Cricket Books

Book SynopsisAn hilarious and irreverent examination of the history of cricket.Trade ReviewThe one thing that shines throughout an entertaining and witty read is Blofeld's marked respesct for the game of cricket and its composite parts. * The Independent *Blofeld has a strong feeling for the history of the magnificent game, but his wicked humour and sense of fun can all too often disguise an encyclopaedic knowledge. This is a canter through many of the well-worn tales that surround the game, with a good measure of the more obscure.' * Yorkshire Post *As one would expect, Blofeld's new book is ripe with choiceness of opinion and observation ... of Alec Stewart: 'a magificent cricketer, but a captain who made Ethelred the Unready look hot stuff. * Eastern Daily Press *His enthusiasm for the game is contagious and he has a rare wit, clearly influenced by his love of one of the greatest humourists of the last century, PG Wodehouse. * Telegraph & Argus *Written with Henry Blofeld's contagious sense of humour, CRICKET AND ALL THAT shows cricket as a game that has had a profound effect on the very structure of English life. * Bolton Evening News *A highly readable and impressively factual account. * The Cricketer *...the Blofeld legend provides us all with some warmth and cheer. This book, the great mann's take on the history of the game, is well up to standard. It takes the game at a rattling pace from its medieval oriigins to the present day. * Simon Heffer, Country Life *

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Book SynopsisThe wicketkeeper, known as his sport’s most prolific ‘sledger’, has amassed more than 20 years of stories from his career at the heart of the game and now reveals them in typically outspoken style.

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Book SynopsisThe period from 1993 has been one of the most successful in the history of Glamorgan CCC, with both league and cup victories. This is the story of this wonderful period, told in the players'' own words, and supported by superb photographs by Huw John. It will appeal to all Glamorgan CCC supporters.

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Book SynopsisGarry Sobers is a cricketing legend, the greatest all-rounder of all time. In this revealing and honest autobiography, Sobers talks about his upbringing and about the tragic accident that inspired him throughout his career. He explains how he helped the West Indies to become the most feared cricketing nation in the world, setting them on a course of success that would run for another 20 years. He also provides authoritative views on the current state of the game and the future of cricket.Trade ReviewThe book is as entertaining as this great player was in his heyday * David Llewellyn, Independent *Cricket fans will be reminded not only how irresistible he was as a cricketer, but also how his uninhibited and generous-spirited personality made him so easy to like and so difficult to forget * Edward Smith, Sunday Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisMarcus Berkmann, author of the cricket classics Rain Men and Zimmer Men, returns to the great game with this gallimaufrey of cricketing trivia, stories and fascinating facts. Which England captain smoked two million cigarettes in his lifetime? Which Australian captain, asked what his favourite animal was, said ''Merv Hughes''? Who was the last person alive who had seen W. G. Grace bat? Which former National Hunt jockey had a dog called Sobers? Who was described in his obituary as ''perhaps the only unequivocally popular man in Yorkshire''?No other sport is so steeped in oddness and eccentricity. Within these pages are brief and pithy character portraits of the game''s great and good, and more cricketers'' nicknames than you will ever need. There''s the only Test player ever to be executed for murder, the only first class cricketer to die on the Titanic, and the only bestselling author to catch fire while playing at Lord''s. (It was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. TheTrade ReviewRather like your perfect cricket tea, comes Marcus Berkmann's fabulous book: well, not so much a book, more an Aladdin's cave of trivia, quizzes Test match reports and some of the best writing about cricket and cricketers you will find . . . full of the kit you have always wanted and stuff you never knew you had. Carry this with you at all times to the match, any match, in case of that dreaded rain break . . . There are riches on every page . . . go and buy this magical book. It's almost as much fun as scoring a century. Almost -- Roger Alton * Daily Mail *An alternative Wisden, and the perfect thing to have in your kit bag for when rajn stops play * The Bookseller *Fantastic stories * Radio Times *This is charming stuff from a writer who has not lost a certain boyish delight in the game or its myths and legends, but he varies the light with some sensitively drawn shade . . . the book serves as a wonderful prop for woollen jumper wearers this summer as they wait for yet another rain delay to pass -- Jack Blackburn * The Times *Berkmann brings the dogged romanticism of the village green to this hugely enjoyable smorgasbord of gossip, anecdote and celebration of the sport's legends -- Sebastian Faulks * Sunday Times *Anyone with the slightest knowledge of the game is likely to find Berkmann's Cricketing Miscellany extremely funny. The book has a confident, but slightly eccentric organisation, giving it the dreamy atmosphere of a sun-dazed game at one of the more beautiful venues * Country Life *A crickipedia! Marcus Berkmann has stories about them all . . . I suspect we shall all be giving one another this book for Christmas -- Francis Wheen * Mail on Sunday *The essential Christmas gift for all cricket-lovers * Spectator *A delightful assemblage of pearls of wisdom and trivia -- Nick Pitt * Sunday Times *Like your best-ever cricket tea, this wonderful book is jam-packed with treats and goodies, trivia, quotes, cartoons and fabulous fun-filled facts about the summer game. The perfect companion to help while away these winter nights . . . The whole thing is magical * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisThe story of a lifetime at the very centre of international cricket, from the most respected TV commentator in the game.Few people understand cricket as well as Richie Benaud. For sixty years, as player and commentator, he has set the standards for others to follow and has witnessed all the major events in the game. No one else has found such favour with the vast numbers of cricket lovers in both Britain and Australia.A high-class attacking batsman and masterful legspin bowler, he captained Australia in 28 of his 63 Tests, regaining the Ashes in 1958-59 and taking part in both Laker''s match in 1956 and the Tied Test in 1960. His television career, which began in 1963 while he was still a Test player, has coincided with a period of astonishing change - in the way the game is played, with the increasing popularity of the shorter formats, and in the way it is broadcast, with the innovations that began with World Series Cricket.In Over But Not OTrade ReviewWhat former Australian captain Richie Benaud does not know about cricket is probably not worth knowing. - Sydney Morning Herald Plenty of cricket commentators can, of course, offer opinions on everything to do with the bat and ball but few can deliver them with the gentlemanly grace of Richie Benaud OBE. - The Daily Telegraph Excellent mixture of autobiography and reflection on the game and players past and present. - The Age [Benaud s] formidable memory for old battles and strong opinions on contemporary issues mak it a good dip-in read. - Herald Sun His insights are many and varied. - Sunday Herald Sun Well played sir, well played. - Courier Mail

