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      • Trusted Partner
        Biography & True Stories
        September 2024

        Clyde Walcott

        Statesman of West Indies cricket

        by Peter Mason

        The first biography of a cricketing great, exploring his achievements as a player, manager and political activist. Clyde Walcott was one of the most important cricketers of all time. As a batsman he was part of the legendary 'three Ws' with Everton Weekes and Frank Worrell that helped give West Indies cricket a new identity distinct from its colonial past. After test cricket he became a prominent administrator and advocate of Black consciousness, managing the great West Indies teams that dominated the sport in the 1980s. A vocal supporter of using cricket to apply pressure to the South African apartheid regime, in 1992 he became chairman of the International Cricket Council - the first Black man in that influential role. Shining a light on Walcott's largely ignored part in effecting change through the vehicle of cricket, this book also shows how he contributed to dramatic social transformation in Guyana as cricket and social organiser for the country's sugar estates from 1954 to 1970, bringing about improvements in the living conditions and self-esteem of plantation workers while promoting the emergence of several world-class cricketers from a previously neglected corner of the Caribbean.

      • Cricket
        January 2015

        Second XI

        Cricket In Its Outposts

        by Tim Wigmore, Peter Miller, Gideon Haigh, Sahil Dutta and Tim Brooks

        As the world's second most popular sport, cricket is much richer and more diverse than many realise. Globally, passionate players give up holidays, time with loved ones and hard-earned money to achieve the extraordinary and play for their country. Afghanistan, whose captain grew up on a refugee camp, will play in the 2015 World Cup not just in spite of the Taliban but partly because of them. In Ireland, cricket has reawakened after a century of dormancy - but can they achieve their aim of Test cricket and end the player drain to England? These tales resonate far beyond cricket, touching on war, sectarianism and even women's rights. This book explains why an Emirati faced Allan Donald armed only with a sunhat; whether cricket will succeed in China and America; what happened when Kenya reached the World Cup semi-finals, and how cricket in the Netherlands almost collapsed after two bad days.

      • Cricket
        March 2015

        Sundial in the Shade

        The Story of Barry Richards: the Genius Lost to Test Cricket

        by Andrew Murtagh

        As a former county player, Andrew Murtagh is often asked, 'who is the best batsman he has ever played with or against?' His answer is always unequivocal - 'Richards.' And then comes the inevitable rider - 'Barry, that is, not Viv.' It is a travesty that the cricket world has largely forgotten Barry Richards - a cricketing genius. Debuting for South Africa in 1970, his run-scoring, technique and audacious, extravagant strokeplay took the breath away. A glittering international career beckoned. However, the apartheid storm burst, and Richards had played his first and last Test series. Consigned to plying his trade for Hampshire, Natal and South Australia, Richards became increasingly frustrated and disenchanted with the game he had loved. Following retirement, personal tragedy and professional controversy continued to stalk him, though he has now come to an uneasy acceptance that he will be forever known as the genius lost to Test cricket.

      • Sports & outdoor recreation
        July 2013

        How's That!

        A Layman's Guide to Cricket

        by Tony Whelpton

        This is a newly-revised version of a book first published in paperback in 1998, which was very popular but went out of print some years ago when the original publishers ceased trading. It was later re-published as an e-book, and after it reached the number one spot for cricket books in Amazon's Kindle Store in both July and August 2013 the author decided to publish it again as a paperback. It is a book which explains the game of cricket in a way that isn't over-complicated, takes nothing for granted, doesn't over-simplify unduly and - which is very important - doesn't treat its subject in such a facetious manner as to defeat the whole object. It doesn't pretend cricket isn't a complex game, but it does make sure that you pick up all the pieces of the jig-saw puzzle in the proper order so that everything makes sense right from the start, with every new piece added clearly helping to build a bigger picture and helping you to enjoy the game even more. It is enhanced by lively and charming cartoons drawn by Tim Parker. The Kindle version reached the number one cricket spot again in July 2014.

