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Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > Ball games > Cricket
Marcus Berkmann, author of the cricket classics Rain Men and Zimmer
Men, returns to the great game with this irresistible miscellany of
cricketing trivia, stories and more fascinating facts than Geoffrey
Boycott could shake a stick of rhubarb at. Which England captain
smoked two million cigarettes in his lifetime? Which Australian
captain, asked what his favourite animal was, said 'Merv Hughes'?
What did Hitler think of cricket? Which National Hunt trainer 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. 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.
The ball hit a box of matches in his pocket.) All cricket is here,
including an XI entirely made up of players who share their names
with freshwater fish.
In 2014, Kevin Pietersen's autobiography was one of the most talked
about sporting media stories of the year, largely due to the
shockwaves it sent through the cricketing establishment. Now, Kevin
turns his focus to events on the pitch, offering his views on what
it takes to be a successful cricketer in the modern age. This
summer's Ashes series has demonstrated just how demanding and
unpredictable the game has become, and Kevin is ideally - perhaps
uniquely - placed to comment on those developments. In KEVIN
PIETERSEN ON CRICKET we'll see exactly how today's player
approaches batting, bowling, bowling, captaincy, preparation, and
many other aspects of the game itself, through the prism of the
author's own experience. We'll see what it's like to face a bowler
like Mitchell Johnson at his menacing best, learn how cricketers
cope with the challenges presented by foreign climates and
conditions, and gain a fresh understanding of how players manage
the psychological side of the game.
'Punchy’s Hampshire Years' tells the story of Alan Rayment’s
life from 1949 to 1959, the years when he spent his summers inside
the game of cricket. The book, following on from 'Punchy through
the Covers', was to be the second of a three-volume autobiography,
but sadly Alan Rayment died before he was able to complete it.
Stephen Chalke has drawn together the written chapters, as well as
notes, taped conversations and other titbits, to complete the
story. There are delightful insights into the life of a
professional county cricketer in the 1950s, a fascinating account
of the successful ballroom dancing business that Alan and his wife
Betty developed during those years and powerful descriptions of the
life-changing spiritual experiences that led him to leave behind
his life in cricket and dance. Even when he spends the summer of
1959 as an assistant coach at Lord’s, Alan’s radical thinking
comes to the fore, generating a most surprising tale. In the words
of his former Hampshire captain Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie, Alan
Rayment had 'great ability and insight into people’s characters'
and 'a number of qualities unusual in the normal first-class
cricketer’ – and 'Punchy’s Hampshire Years' bears that out.
Warmth and humour combine with a free-thinking spirit, ever curious
to explore fresh worlds and new ideas, making this a stimulating
memoir which is, indeed, much more ‘unusual’ than one by a
‘normal first-class cricketer’.
Cricket Banter is all the rage among the cricketing cognoscenti and
the chat, the sledging and the humour behind the game is all
covered here, by those boys at The Middle Stump, in conjunction
with Factor 50. Here we cover most aspects of cricket, as we speak
with some of the finest, funniest, larger than life characters from
the sport over the last thirty years, along with a selection of
hilarious stories about the game. It's a highly amusing book; read
it and you'll see why most cricketers, whether from club, county or
international level, as well as the sport's most prominent
journalists are all talking about those cheeky chaps from The
Middle Stump, and their alternative take on the game of cricket.
When Cricket and Politics Collided describes one of the most
extraordinary periods in the history of English cricket. A meeting
on 27 August 1968 to select the players for a MCC winter tour of
South Africa started a chain of events which would shake the very
foundations of the cricket establishment. Over the next two years
tours were cancelled, another abandoned and finally one of the
founding Test playing nations banned from international cricket for
over twenty years. Remarkably during this upheaval, and at very
short notice, two replacement Test series were played. The first
between between Pakistan and England, took place in a country where
law and order were disintigrating and as a result the tour schedule
was changing on an almost daily basis. The players were under
enormous stress, their safety genuinely at risk, and even the
country's President would soon be deposed. The second, pitted
England against the Rest of the World, opponents that many
considered to be the strongest ever assembled for an international
match. These two series produced some of the most exciting cricket
of the period, and yet both are now largely forgotten.
Malcolm Nash achieved sporting immortality as the bowler hit for a
world-record six sixes by the legendary batsman Garry Sobers at
Swansea in 1968 but, as Malcolm himself notes, although this single
over made his name well-known, it should not define his long and
distinguished cricketing career. A highly regarded bowler, Malcolm
played over 600 matches for Glamorgan between 1966 and 1983, taking
over 1,300 wickets, had an England trial and was unlucky not to
receive international recognition. In Not Only, But Also, his
sporting memoir published fifty years after the historic day in
Swansea, Malcolm not only looks back at that over at St Helen's but
also explores and celebrates his wider achievements with ball and
bat, painting an intriguing and nostalgic picture of county
cricket, and the life of a county cricketer, in the 1960s and
1970s. Described by his friend John Arlott as `a highly skilful
manipulator of medium-pace seam bowling', Malcolm's story is of a
cricketing life full of excitement and incident. It is a career
remembered not only for that single over bowled to the best
cricketer in the world, but also by much, much more.
