Lying some thirty miles off the Dalmatian coast, the Croatian island of Vis has a long and dramatic history bound up with various European empires, from Ancient Greece and Rome through the Venetian Republic and Austria-Hungary to fascist Italy and Nazi Germany in the twentieth century. For forty years in the latter half of that century it was a closed military base. Today the islands 4,000 inhabitants try to strike a balance between their traditional agricultural livelihood and the pressures and temptations of European tourism in an age of globalization. This book tells the story of how a group of distinctly average cricketers became unlikely sporting ambassadors and, quite by accident, helped re-introduce an island to its forgotten past.

A bat-and-ball, a bowler, the third man: to many Americans, cricket sounds like a confused jumble of several contemporary sports. The history of cricket in Wales, however, dates back to 1783--when the first recorded match on Welsh soil took place and when the principality's culture and social history forever took a turn toward cricking nationhood. "Cricket in Wales" is a remarkable illustrated history of the sport, tracing its development from the nineteenth-century - where it provided a common bond and unifying activity for the diverse peoples who found their way to booming Welsh cities and towns - to its current favor as the game of choice at folk festivals, rural picnics, and family gatherings. In addition to recreating the conditions and aspects of the game's history that have generated such ardent fandom among the Welsh, this volume also considers the relationship between England--where cricket is the national sport--and Wales, who to this day still field a single representative team for the international circuit despite sometimes contentious relations, demonstrating how nationalist loyalties fuel the fire behind this engaging sport and the citizens who adore it.

The definitive cricket quiz book with 2000 quality questions on all aspects of the game. Since England won the Ashes in 2005 cricket has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity. This book will appeal to quiz goers but also to cricket enthusiasts to enjoy as an informative read. Some of the facts and brainteasers will amuse and entertain as well. Questions allude to all facets of the game including the laws of cricket, the politics, the history, the venues, the teams, the players, the results and the winners and the losers. The major tournaments are covered - the Test Matches, One Day Internationals, The World Cup, Twenty 20, County Cricket and Ashes contests. Each quiz deals with a single category such as a county, a venue or a player but there are also some quirkier sections such as 'Cricket's Bad Boys', 'The Big Hitters', 'Players nicknames and middle names'. The questions vary in their level of difficulty and follow the formats listed here: * straightforward question and answer * true or false * who am I? * anagrams e.g. which player's name is an anagram of 'Fanned off twirl' * who said? * brainteaser e.g. which England player's name end in the letter i?

Do you know...- the difference between a chinaman and a doosra? - where to find cow corner, the V, and the corridor of uncertainty? - what Nelson, Merlyn and Michelle have to do with cricket? - how to get a ball to reverse-swing, or how the Duckworth/Lewis method works? - the origin of yorker, googly, and third man? The Wisden Dictionary of Cricket is the definitive guide to the noble game. This fully updated third edition is not only an A-Z guide to all things cricket, it also includes illustrations showing positions and strategy, and quotations from cricket literature worldwide - from 18th century match reports right up to the Darrell Hair affair. It will appeal to anyone with an interest in the game - from the seasoned aficionado to the youngest new recruit. If you've ever wondered why a batsman can expect a jaffa on a bunsen, or how to go aerial when you're on a shirtfront...this is the book for you.

Graham Thorpe's achievements on the cricket field contrasted wildly with his personal problems, where drink and depression combined to send him spiralling off the rails. This is his brutally honest life story, including his dramatic retirement from Test cricket, and updated to include England's 2005 Ashes win, and his new coaching career. Graham Thorpe was one of the best batsmen in world cricket for more than a decade. Yet the national press hounded him as 'English cricket's most disturbed player' for pulling out of a series of tours and turning his back on the game more than once. With painful candour and often unexpected humour, Thorpe dissects his career in cricket and the inner recesses of his private life: the impact of his bitter divorce; the suicidal depression that afflicted him in his darkest hours; the reasons why he needed to 'save himself' by withdrawing from past England tours; the elation of his magnificent century on his comeback Test at the Oval in 2003; and his fresh outlook in life with a new partner after confronting his own failings and past troubles. Twelve years on from his Test debut against Australia, Thorpe took the decision to retire from international cricket after the disappointment of his controversial non-selection for the Ashes 2005 tour. With updated material on his coaching spell in Australia - where he gained valuable insight into cricket's No 1 nation - his new-found media role and his still-relevant views on where English cricket is heading post-Ashes 2005, Thorpe will continue to be an important figure in the game for years to come.