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Book SynopsisPhil Tufnell, cricket legend and national treasure, has populated his very own Cricket Hall of Fame with a deliciously eclectic collection of cricket legends and offbeat characters, with joyful results.From boyhood heroes, to legendary team-mates, to fearsome opponents, to idiosyncratic umpires and broadcasters, Tuffers has gathered together the most enchanting cast of cricketing figures every assembled.And it wouldn''t be a Tuffers tome if there weren''t a number of captivating appearances from some unexpected quarters, including some genuinely off-the-wall, non-cricketing inductees to keep life interesting in this very personal Hall of Fame.By turns eccentric and warm-hearted, Tuffers'' Cricket Hall of Fame is a joy for all cricket fans.

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Book SynopsisWisden Cricketers'' Almanack was first published in 1864, and a new edition has been published every year since then.While limited-edition reprints of every edition of Wisden from 1864 to 1946 have been published over the past few decades, collecting these limited-edition reprints is not cheap as each one has normally been priced between 50 and 100.Now, for the first time, John Wisden & Co is offering a bundle of the print-on-demand reprints of the editions between 1916 and 1919, to allow cricket lovers more affordable access to this historic book which forms such a significant part of the game''s great heritage.

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Book SynopsisThis superb anthology showcases 100 years of peerless writing on the Ashes from The Cricketer magazine. Insightful new contributions from today's best cricket writers including Gideon Haigh, Simon Hughes and Huw Turbervill sit alongside vintage reports, features and comment pieces from greats including Pelham 'Plum' Warner, EW Swanton and Christopher Martin-Jenkins. Relive the brilliance of Don Bradman, Harold Larwood, Jim Laker, Geoffrey Boycott, Ian Botham, Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Flintoff and others in this fresh new take on the giants of the game. Featuring Simon Hughes' ultimate Ashes XI, Gideon Haigh's five greatest series and lively detours into the controversies and scandals which have defined sport's greatest contest, this definitive history from the world's foremost cricket magazine is as colourful as the Ashes themselves.Trade ReviewSplendid...There is some great writing here, some great nostalgia, and plenty to keep you entertained on a cold winter's night. Above all, it is a timely reminder of the history and heritage of cricket's greatest rivalry. * Yorkshire Post *

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Book SynopsisFormer county cricketer and one-time England Test batsman Alan Butcher was looking for a new challenge after leaving his job coaching Surrey County Cricket Club. A phone call out of the blue from a Zimbabwean great alerted him to the possibility of coaching the nation's cricket team. His three years in charge presents an insight into the at times schizophrenic nature of cricket in this intriguing country. Starting at the point when Butcher was offered the job, he describes the process of moulding a team out of a dispirited and disillusioned group of players. Part cricket memoir, part travelogue, part ode to Zimbabwe, part lament for a beautiful-but-troubled country, The Good Murungu? is a fascinating insight into Zimbabwean cricket.

