sides and I dont think a point is great for either of them. You want to keep cracking on; they could really make a move up the table if they win. I am sure the teams below will want a draw but Im going for an away win.The good news for MK Dons is that if my prediction is as badly wrong as last weekend they will probably win!OLLIE PREDICTS: 1-2 (Sky Bet odds 17/2)Preston v Sheffield Wednesday - Saturday, 3pmPreston are having a fantastic season with 42 points and Sheffield Wednesday have been one of the surprises of the season - I cant separate them.I know Blackpool fans wont like it but I quite like Preston, particularly with Simon Grayson in charge and my old mate Steve Thompson as assistant. Ian Holloway is a big fan of Prestons Paul Gallagher I have always liked Paul Gallagher, I tried to sign him three times but never got him. I have always admired his play, he can cut in from wide, get a goal, he gets a run of form where he sets things up and he has a mean free-kick in his locker. He scored last week and is probably confident.Sheffield Wednesday have some beautiful players - Fernando Forestieri, Ross Wallace, Barry Bannan - and they have all sorts of stuff going on. I think they will keep going and make the play-offs.OLLIE PREDICTS: 2-2 (Sky Bet odds 14/1)Bolton v QPR, Saturday 3pmI feel for Bolton and Neil Lennon.dddddddddddd Hes a born winner and hes had to put up with all this. I think he has handled himself with absolute dignity and they are improving.I dont know what Im going to get with QPR. I was really looking forward to last weekend but their back four capitulated against Fulham and they lost 3-1. I dont know what Im going to get with QPR. I was really looking forward to last weekend but their back four capitulated against Fulham. Ian Holloway I dont see either side keeping a clean sheet. It will be easier for QPR on the road rather than in front of the home crowd - they were very quiet the other day, you could have heard a pin drop. The Fulham supporters were singing, Is it a library?, but theyre not exactly noisy are they? They had to get handed out those clappers to get going, so thats a bit rich coming from them!OLLIE PREDICTS: 1-1 (Sky Bet odds 9/2)Brentford v Derby, Saturday 3pmWhere do you start with Derby? My advice to the chairman is: dont go in the dressing room and have a go at the players. They havent won since that. It was a draw at home to Reading, is that such a bad result?Brentford dont look the same this season. They have lost their midfield security after selling Toumani Diagouraga. This time last year they had Jonathan Douglas and Diagouraga and now they have Josh McEachran from Chelsea and he doesnt provide the same protection. They have started to leak goals, which is not good. Darren Wassall has taken charge at Derby after Paul Clements sacking Surely Derby have to pick up now? Are they going to capitulate? They have to find the spirit. I am sick of players blaming managers - they have to find the spirit within the group and use decisions and goals that go against you to make you stronger. I dont see them doing that, so the jury is out on them.They have to start winning now but its a very tough fixture for them. I just cant see Derby getting anything.OLLIE PREDICTS: 2-1 (Sky Bet odds 9/1)Burnley v Rotherham, Saturday 3pmEven with Neil Warnock in charge I cant see Rotherham halting Burnleys charge towards promotion. He will have them well organised but its a tough game.Lloyd Dyer is a fantastic signing for Burnley. He might even guarantee them promotion. He is so enthusiastic, so quick and works so hard. I have always liked him and hes a typical Burnley player who will work his socks off, do what the team needs and never give up. Thats what I like about Burnley, they never give up. Former Leicester winger Lloyd Dyer has joined Burnley If Burnley were a boxer and you hit them youd think youd caught them with your best shot and theyd just shake it off and keep going. They have a tough chin, whereas Derbys chin at the minute looks like it is made out of glass.Neil Warnock will make a difference at Rotherham even though I didnt agree with getting rid of Neil Redfearn - what chance did he have of turning things around in such a short amount of time?Warnock has the experience, is he retired or not though? Hes having more comebacks than Muhammad Ali!OLLIE PREDICTS: 1-0 (Sky Bet odds 5/1)Walsall v Wigan - Saturday, 3pmWalsall third, Wigan fourth, two points behind. It doesnt get much tighter. Everybody is waiting for Burton to blow up but I cant see it and Gillingham keep going as well.Its a big game for Sean ODriscoll and I am not sure they will be separated. Walsall play some lovely stuff and will try to win on their own patch but Im going for a draw with Tom Bradshaw to score the first goal.Hes one of my favourite lower league players, a natural-born goalscorer and I am sure he wont be there for much longer.OLLIE PREDICTS: 1-1 (Sky Bet odds 5/1)Southend v Burton - Monday, 7.45pmBurton have an amazing group of players and amazing organisation from the chairman, who keeps getting good managers and now one has come back. All I can do is praise the chairman, he doesnt interfere or go into the dressing room, he must support his manager because they keep having success, so well done to him. They have lost Abdenasser El Khayati but they keep going so well done to the players and Cloughy as well. Burton won at Chesterfield in their last match Phil Brown is going to have a problem here. Southend are having a great season after coming up through the play-offs - that was one of my favourite things, watching him and Gareth Ainsworth stand next to each other for the penalties, that was class from both of them.They are just outside the play-offs in League One but Burton have something special going on. I dont think the bubble will burst.OLLIE PREDICTS: 0-1 (Sky Bet odds 15/2) Also See: Championship: Whos going up? Fixtures Table Live on Sky ' ' '