Few modern British sportsmen have fascinated the public more than Geoff Boycott. In this first comprehensive and balanced account of Boycott's life - fully updated to include his battle against cancer - award-winning author Leo McKinstry lifts the lid on one of cricket's great enigmatic characters. A record-breaking Test cricketer and acerbic commentator, Geoff Boycott has never been far away from controversy during his long career in the game. Based on meticulous research and interviews with a host of players, Test captains, officials, broadcasters, friends and enemies, this definitive biography cuts through the Boycott myth to expose the truth about this charismatic, single-minded and often exasperating personality. What was Boycott like as a schoolboy? How did his England cricket colleagues such as Graham Gooch, Dennis Amiss and Brian Close feel about him as a person? Why was he so unpopular in his early career for Yorkshire? And what is the real truth about the relationships that soured his private world? From his upbringing as a miner's son in a Yorkshire village, through highlights like his hundredth century at Headingley against Australia, to the low points such as the damaging court case in France, this warts-and-all account of his life makes for captivating reading.

Described as the most exciting batsman to emerge since David Gower retired, Michael Vaughan provides a personal view of his own amazing acheivements during 2002. He also contemplates the controversy that surrounded England's ill-fated World Cup mission, and discusses the real story behind the decision not to go to Zimbabwe. Vaughan's thoughts about Nasser Hussain, the captain he has served most, and his other international and county colleagues are also shared. Every aspect of an intense and exciting year gets Vaughan's complete consideration - from being given out handled ball in India to clean bowling Sachin Tendulkar, from being targeted by Glenn McGrath to winning the Player of the Series award in the Ashes battle, and on to the World Cup fiasco. This is a compelling insight into the world of the 2002 Cricketer of the Year.

Derek Pringle is finally ready to tell his story of cricket in the 80s. First chosen by England whilst still at university in 1982, Derek featured in the national side for the next 11 years. He played 30 Tests, 44 One Day Internationals, and appeared in 2 World Cups. Inside the dressing room, and out on the pitch, Derek witnessed at first hand an era of English cricket populated by characters such as Botham, Gooch, Lamb, and Gower. An era so far removed from today's rather anodyne sporting environment. And it wasn't just at international level that the sport lived life to the full. He was an integral part of Essex's all conquering side that won the County Championship 6 times as well as numerous one day trophies. Full of insight and experience here is the story of one of English cricket's most tumultuous periods told by someone who was there.

Every cricket lover recalls the deeds of one Ian Botham during England's against-all-odds Ashes victory against Australia in 1981. Now, twenty years on from that memorable event, what could be more appropriate than to look back and remember when English cricket was on top of the world and reflect on the personalities past and present who have made the game so enjoyable to so many people.

'Botham's Century' is a unique collection of 100 cricketing characters taken from his own personal scrapbook. Players, some household names and others not so well known; umpires and coaches; mentors; television commentators; writers; groundsmen; popstars and philanthropists – in fact all those who in Botham's opinion have been an influence for good in the game during his era.

Featured among the cast of characters are the likes of the legendary Don Bradman, Garfield Sobers and Sunil Gavaskar; Botham's soulmate and sparring partner Viv Richards; rival fast bowlers Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomas; and more recent stars of the game in Brian Lara, Shane Warne and the irresistible Darren Gough.

Not forgetting the more eccentric personalities encountered along the way, such as Dickie Bird, Jack Russell and Phil Tufnell; the late John Arlott and Brian Johnston from the commentators box; and Elton John, Mick Jagger and other celebrities from the world of pop and showbiz.

Entertaining, controversial, and written in typical swashbuckling style, these portraits from Botham's Hall of Fame are sure to incite a plethora of opinions from both those inside and outside the game. 'Bothams Century' will be a treasured item for cricket fan's and nostalgia lovers, as well as those just seeking a jolly good read.

Golden-haired and handsome, brothers Shane and Brett Lee are the latest in a long line of famous Australian cricket siblings. Brett's older brother Shane is also an impressive cricketer and an all-rounder of enormous talent. This is the incredible and inspiring story of these two cricketing firebrands and their stratospheric rise from the state game to their donning of the baggy green. From their backyard cricket days in Wollongong to the cauldron of international matches, the Lees have dealt with not only media scrutiny and injury worries, but also some of the world's finest batsmen, to hold their own amongst the game's elite. This is their story.

Ian Botham's bestselling autobiography is an explosive blend of sex and drug allegations, personal upheavals, confrontations with peers and remarkable record-breaking feats. Voted favourite cricketer of the 20th century in a recent survey, Botham's outstanding contribution to the game, both as a player and an outspoken commentator for Sky television, makes for compelling reading.