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Book SynopsisBarbados-born John Holder arrived in England during the 1960s as part of the second wave of West Indian immigrants recruited by London Transport after the war. While working on the Underground he was recommended for a trial at Hampshire. Impressed by his speed and hostility with the ball, they signed him on the spot. For seven years, his career as an opening bowler followed an uneven course, periods of loss of form and confidence punctuated with moments of sheer brilliance, the most noteworthy both coming in his final year at Hampshire in 1972, taking 13-128 in the same match against Gloucestershire and a hat-trick against Kent. A back injury brought his county career to a close. What better way to stay in touch than to become an umpire? A first-class umpire for 27 years, he officiated in 11 Tests and 23 one-day internationals. Former team-mate Andrew Murtagh had unique and unfettered access to his subject. A Test of Character throws an interesting light on the job of an international umpire, with all its pressures, vicissitudes, controversies and prejudices, leavened of course with a fair degree of humour too.

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Book SynopsisColin Cowdrey is remembered for the elegance of his strokeplay; but there was more to this complex man than a classical cover drive. Successes were numerous: 114 Test matches, 22 Test hundreds, 100 first-class centuries, countless famous victories and unforgettable innings. There was controversy and disappointment too, chief among them being repeated snubs for the England captaincy and the D'Oliveira Affair. Cowdrey was involved in three of England's most memorable Tests: Lord's in 1963 against the West Indies, batting at 11 with his arm in plaster, two balls left and all four results possible; Trinidad in 1968 in which England secured a famous victory against the West Indies; and The Oval in 1968 when England gained an improbable final-over win against Australia. In later life, he shone as an administrative leader - as president of Kent and of the MCC, and as chairman of the ICC - and was made a Lord. Sir Garry Sobers spoke for many when he said at his memorial service, "Colin Cowdrey was a great man."

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Book SynopsisFive Trophies and a Funeral: The Building and Rebuilding of Durham County Cricket Club is the story of how English cricket's youngest first-class county quickly became the country's top team, before overstretching themselves financially to the brink of extinction. When Durham joined the professional game in 1992 they aspired to be a major on-field force and a home to top international cricket. The high demands put on them as a condition of entry, together with their own lofty ambitions, pushed the club to five major trophies in seven seasons while providing England with top-quality players reared in the North East. But striving for ever more at a time of economic downturn led them to live beyond their means, and they were heavily punished for overspending that the authorities partly encouraged. Now they are looking to restore past glories under the chairmanship of Sir Ian Botham. Part fairy tale, part cautionary story, Five Trophies explains how Durham arrived where they are, and where they aim to go next.

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Book SynopsisBarbed Wire and Cucumber Sandwiches is the compelling story of a cricket tour framed in a landscape of turbulent social history. Cricket, England's gentle summer game, was shaken to its core by demonstrations, strikes, arrests and violence amid growing global disgust at apartheid, ahead of South Africa's planned 1970 tour. The battle to stop and then to save the tour split the nation, drove a wedge between the generations and destroyed friendships in an uncanny foreshadowing of Brexit. Fifty years on, acclaimed author and social historian Dr Colin Shindler has delved deep into the MCC archives for new information and gained exclusive interviews with key players of the time. Alongside the views of cricketers Mike Brearley and Ray Illingworth are the opinions of Labour politician Peter Hain, who was chairman of the Stop The Seventy Tour campaign. Barbed Wire and Cucumber Sandwiches brings you the full untold story of one of cricket's biggest controversies - the significance of which reaches far beyond the realm of sport.

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Book SynopsisFor over a decade Luke Fletcher has been a firm fan favourite at Trent Bridge. This 6'6" gentle giant never gives less than 100 per cent for Nottinghamshire, but a laugh and a joke are never far from his lips. Within the space of a week in 2017 he went from the highs of winning a Lord's cup final to suffering a serious injury. As with most events in his life, the incidents provided scope for his infectious humour, much of it self-deprecating. An uncanny ability to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and his on-off relationship with the strength and conditioning gurus has often landed him in hot water, providing ammunition for witty comebacks. But although a clever quip is never far away, the broad-beamed paceman has earned the respect of everyone in the game. He has played against - and got the better of - virtually every opponent he has faced and has a career record to be proud of. In Tales from the Front Line, 'Fletch' serves up laughs aplenty as he takes us on an anecdotal journey through our summer game.

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Book SynopsisOne of cricket's great characters, Franklyn Stephenson was branded a 'rebel' for touring in apartheid South Africa with a West Indian XI. As a black sportsman, he knew his actions went against the wishes of the authorities and that there would be consequences, yet he overcame the character slurs and subsequent bans from both his beloved Barbados and the West Indian Test selectors. Recognised as the first fast bowler to develop a cunning slower ball, Stephenson became one of the world's top all-rounders. The beaming Barbadian achieved cricketing immortality in 1988 by completing the domestic Double of scoring 1,000 runs and taking 100 wickets during an English summer - a feat that is unlikely to be repeated. Read about encounters, on and off the field, with household names such as Viv Richards, Andy Roberts, Clive Lloyd and Desmond Haynes - and a lifelong friendship with Sir Garfield Sobers. From a childhood full of dramatic life experiences to the heights of one-day finals at Lord's, here is the story of an amiable cricketing giant.

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Book SynopsisLast Wicket Stand is a refreshingly honest examination of county cricket, middle age, identity and coping with change. In his 50th year, Richard Clarke followed his beloved Essex CCC throughout the 2019 season, the last before the introduction of a controversial new competition that threatened to undermine domestic cricket in England forever.

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Book SynopsisEngland On This Day revisits the most magical and memorable moments from the national cricket team's illustrious past, mixing in a maelstrom of quirky anecdotes and legendary characters to produce an irresistibly dippable England diary - with an entry for every day of the year. From the first ever Test match in 1877 through to the Twenty20 era, England's faithful fans have witnessed world domination and tragicomic failures, grudge matches, controversy and absurdity - all present here. Timeless greats such as Ian Botham, Jack Hobbs and Fred Trueman, Denis Compton, Harold Larwood and Alastair Cook all loom larger than life. Revisit 5 January 1971, when a Melbourne Test became the first ever one-day international, 30 July 1995 when Dominic Cork took England's first hat-trick in 38 years! Or 6 September 1880, when W.G. Grace and his two brothers all made their Test debuts - two successful, one tragic.

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Book SynopsisFormer Gloucestershire Media Sports Writer of the Year Rob Harris has been playing village cricket for almost 40 years. In inner cities some kids join street gangs in search of respect, but in Rob's childhood the gangs were village cricket clubs and the weapon of choice was a Gunn & Moore bat. Won't You Dance for Virat Kohli? is an honest, funny and colourful account of sporting obsession and how a childhood passion for cricket can dominate grown-up thoughts, dreams, relationships - and weekends. This is the story of one humble club cricketer's misguided search for personal respect and fulfilment in the strangest of places, foregoing holidays and family time to spend long summer days lounging around village greens with other screwed-up 'weekend warriors', whilst secretly wishing he was somewhere - anywhere - else. It is a book that will resonate with anyone who knows and loves grass-roots cricket.

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Book SynopsisToo Black to Wear White is the compelling story of Krom Hendricks, the first black South African sporting hero. Co-authors Jonty Winch and Richard Parry explore the colonial roots of racism in cricket and the nefarious role Cecil Rhodes played in the origins of segregation when he barred Krom Hendricks from the South African tour to England in 1894. Hendricks's long struggle for recognition exposed a cruel system. It is a compelling human drama. Hendricks played for the South African 'Malay' team against English professionals in 1892. He was, they said, the best fast bowler in the world. He struck fear into the white establishment and targeted elite South African batsmen who feared his express pace and the prospect of humiliation at the hands of a 'coloured' player. Denied the chance to play Test cricket against Lord Hawke's side, his courage, perseverance and passion for cricket never diminished over several decades; and at the age of 60 he led representative 'coloured' teams in fundraisers during the First World War.

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Book SynopsisKings in Waiting is the story of how Somerset failed to win their maiden Championship title despite finishing second five times during the 2010s. Since they finished bottom of the table in 2006, Somerset have enjoyed and endured the most exciting period in their history. Following their bottom-of-the-table finish, they hired Justin Langer as their captain and he transformed them into one of the most competitive teams in the land. He departed in 2009, although the good work he had done alongside his successor Marcus Trescothick was expected to result in trophies. But they somehow failed to deliver, remarkably finishing as runners-up in eight tournaments between 2009 and 2012. This led to them being described as the bridesmaids of English cricket. After a few quiet years, a new team began to emerge under Chris Rogers, one full of youth and promise. He guided them to second in 2016 and his successor Tom Abell finally managed to win a trophy in 2019. Yet the all-important Championship title remains absent from their cabinet.

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Book SynopsisAnd Bring the Darkness Home is a haunting exploration of how the mental scars of war destroyed an international cricket career, tore a family apart and left destitute a man who seemed to have it all. Tony Dell was the only Test cricketer to fight in the Vietnam War. His journey to the summit of the game, playing for Australia against England in the Ashes, was as unlikely and meteoric as any in cricket history. His descent was painful and harrowing. It was in his mid-60s, living in his mother's garage, that he learned the truth about what had led him on a path of self-destruction. A diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder allowed him to piece together the ruins of his life and also to search for answers, for himself and the thousands of other sufferers. The restlessness and urgency that once drove him to the top of the game was turned on authorities who refused to learn the lessons from history. PTSD robbed Tony Dell of memories of his playing career and left a palpable sense of loss. It also gave him a life-changing mission.

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