|
|
Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > Ball games > Cricket
For 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.
From English cricket's embarrassing failure at the 2015 World Cup
to their heart-stopping victory four years later, Nick Hoult and
Steve James vividly describe the team's dramatic journey from
abject disappointment to finally lifting the trophy. Morgan's Men
reveals how the team became the most aggressive limited-overs side
in the world, led by their inspirational captain Eoin Morgan, whose
vision and determination to succeed captured the imagination of the
nation. Hoult and James follow England's journey from Bangladesh to
Barbados, from Melbourne to Manchester, to present the inside story
of the team's rebirth. They tell us how players dealt with the Ben
Stokes court case, the sacking of Alex Hales for a drugs ban, and
reveal the innovative new strategies and tactics that helped them
become the best in the world, culminating in a World Cup final that
was arguably the greatest one-day match of all time.
The South African tour of England in 1960 was far from ordinary.
The Springboks, under captain Jackie McGlew - and with fine players
like Roy McLean, Hugh Tayfield and Neil Adcock - arrived full of
confidence, but that confidence was quickly shaken. The tour began
a few weeks after the Sharpeville massacre of April that year, and
the cricket took place just as the world was waking up to the evils
of apartheid. Then there was the 'no-balling' of Geoff Griffin, a
controversy that had a great deal more to it than met the eye,
revealing the sometimes unfortunate intervention of administrators
into umpiring decisions. It may also have decided the series, for
England won rather easily, but this of course was the era of the
great English bowlers Brian Statham and Fred Trueman. All this took
place before the all-seeing eyes of the new medium of television,
and it was one of the first tours to be featured in detail on BBC
TV. The Troubled Tour leaves no stone unturned to bring you the
full story of that extraordinary tour.
This is the first comprehensive history of the game in Scotland.
The history of cricket in Scotland is both rich and varied, from
the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 to the leagues of the 20th century,
culminating in the National League of the 1990's and the debut of
the Scotland team in the 1999 World Cup. Produced in A to Z format,
from Aberdeenshire to Zeneca Grangemouth, including 80 photographs.
It has been lovingly written and compiled by Kirkcaldy Classics
teacher and umpire David W.Potter in association with the Scottish
Cricket Union.
*Large format hardback* The 156th edition of the most famous sports
book in the world--published every year since 1864--contains some
of the finest sports writing of the year and covers every
first-class game in every cricket nation, making it the cricketers'
bible worldwide. @WisdenAlmanack
Since Victorian times, the MCC had embraced the amateur ideal that
cricket was more than a game. It was the very essence of
camaraderie and good sportsmanship. Yet for all their evangelising,
the game's privileged elite were part of a British establishment
which revelled in its national prestige and imperial hegemony. And
winning at cricket was essential to maintaining that stature.
Ambassadors of Goodwill assesses the MCC's attempt to marry these
conflicting objectives and foster goodwill within the Empire via
long, formal overseas tours. After the war, the amateur ideal
suffered when Len Hutton was appointed England's first professional
captain. His uncompromising leadership brought success on the field
but discord off it. Managers were installed to restore diplomatic
harmony but, with the growing upheavals of the late 60s, cricket
became increasingly associated with nationality, race and
professional cynicism. Ray Illingworth's controversial win in
Australia in 1970/71 clearly signalled the MCC's waning influence.
THE HILARIOUS NEW BOOK FROM ONE OF BRITAIN'S BEST-LOVED NATIONAL
TREASURES! This is not a book of life lessons. But Freddie Flintoff
has had a moment to reflect and he's noticed that throughout his
four decades, although there's been little method in the madness,
there has been the occasional common thread. The Book of Fred is
filled with anecdotes, observations and the odd opinion all told
with Fred's trademark humour and no-nonsense style. Fred's approach
to life draws on the sublime (his series winning performance in the
2005 Ashes) and the ridiculous (singing Elvis Presley's 'Suspicious
Minds' in front of a live audience), from highs (making the
transition to top TV presenter) to occasional lows (accidentally
upsetting the lovely Bruce Forsyth), from the profane (discussing
Shane Warne's barnet with Hollywood royalty) to the profound (why
'having a go' leads to self-respect). Throughout, Fred shares his
code for success, happiness and a life fully lived - and gives his
readers a laugh, some joy, and (the occasional) pause for thought
along the way.
|
|