In this fully revised and updated edition, Botham laments the continued decline of English cricket while putting forward his argument for a change in the selectorial process. Away from the game, he writes about his most recent charity walk for Leukaemia Research and where he sees his long-term future.

'Plenty of indiscretion, malice and comedy'
DAILY TELEGRAPH

'Catches the authentic flavour of the man'
INDEPENDENT

'The juggernaut of sports autobiographies'
EXPRESS

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.

This work offers an intriguing and important analysis of the role played by three prestigious grammar schools - Combermere School, Harrison College and the Loge School- in establishing the cricket cult in Barbados and ultimately throughout the Caribbean. It goes far towards explaining why Barbadians have traditionally played such excellent cricket. This book is the first to make such extensive use of Barbadian school magazines as primary sources for the study of social history. The author stresses the statistical first class records of about 200 alumni of the three schools and in so doing furnishes sport sociologists with a considerable new body of empirical data for future use. Although it focuses on a Barbadian situation, the book should interest cricket enthusiasts everywhere with its many photographs and its lucid and candid treatment of some of the most important personalities in regional and world cricket, a few of whom are still actively involved in the sport today.

Who played the best pranks on his fellow team-mates? Which member of the TMS team terrorised his teachers in the annual staff-pupil game? And the truth behind 'the greatest sporting commentary of all time'... Between them, Jonathan Agnew and Phil Tufnell have probably watched more cricket than anyone alive, and they have many stories to tell, both as players and as commentators for Test Match Special. From their days as schoolboy cricketers, learning the ropes, to the shenanigans of the county circuit, and now their careers as commentators, they have seen it all. Joined by colleagues from TMS such as Isa Guha, Ebony Rainford Brent, Alison Mitchell, Carlos Brathwaite and Aatif Nawaz, Aggers and Tuffers share the highlights, mishaps and moments of brilliance and emotion that they have witnessed and experienced on pitches around the world.

Phil 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.

In May 1977, the cricket world awoke to discover that a thirty-nine-year-old Sydney Businessman called Kerry Packer had signed thirty-five elite international players for his own televised `World Series'. The Cricket War is the definitive account of the split that changed the game on the field and on the screen. In helmets, under lights, with white balls, and in coloured clothes, the outlaw armies of Ian Chappell, Tony Greig and Clive Lloyd fought a daily battle of survival. In boardrooms and courtrooms Packer and cricket's rulers fought a bitter war of nerves. A compelling account of the top-class sporting life, The Cricket War also gives a unique insight into the motives and methods of the man who became Australia's richest, and remained so, until the day he died. It was the end of cricket as we knew it - and the beginning of cricket as we know it. Gideon Haigh has published over thirty books, over twenty of them about cricket. This edition of The Cricket War, Gideon Haigh's first book about cricket originally published in 1993, has been updated with new photographs and a new introduction by the author.

'The funniest writer ever to put words to paper' HUGH LAURIE _____________________________________________ From his early days Wodehouse adored cricket and references to the game run like a golden thread though his writings. He not only wrote about this glorious British pastime, but also played it well, appearing six times at Lords, where his first captain was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Illustrated with wonderful drawings and contemporary score-sheets, Wodehouse at the Wicket is the first ever compendium of Wodehouse's writings on cricket. Edited by cricket historian Murray Hedgcock, this delightful book also contains fascinating facts about Wodehouse's cricketing career and how it is reflected in his work. The perfect gift for Wodehouse readers and fans of all things cricket. _____________________________________ 'You don't analyse such sunlit perfection, you just bask in its warmth and splendour' STEPHEN FRY 'Immersed in a P.G. Wodehouse book, it's possible to keep the real world at bay and live in a far, far nicer, funnier one where happy endings are the order of the day' MARIAN KEYES 'The greatest comic writer ever' DOUGLAS ADAMS 'P.G. Wodehouse should be prescribed to treat depression. Cheaper, more effective than valium and far, far more addictive' OLIVIA WILLIAMS

PLAYING HARD BALL is a unique sports book, a cultural comparison of two national games - cricket, English in origin and American baseball - written from the viewpoint of a top-class practitioner of both codes. Ed Smith - the young Cambridge University and Kent batsman - has spent the winters since 1998 in Spring Training with the New York Mets baseball team. It has enabled Ed to contrast and compare arguably the two most iconic of sports from the inside. In fact, baseball had a thriving following in Britain until the Great War: Derby County's former stadium was called the Baseball Ground; Tottenham Hotspur was at first a baseball club. Apart from learning two very different techniques, Ed learned that the sports' ultimate heroes, the Babe and the Don - Babe Ruth and Don Bradman - might as well have come from different planets, whilst baseball's pristine Hall of Fame in Cooperstown is a far cry from the ramshackle cricket museum at Lord's. Ed Smith's PLAYING HARD BALL draws on these intriguing comparisons to paint a two-sided portrait of sports most illustrous 'hitting games'.
 

SHORTLISTED FOR THE TELEGRAPH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS CRICKET BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021 'Verdict on Willis book: a treat' - Express 'The book is a gem' - Mike Atherton 'It's a lovely book, containing previously unseen musings from the great man' - David Lloyd 'enjoyable and eye-opening... a delight to read' - The Telegraph 'A warm, polished recollection.' - The Guardian 'It's such a great read' - Piers Morgan 'Willis book will bowl you over' - Sunday Mirror & The People A biography celebrating the life of the legendary cricketer Bob Willis, with tributes from key figures in sports and media and a foreword by Sir Ian Botham. Following his passing in 2019, tributes to Bob came flooding in in every major news outlet and from every major figure in the industry - and outside of it. His career spanned decades, from his days as a cricketer for England to his time as a pundit on Sky TV. This autobiography includes never-before-seen writing from Bob alongside contributions from key figures as well as a detailed account of the great England victory over Australia at Headingly in 1981. The book, edited by Bob's brother David, combines a new biography, written by Daily Mail sportswriter Mike Dickson, with a celebration of a truly legendary man. Tributes from some of his many friends in the world of cricket and beyond are accompanied by reflections on highlights from an eventful life, drawing on autobiographical and personal material by Bob himself, contemporary press reports and the accounts of team-mates and opponents.

*Large format edition* Wisden 2020 provides unparalleled coverage of an extraordinary year of cricket. The 157th edition of Wisden celebrates the World Cup triumph of England's men on a memorable day at Lord's. The cover captures the moment of victory - and arguably the most important split second in the history of English cricket - as Jos Buttler runs out Martin Guptill from the last ball of the super over to confirm England as champions. Wisden 2020 reports not just on a remarkable World Cup, reliving the climax through the eyes of England's players, but on a topsy-turvy Ashes, the Stokes Headingley miracle and all. Wisden also names its champion all-format county, and remembers Bob Willis, who died in December. Emma John reveals what it's like to be a woman member of MCC, while Colin Shindler looks back 50 years at a summer of demonstrations and barbed wire. @WisdenAlmanack

From Gower to Flintoff, Waugh to Vaughan, Cronje to Pietersen, Paul Nixon has shared a dressing room with some of the most evocative names in international and domestic cricket - and often enraged them on the field of play. The 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. From 'Fredalo' to match-fixing, Nixon has experienced some of the most notorious episodes in cricket history, possesses strident opinions on the game and has a track record of success in the English first-class game and the Twenty20 revolution. With an accent on off-the-field anecdotes, Nixon also lays bare the personality that led the Australian legend Steve Waugh to compare him to: 'a mosquito buzzing around in the night, that needs to be swatted but always escapes.'

Shortlisted for the 2017 Cross Sports Autobiography of the Year 'Full of illuminating anecdotes, piercing insights and unsparing self-analysis from the former England batsman' The Cricketer Jonathan Trott was England's rock during one of the most successful periods in the team's history - he scored a century on debut to clinch the Ashes in 2009, and cemented his position as their pivotal batsman up to and beyond the team's ascendancy to the number 1 ranked test team in 2011. Yet shortly after reaching those heights, he started to crumble, and famously left the 2012-13 Ashes tour of Australia suffering from a stress related illness. His story is the story of Team England - it encompasses the life-cycle of a team that started out united by ambition, went on to achieve some of the greatest days in the team's history but then, bodies and minds broken, fell apart amid acrimony. Having seen all of this from the inside, Jonathan's autobiography takes readers to the heart of the England dressing room, and to the heart of what it is to be a professional sportsman. Not only does it provide a unique perspective on a remarkably successful period in English cricket and its subsequent reversal, it also offers a fascinating insight into the rewards and risks faced as a sportsman carrying the hope and expectation of a team and a nation. And it's a salutary tale of the dangers pressure can bring in any walk of life, and the perils of piling unrealistic expecations on yourself.

Barbados-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.

Former 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.