      • Cricket
        November 2008

        Worst of Cricket 2, The

        More Malice and Misfortune from the World's Cruellest Game

        by Nigel Henderson

        “You do well to love cricket,” said Lord Harris, “for it is more free from anything sordid, anything dishonourable, than any game in the world.” Harris, who captained the first England team to do battle with the Australians in this country, obviously never got his hands on a copy of The Worst of Cricket. If that volume failed to totally convince you that the sport is designed to disturb, dismay and disgruntle in equal measure, then maybe it was because it only scratched the surface. Subtitled ‘More Malice and Misfortune in the World’s Cruellest Game’, The Worst of Cricket 2 completes the job, taking up where its predecessor, one of the best-selling titles in Pitch’s popular ‘Worst of Sport’ series, left off. The book takes another humorous look at the whole catalogue of malevolence, misadventure and madness associated with the sport – corruption, violence, drunkenness, incompetence – on and off the pitch!

      • Sporting events, tours & organisations

        ASHES - LITTLE BOOK OF

        by Pat Morgan

      • Cricket
        April 2011

        Tony Greig

        A Reappraisal of English Cricket's Most Controversial Captain

        by David Tossell

        Tony Greig is remembered as the colourful captain who led cricket into its biggest crisis of the last century. An all-rounder who mixed boldness with belligerence, he was the first South African to skipper England, restoring national pride with victory in India after poundings at the hands of Australia and the West Indies. A controversial and charismatic competitor whose “make them grovel” comment about the West Indies signalled trouble, he later lost the captaincy for recruiting players for Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket. More than three decades later, now a leading television commentator, Greig has never been fully absolved. Featuring many new interviews, including with Greig himself, the book asks whether cricket history judges the accomplished all-rounder fairly, or is coloured by off-field controversies. Tony Greig offers a compelling portrait of a fascinating cricketing era – and was shortlisted for Best Cricket Book at the 2012 British Sports Book Awards.

      • Cricket
        July 2011

        Australian Autopsy

        How England Dissected Australia in the 2010/11 Ashes

        by Jarrod Kimber

        English cricket fans will love Jarrod Kimber's second Ashes book, Australian Autopsy – Australian cricket fans perhaps less so! Employing his own unique brand of dry humour, Kimber tells the story of the events of the winter 2010/11 series, and England's record-breaking 3-1 victory Down Under. Described by the Guardian as “a 22nd-century cricket writer”, Kimber’s style is certainly refreshing, having little in common with traditional cricket writing either in literary or lifestyle terms. He travels around his homeland staying in flea-bitten motels, bonding in a beautiful bromance with fellow cricket writer Sam Collins, and getting whispered at by Cricket Australia officials. When Australian Autopsy isn’t chronicling his dreams about Alastair Cook, it observes the English side ripping up the Australians’ script, cutting deep into the national psyche and cricket system. A wholly original chronicle of life on an Ashes tour, the international cricket circus, and Kimber’s home country.

      • Cricket
        November 2011

        Chasing Sachin

        by Adam Carroll-Smith

        The story of one obsessive fan’s unlikely ambition: to bowl just one ball at his childhood hero, Sachin Tendulkar. From the very first time he’d ever watched the ‘Little Master’ bat, as a 12-year-old boy, Adam Carroll-Smith had been transfixed. He dreamed not just of bowling to Tendulkar, but of actually knocking over his off stump. Just one problem: he was never really much of a cricketer. However, determined not to let such a small detail stand in his way – and eager to settle an old score with a childhood chum – Carroll-Smith earnestly set about achieving the unthinkable during India’s 2011 tour of England. A hilarious summer ensued as he attempted to live out his fantasy, fending off the attentions of over-zealous fellow fans, crazed Italian spiritualists and his meddling best friend – not to mention the dozens of blazered officials and luminous-jacketed stewards standing between him and his hero.

      • Cricket
        June 2010

        Following On

        A Year with English Cricket's Golden Boys

        by David Tossell

        Following On tells the stories of 14 English cricket World Cup winners – in 1998, as Under-19s, they had tasted global triumph – against the exciting, lucrative landscape at the end of cricket's first decade of the millennium. Now the Ashes, World Twenty20 and Indian Premier League beckoned. But where was the ‘golden generation’ who, 11 years before, had become the only male England cricket team to win a global trophy? Graeme Swann and Owais Shah began 2009 in pursuit of England ambitions. Robert Key and new Twenty20 hero Graham Napier awaited their country's call, while others worried about the viability of county cricket. Some, meanwhile, were combining club cricket with ‘real’ jobs. Observing Ashes heroics from packed stands at Lord's, clashes with county committees, death threats and altogether smaller dramas at rural club grounds, Following On offers a fascinating insight into the cricketing profession, and the English game as a whole.

      • Cricket
        March 2015

        Sex & Drugs & Rebel Tours

        The England Cricket Team in the 1980s

        by David Tossell

        Throughout the 1980s, England lurched between the highs of Ashes victories and the lows of on-field humiliation and a series of controversies involving tabloid scandals, South African rebel tours and Pakistani umpires. The Ashes were won dramatically in 1981, regained by David Gower's team in 1985 and retained by Mike Gatting in 1986/87. There was even a World Cup Final appearance in India. Yet twice the West Indies inflicted 5-0 series defeats. Players were fined for bad behaviour on the field, while Ian Botham was suspended for smoking marijuana. Lord's stumbled through ten changes of captaincy in the decade. In 1988, Gatting, under pressure following an umpiring row, was brought down by a barmaid, leading to the appointment of four skippers in one series. It was the most chaotic period in English cricket history. Through interviews with many of those involved, Sex & Drugs & Rebel Tours tells the story.

      • Cricket
        March 2015

        A Flick of the Fingers

        The Chequered Life and Career of Jack Crawford

        by Michael Burns

        Thanks to his discovery of a collection of scrapbooks and memorabilia, writer and filmmaker Michael Burns is able to relate for the first time the remarkable story of Surrey and England cricketer Jack Crawford. A schoolboy prodigy who took Edwardian cricket by storm, the amateur all-rounder became Surrey's youngest ever centurion and, at 19 years and 32 days, England's youngest Test player. However, a row over captaining a weakened team against the Australians led to a spectacular fallout - and a life ban by his county. Emigration to Australia ensued, where Crawford established himself as one of the world's great all-rounders; yet controversy dogged him, on and off the pitch. Having married and deserted an Adelaide teenage beauty, Crawford then dodged involvement in the Great War. He returned to England to divorce, re-marry and fade into middle-aged obscurity, but not before playing two of the most remarkable innings of his life.

      • Cricket
        June 2015

        Inside Edge

        Another Eclectic Collection of Cricketing Facts, Feats and Figures

        by Marc Dawson

        Who scored the 5000th international century? Which New Zealand Test captain married a Miss Universe? And which Test cricketer's son was placed on Interpol's most-wanted list? From the beginnings of the game to the present day, Inside Edge delivers a treasure trove of global cricketing curiosities. Immerse yourself in the magic that is cricket with a panoply of wildly unusual feats on the field, and just as many eyebrow-raising incidents after the close of play. From the brother-and-sister twins who played for Australia to the 14-year-old schoolboy who scored 500 in a match in India, Marc Dawson serves up facts, feats and figures destined to delight all followers of this amazing game. With 20 subject areas including Twenty20 cricket, cricket and politics, music and cinema and cricket in wartime, Inside Edge features an array of esoteric, previously unpublished photographs, famous scorecards, quirky quotations and statistical tables.

      • Cricket
        June 2015

        Strange Death of English Leg Spin, The

        How Cricket's Finest Art Was Given Away

        by Justin Parkinson

        Shane Warne has shown the world how to bowl leg spin. But how many people know that English cricketers pioneered the art? Leg breaks, googlies, flippers - all were invented here. So how did we come to give it all away? Reach the point where home crowds would boo an English leggie's efforts, yet then pay gracious tribute to the Australian master of the most beautiful form of bowling known to man. The Strange Death of English Leg Spin shows how a century of neglect effectively killed any chance of England producing its own Warne. Petty rivalries, mistrust, ridiculous rule changes, jealousies, ineptitude and neglect combined to ensure that Ian Salisbury, Tich Freeman, Chris Schofield and others never had a chance to become world-beaters. Featuring interviews with key players, psychologists and coaches and in-depth historical research, the book suggests how England can once again become the global centre of leg spin.

      • Cricket
        October 2015

        Grizzly

        The Life and Times of Chris Adams

        by Chris Adams, with Bruce Talbot

        In a cricket career spanning nearly 30 years, Chris Adams has enjoyed some unforgettable moments. He played for England, enduring a brutal Test debut against South Africa in 1999, and was the greatest captain in the history of Sussex, turning them from perennial underachievers into the most successful county of the 2000s. Within two years of becoming a coach, he had made Surrey trophy winners again. There have been some difficult times, too. The internecine warfare at his first county, Derbyshire, which led to his departure; frustrating experiences with the England hierarchy; and the struggle to control the work-hard-play-hard culture in the Surrey dressing room, which ultimately ended in tragedy. Throughout his life in cricket 'Grizzly' has always tried to remain true to his convictions. Now, as he contemplates his next challenges in the game, Adams fronts up again and tells his own remarkable story of a life in cricket.

      • Cricket
        April 2013

        Outside Edge

        An Eclectic Collection of Cricketing Facts, Feats & Figures

        by Marc Dawson

        Which first-class cricket team contained two players who would later be murdered? Who was the Australian-born Test cricketer who became a cage fighter? Which former England all-rounder set a world record for eating the most peas with a cocktail stick? Which pair of brothers share the most century partnerships in Test match cricket, and who was the bowler who took Test wickets with consecutive balls, seven years apart? The answers to all these teasers can be found in this irresistible, addictive and routinely astonishing collection of cricketing facts, feats and figures. Opening the door on areas such as cricket and politics, cricket and music, cricket and films, royalty and cuisine, the book transcends cricketing trivia. Outside Edge amounts to a wholly original compendium of the most unusual stories from across the whole breadth of the global game's rich history and culture. Featuring a foreword by Australian Test legend Geoff Lawson.

      • Cricket
        July 2013

        Real Jeeves, The

        The Cricketer Who Gave His Life for His Country and His Name to a Legend

        by Brian Halford

        The Real Jeeves tells the story of a young cricketer whose glorious life was snuffed out, but whose name will live forever. Plucked from country-house cricket, all-rounder Percy Jeeves was to outshine the Golden Age's greats over two seasons with Warwickshire, clean bowling Jack Hobbs, hitting Wilfred Rhodes for six and outclassing England captain Plum Warner. In September 1914, Jeeves bowled Warwickshire to victory over champions Surrey. It was his 50th first-class match - and his last. The Real Jeeves traces Percy's life from idyllic childhood via county cricket into the nightmare of war. Excerpts from battalion diaries detail the horrors of the Western Front, and ultimately his demise on the Somme. Yet Percy Jeeves' name lived on thanks to PG Wodehouse, who saw him play at Cheltenham in 1913 and was so impressed he noted the name for a character who shared the modest Yorkshireman's immaculate conduct and appearance.

      • Cricket
        May 2013

        Surrey CCC On This Day

        History, Facts & Figures from Every Day of the Year

        by Jon Surtees

        Surrey CCC On This Day revisits all the most magical and memorable moments from the county's distinguished cricketing past, mixing in a maelstrom of quirky anecdotes and legendary characters to produce an irresistibly dippable diary of Surrey history - with an entry for every day of the year. From the day Montpelier CC first met to discuss the formation of a county club right through to the Twenty20 era, the 168-year history of Surrey CCC and The Oval Cricket Ground takes in trophies, triumphs, unforgettable matches, and hilarious and controversial events. Fully endorsed by the club, the book travels from Alcock and Abel, via Hobbs, the Bedsers, Laker and Lock, through to the Hollioake brothers, Thorpe and Pietersen. Along the way, it recalls twin ten-wicket innings against the touring Australians, a fox trapped atop The Oval gasholder, and the fortunate tactical intervention of a labrador called Bumper!

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