Old muckers David Gower and Chris Cowdrey have something of a first-class friendship.

They got to know each other on the school rugby pitch before going on to play cricket together and be each other’s best man. As well as plenty of runs, something else that they’re not short of are stories and anecdotes.

Gower was one of England’s greatest batsmen. He played in 117 Test matches and 114 One Day Internationals for England, notching up 26,339 runs. He also captained his country in 32 Tests.

He still retains the record of 199 consecutive innings without a duck in Test matches, and was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2009.

All-rounder Cowdrey, who was educated at Tonbridge School, followed in the footsteps of his father, Colin, in captaining England – only the second father and son to skipper the national side. He played for Kent for 15 years.

Since retiring both have become familiar faces on TV, commentating on the sport they love.

Now the lifetime friends are touring the country with a new stage show and will be in Tunbridge Wells this weekend. We caught up with David Gower to find out more about the live show and his Kent roots

All my schooldays were spent in Kent...

I went to Marlborough House in Hawkhurst and then the King’s School in Canterbury. My parents moved back from Africa for my schooling – it was all part of the plan. Plus my favourite aunt was in Tunbridge Wells and my grandmother was too. I was actually in Tunbridge Wells for Chris’s wedding recently. The wedding breakfast was at the Hotel du Vin. It was very nice.

During the preparation for the tour Chris was on honeymoon...

So this tour is a bit of a separation – I will be sending him back to her though, don’t worry. We do spend a lot of time together. We get on pretty well. I would say he was 9.5 out of 10 on the friends scale. There are always times we are not living in the same house, though.

We have no rivalry – we just have banter...

We met in opposition on the rugby field one year, and very soon after that we became co-conspirators on cricket tours. We started touring together and that’s it. I was best man at his first wedding, though his was by far the best speech.

I did a one-man show, 30 years ago...

Well maybe it was half a one-man show, or maybe it was half a show. Anyway Chris said “why don’t we do one?” and it seemed like a good idea.

We have got a good collection of stories from on the field and off the field...

It won’t be just two old blokes saying “Do you remember the time when..?” We could talk about the weather but I suspect that might not work. By the time we get to Tunbridge Wells we will have a structure and a show – we will be up and running and enthusiastic and fresh.

It will be humour with a bit of an edge. An edge never does any harm...

We are not above taking the mickey out of each other. It is probably compulsory. We’ll see how that goes.

It is nice to be calm but the moment you relax is the moment you get it wrong...

It is nice to have a certain level of relaxation but you have got to have that edge to make it work. There are nerves, of course. It is quite fundamental if you’re going to expose yourself in public. Not that sort of exposure, of course! Although maybe we’ll take a sock off or something, if the audience demands it.

It’s possible that not everyone who comes to our show will be a cricket buff...

But I think it’ll be 98% people who like and understand their cricket. For the other 2% – I don’t know what their excuse will be for coming!

SHOW DETAILS

David Gower and Chris Cowdrey’s Holy Bail Tour comes to the Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells on Friday, March 3. For tickets at £25 visit assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk