There's still a lot of the country boy in Ben Johnson. He's not one to blow his own trumpet. But, if he was, you'd sign him up for your brass band, and he'd hit all the right notes.

In just three seasons with Colne, he scored almost 4,000 runs and took 162 wickets, all the while charming the locals with his self-effacing manner.

And, according to his wife, Sarah, none more so than club chairman John Whiteside and his wife.

She said: "They thought Ben was pretty terrific, and all he'd have to do was front up in the shop and Dianne would slip in one of these bacon butties, and he'd just take off. He'd get it for free. And his tummy showed it at the end of the season!"

Johnson was a stylish left-hander and handy medium-pace bowler for South Australia, and had had a "nibble" from Todmorden before deciding on Colne.

He thinks it was on the recommendation of former Nelson pro and state team-mate, James Brayshaw.

Just 22, and mid-way through a phys-ed course that wasn't for him, Ben had been going out with Sarah for six months.

He had toured the UK six years earlier as a student with the Prince Alfred College cricket team. But, this would be something else as the pair decided to go on what he describes as "an adventure".

But it was more like a nightmare early doors as their cottage had no phone, they couldn't get television reception, and there was a mysterious and persistent mould in the carpet!

And then there was Johnson's maiden appearance in a pre-season friendly.

It was freezing cold, the rain was tumbling down, and the Aussie was in thermal gear with four jumpers.

No play was possible, so a bowl-off was arranged.

He said: "I was given the ball to bowl at the wickets and my ball didn't even hit the pitch. And I'm sure that all the players were just thinking, What on earth have we got here?'"

First impressions were deceiving. Johnson topped the 1996 league batting aggregates (1,718 runs) and averages (78.1) as Colne climbed five places to fifth on the table. He had made an early call on the seaming tracks.

He added: "I just had to learn to trust my judgment and take some risks.

"Unless you take risks sometimes, it's impossible to score because the wickets are a bit soft on occasions."

The young Aussie had plenty of help, too, from Daryl Halstead (733 runs) and skipper, Gary Hunt, "a big man who could hit a long ball with a heavy bat."

But he had to counteract some handy pros, including South African quick Allan Donald.

"One time was on a very wet, slow wicket and he was trying to rough me up a bit," he remembered. " And, I fortunately got a few top edges away with the wind over fine leg's head at Rishton."

Kiwi Chris Harris had become just the fourth man to do the double the previous year.

He said: "Naturally his bowling sort of holds up a little bit anyway. But if you add the slowness of the English wickets and a little bit of inconsistency, it made it really tough."

And Bacup's Roger Harper is rarely omitted from anyone's list.

Naturally, Ben was re-signed, and he returned in 1997 with 1,154 runs at 54.9 (second in the averages).

Sarah wasn't with him on that trip, so he did a bit of labouring for a local builder and shared a house with team-mate, Andy Roberts. They got on so well that Roberts was best man at the Johnson nuptials two years later! The Whitesides also made the journey Down Under for the wedding.

In 2000, it was back to Colne for another thousand-run season with 51 wickets, and fourth in the league.

Johnson was cut from the South Australian squad three years ago after 69 first-class matches in which he scored nine centuries and 4,038 runs, and took 53 wickets.

He continued to play club cricket for Adelaide for two more seasons until the family "went bush" to Clare, north of Adelaide, where Ben now works as a draughtsman.

He and Sarah have two daughters - four year-old Mackenzie and Ellie (18 months).