Since the sad departures of John Arlott and Brian Johnson, Henry
Blofeld can be said to be the BBC's Voice of Cricket. He brings a
refreshing anti-establishment view to the game, delivered in his
instantly recognizable establishment accent. If you like Blofeld on
the radio then you'll love this book. It is subtitled An Irreverent
History but in fact it is humorous rather than flippant. This is a
serious review of cricket history, written in a style that keeps
you smiling throughout. It begins with the delightfully entitled
Turnips, Toffs and Mr Lord chapter, which follows the early days of
the game from 1300 until the start of the 19th century. The next
chapter, The Old Farts Pad Up, takes us to the days of W G Grace.
After this the chapter names become more serious as the complex
politics and sport of cricket are uncovered, but Blofeld's dry wit
still keeps us entranced. His research has been painstaking and
intricate. We are treated to some fascinating insights into the
game's leading players and administrators and a wry analysis of the
business of the Test Selectors and the MCC. There are plenty of
classic photographs to support the text. Finally, Blofeld argues
that the finest team of the several hundred years of the game's
history is the Australian side that toured England in 2001. (Kirkus
UK)
This is a compelling and irreverent account of a sport that
originated in 16th century England and was then gradually fed to
the British Empire; nowadays, of course England are regularly
outplayed by most of the commonwealth countries. The author's
probing research has uncovered hitherto unrevealed secret scandals
amongst the governing bodies of the game and of the complex lives
of some of the great heroes of the past and present day. He reveals
the plots and sub-plots that have, it can now be said, livened up
the MCC Committee meetings at Lord's over the years. Totally
outrageous, 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.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