Glamorgan CCC is Wales' sole representative in the world of county
cricket. Formed in 1888, the Club at first faced some difficult
years before joining the Minor County Championship in 1897. After a
series of successful summers, they were admitted into the
first-class game in 1921 but this initially proved a massive step
for the Cardiff-based club to take, as defeats became more
commonplace than victories. However, after overcoming financial
uncertainties in the 1930s, and the loss of their influential
captain, Maurice Turnbull, during the Second World War, Glamorgan
won the County Championship title in 1948 under Wilf Wooller
besides providing a series of players for England teams. The good
times continued in the 1960s when they defeated the Australians on
back-to-back tours, and lifted the County Championship title again
in 1969 under Tony Lewis. Further silverware came Glamorgan's way
during the 1990s as they won the Sunday League in 1993 before
Matthew Maynard led them to a third Championship in 1997. During
the 2000s, the Welsh side lifted the one-day title again in 2002
and 2004, before embarking on a successful stadium development
scheme at their headquarters which saw Test cricket come to Wales
in July 2009 as Cardiff hosted the Ashes Test between England and
Australia. Changing Faces - Glamorgan CCC 1888-2012 celebrates the
people who have taken the Club on this remarkable journey and who
have worn the Club's colours with pride and distinction. Using a
series of team photographs and group images from the Club's
archives - many of which have never been previously published -
this is a fascinating collection that will greatly appeal to
Glamorgan supporters and lovers of Welsh sport in general.
Sussex and England superstar Maurice Tate's story is one of triumph
and fame, controversy and tragedy. In the 1920s and 1930s, the
all-rounder was the world's most popular cricketer, famed for his
brilliant bowling and broad smile - unlike his infamous cricketing
father, whose costly error he more than repaid. In his day, Tate's
enormous feet were the subject of a music-hall song, his extra pace
considered 'magical'; he's now recognised as the first proper
'seam' bowler. He took almost 2800 first-class wickets and thrilled
crowds with rapid-fire sixes and centuries. But along the way he
suffered a nervous breakdown at the Bodyline series, and threw beer
over Douglas Jardine. After a bitter sacking by Sussex, he became a
pub landlord and died in poverty. Recently voted Sussex's greatest
ever player, Tate doesn't figure in any more widespread Hall of
Fame. It's time to remember this forgotten great of England
cricket.
In 1968, Yorkshire County Cricket Club won a record 29th outright
County Championship title. Blessed with the talents of Brian Close,
Fred Trueman and Geoffrey Boycott, they dominated their opponents
through sheer desire, skill and belief. It was a golden era for the
club, and no one saw it coming to an end. But over the next few
years, everything changed. Yorkshire's star players departed and
their rivals benefited from the introduction of overseas
professionals like Garry Sobers, Viv Richards and Clive Rice. As
they decided only to hire those born within the county, Yorkshire
struggled to compete with their contemporaries and became one of
the worst-performing teams in the land. It was a dire time for the
club. But when a young Sachin Tendulkar arrived at Headingley in
April 1992, a revolution began. Through his talent and personality,
Yorkshire's first overseas player modernised a failing institution
and gained experience that helped him become the greatest
international batsman of his generation. This is the story of how a
promising 19-year-old became an Honorary Tyke... and, in the
process, changed the history of England's most successful club.
When England cricket captain Tony Greig announced that he intended
to make the West Indies 'grovel', he lit a fire that burned as
intensely as the sunshine that made 1976 one of the most memorable
summers in British history. Spurred on by what they saw as a deeply
offensive remark, especially from a white South African, Clive
Lloyd's touring team vowed to make Greig pay. In Viv Richards,
emerging as the world's most exciting batsman, and fast bowlers
Michael Holding and Andy Roberts they had the players to do it.
Featuring interviews with key figures from English and West Indian
cricket, Grovel!: The Story and Legacy of the Summer of 1976
provides a fascinating study of the events and social issues
surrounding one of the sport's most controversial and colourful
tours - as well as addressing the decline of West Indies cricket
and its loss of support in the new century.
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Rosey
(Hardcover)
Brian Rose, Anthony Gibson; Foreword by Vic Marks
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R488
Discovery Miles 4 880
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Formed in 1875, Somerset County Cricket Club had a long history of
winning nothing when Brian Rose took on the captaincy in 1978. Yet
in his six years at the helm they won five trophies and came close
to winning several more. With only two further successes since
then, those gloriously entertaining summers of Rose’s men –
Botham, Richards, Garner, Roebuck, Marks and Denning – remain
unrivalled as the Golden Age of Somerset Cricket. Here in 'Rosey'
Brian Rose tells the inside story of those years: from his
apprenticeship under the extraordinary Brian Close to the sad and
acrimonious break-up of the side. Reading his account of it all, it
is not hard to understand how his quiet captaincy held together so
many strong personalities. Both then and as Director of Cricket in
the 2000s, he has been at the heart of so much of what is best
about Somerset cricket.
