WEYMOUTH all-rounder Simon Browne is set to retire after the Seasiders’ final game of the County Division One season at Cerne Valley tomorrow (1.30pm).

Browne has enjoyed a 35-year career initially with Portland Red Triangle and currently Weymouth, but felt the time was right to hang up his spikes after a season of battling through “aches and pains”.

Browne’s cricketing endeavours dovetailed with a successful football career in which the defender represented Weymouth and Salisbury, going on to manage Wimborne and Portland United.

Demands on the body combining both sports had finally taken their toll, according to the retiring Seasider, who has amassed just 190 runs in 11 innings this season.

Browne, who will captain Weymouth at Cerne, told Echosport: “All good things have to come to an end at some point.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while with aches and pains. If I’d rattled up hundreds of runs this year I’d have thought ‘maybe give it another year’.

“But I haven’t exactly troubled the scorers so it’s probably the right time to knock it on the head. There’s a lot of young lads coming through at the club.

“I’m not going anywhere in terms of leaving the club. I’ll stay on the committee, be involved, but I quite fancy a go at this umpiring lark and see what it’s like on the other side of the fence.”

He added: “Thirty-five years of playing cricket in this area, add on top of that 20-odd years of playing football at a reasonably competitive level, my body’s gone through more than what most people go through in 40 or 50 years.

“Knees, hips and all sorts are starting to fail and I don’t want to get to the point where I’m an old man hobbling around the field.”

And Browne has already made tentative enquiries with regards to pulling on the white coat.

“I’ve made contact with the league and told them I’d like to be considered for umpiring next year,” he revealed.

“I believe there’s a course in February, March time to possibly do an exam. I’ve been having a little look on the internet, but I’m just concentrating on playing at the moment.

“Now we’re at the end of the season it’s time to get things ready for next year. It’s no good turning up in April with a hat and a coat saying ‘can I umpire?’ because I’ll get told to go away.”

Asked for his stand-out memories in cricket, Browne recalled his landmark achievements.

He said: “Probably the Echo Cup final hundred (for RNSTS against Weymouth Tandoori). I was lucky enough to get to a few finals and I won most of them.

“Saturday cricket – my first five-for and hundred for Weymouth, I remember those ones.

“Obviously you tend to remember the wins rather than defeats, but there’s been close games where you’ve enjoyed being part of a close game of cricket.

“I’ll miss the banter in the changing room. It doesn’t matter whether you’re 15 or 50, I’ve always liked being involved in that.

“I had 23 years at Triangle and I’ve got plenty of memories from there, that’s where I grew up. I was 13-years-old playing with adults and learning about the cricketing world.”

Captain Harry Mitchell serves the final game of a two-match ban, while Tom England, Lloyd Beals and Dave Blackman make way for Browne, Jonny Armfield and Jack Sapsworth.

Meanwhile, to avoid the drop, Cerne must defeat Weymouth, earning 20 points and hope Shillingstone are whitewashed at relegated Broadstone Seconds.

Weymouth: D Webb, Collins, Womble, Browne, Armfield, Guyett, J Sapsworth, P Webb, Urumancheri, Hunter, Puckett