In this highly entertaining book Fred Rumsey looks back on an
eventful life, in which he opened the bowling for England in five
Tests, single-handedly advanced the idea of a Professional
Cricketers’ Association, pioneered the development of public
relations in cricket, played a leading role in the expansion of the
Lord’s Taverners and developed cricket and football tournaments
in the Caribbean. There is fun aplenty, as befits one who was a
friend of comedians Eric Morecambe and Dave Allen, but there is
also a sense of social purpose, to be found not only in the years
when he took on cricket’s establishment but in his long service
to the charity work of the Lord’s Taverners and his close bond
with the anti-apartheid South African journalist Donald Woods. From
the poignancy of his description of an East End childhood during
the Blitz to the wonderfully funny tale of his sharing a hotel room
with Geoffrey Boycott, 'Sense of Humour, Sense of Justice' is full
of delights – with insights into a rich array of characters,
among them David Gower, Bobby Moore, David Frost and his great mate
Colin Milburn.
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Yuvi
(Paperback)
Makarand Waingankar
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R251
Discovery Miles 2 510
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Ships in 10 - 15 working days
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As a toddler, Geoff plays a straight bat with a frying pan,
knocking his brother unconscious. They both survive and go on to
share an obsession with cricket. From playing as kids in oversized
pads, they become recreational cricketers and devotees of England
and Notts. Cricket, My Brother and Me is rich in humorous anecdotes
and personal memories of 50 eventful years playing and watching
cricket. Accounts of early life as cricketers see the brothers
trying to emulate their heroes and failing miserably, finally
settling for the role of spectator. Memories include the torture
and the glory of watching the Ashes, touring abroad and the more
sedate joys of county cricket. The book describes the brothers'
fraught first encounter with the Barmy Army and later touring as
part of the world's greatest supporters' club. Ardent fans will
enjoy the serious reflections on cricket and politics and thoughts
on the future of the sport. This is a 'must read' for cricket
lovers and for those intrigued as to why cricket can inflame such
passion.
Few other team sports can equal the global reach of cricket. Rich
in history and tradition, it is both quintessentially English and
expansively international, a game that has evolved and changed
dramatically in recent times. Demonstrating how the history of
cricket and its international popularity is entwined with British
imperial expansion, this book examines the social and political
impact of the game in a variety of cultural sites: the West Indies,
India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Australia and New
Zealand. An international team of contributors explores the
enduring influence of cricket on English identity, examines why
cricket has seized the imagination of so many literary figures and
provides profiles of iconic players including Bradman, Lara and
Tendulkar. Presenting a global panoramic view of cricket's
complicated development, its unique adaptability and its political
and sporting controversies, the book provides a rich insight into a
unique sporting and cultural heritage.
John Arlott, one of cricket's most revered commentators said of
Farokh Engineer: "He finds both cricket and life fun; he laughs
easily and his jokes are often very funny but he can be grave. His
appeals are as loud as anyone's yet off the field he is quietly
spoken. As a batsman or wicketkeeper he is aggressive, yet he is a
man of consideration and courtesy. There has always been a quality
of generosity about his cricket and his way of life." In this new
book 'Farokh, The Cricketing Cavalier' Colin Evans, former cricket
writer for the Manchester Evening News, looks back at Engineer's
career, recalling many magical moments with Lancashire and India
though the 1960s and 1970s. "John Arlott summed up Farokh so well,"
says Evans. ""I watched many of his performances for Lancashire
from 1968 to 1976 and he had the ability to lighten up the
gloomiest Manchester day, whether on the pitch or off it. Nowadays,
40 years after his retirement from the game, he is still warmly
welcomed all over the world as an ambassador for cricket."
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Sweet Shires
(Paperback)
Dave Morton; Photographs by Dave Morton
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R314
Discovery Miles 3 140
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'Sweet Shires' is a book about cricket; it is also a photo-book,
with forty-two full-page, high-quality prints.Dave Morton has
briefly detailed his own background in the game, from cricket-mad
young boy in 1950s Bradford, through teenage years in
Staffordshire, and on to thirty summers, and more, as an amateur
league player in Manchester. The photographs belong to the author's
later years. Follow him on a journey through the sweet green shires
of England and Wales. The major grounds are represented here, and
the smaller County HQs. There are the 'outgrounds' too, those
venues used by County Clubs for occasional matches, or for 2nd XI
fixtures. Nor has the grass-roots game been neglected, with many
scenic views of club grounds, mostly in the North of England. Each
photograph is accompanied by Dave's anecdotes of players and
matches fondly remembered, and of his encounters with the eccentric
folk who follow the game, away from TV's spotlight.
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