"Geoffrey Boycott's excellent introduction concentrates on a ground that is no more -
Sheffield's Bramall Lane - and for those who believe he is not that sentimental, he
admits that when they closed the ground in 1973 he bought some of the turf and
planted it in his mother's garden." Review
Note: I've re-worked the title of this thread, so we can develop this into a Christmas book list over the next few months.
AR
This message has been edited by AlexRoberts on Oct 4, 2009 2:10 PM
Looks like a great Christmas book for a cricket lover. Are there any other cricket books anyone could recommend for a cricket-mad father and a brother who is also cricket-mad, but supports Lancashire?
Another worthwhile selection would be "Fire and Ashes: How Yorkshire's finest took on the Australians," with an introduction by Geoffrey Boycott. It features the 18 living Yorkshiremen who played against the Aussies in the Ashes. Old, Dawson, Hampshire - they are all here. And, for the most part, they present a no-holds-barred assessment and some real zingers, as you would expect from Tykes. A very good read.
I'd be really interested in getting some recommendations from such WRF opinion-makers as Tony Cronshaw, Dews, Triple C, Stu, Dpressed, and Young Clogger. Come on lads, what are thee reading? And what about James Buttler..what would you recommend?
I recently enjoyed "Rain Men," and "Zimmer Men" by Marcus Berkmann. One reviewer described Rain Men as 'cricket's answer to Fever Pitch' by Nick Hornby. Light reading but entertaining and very funny.
Also, try "Penguins Stopped Play" by Harry Thompson and "Village Cricket" Tim Heald. Both worth a read.
"Netherland," (reviewed by Steve C) is worth a read, but is fairly cerebral. I'm hoping to receive a copy of the new Club history, although I don't see it for sale any longer in the Club Shop.
I've just finished reading the Harold Larwood boigraphy by Duncan Hamilton and found it a really good and thought provoking read. Cricket and mainly English cricket treated him very badly. The fastest bowler who ever lived (despite what Fred used to claim!)deserved better.
Duncan Hamilton's previous book on Brian Clough (Provided you don't kiss me) is also well worth a read if you haven't done so already. Not cricket but Cloughie was a Yorkshireman and loved his cricket like all good Yorkshiremen.
I read 'Fatty Batter' by Michael Simkins last year, and have since passed it on to a few friends. A big thumbs up from all of us. For all of us wannabee cricketers, it's a funny and honest account of the authors love of the game.
'Test Cricket Grounds' by John Woods is a must have bible to all of us who follow England away from home. All the info you need, from the layout of every ground, to the price of a beer in the nearest pub. No mention of Cardiff in my edition!
I don't buy many new cricket books (exceptions this year include Hoggy's variable aurobiography, and the aforementioned 'Fire And Ashes'). Mostly I buy books from the second-hand book stall at Headingley, and from eBay. I've just finished reading Herbert Sutcliffe's 'For England And Yorkshire' which is an excellent read, and now I've started on Alan Hill's 'A Chain Of Spin Wizards'. For Christmas, my wife has acquired a signed copy of Bob Appleyard's 'No Coward Soul' for me.
read and can also recommend most of the titles above but particularly
Netherland - a quality novel with a partial cricket theme (will they make a film out of it?)
Rain Men. Zimmer Men (and Brain Men about a quiz team) - all by Berkmann and very entertaining
When Penguins Stopped Play - better than the series above but of a similar theme
Fatty Batter - another humorous story of a below average players exploits for his sunday team
No Coward Soul - a great story about a great cricketer reaching beyond his exploits on the pitch
I used to read all the Test players and Yorkshire player autobiographies but after so many of them you begin to get bored by them, especially when covering the same series but from a different players perspective. Of the most recent ones, the ones to read are Trescothick's for the inside track on his off field problems, Warne for trying to understand such a fascinating player but with an astute mind and the one I want to read but have not yet done so is Mark Waghs diary of last season which is meant to be good.
Disappointments have included Boycotts book on his best X1s which was too reliant on statistics and not really sure what the purpose of it all was plus KP and Freddies books which were clearly brought out purely to latch on to the Ashes success of 2005.
I still think one of the best cricket books I have read was about 15 years ago called 'Three Men at the Match' and was the story of 3 cricket fans following their county (think it was Leicts) around the country. You could imagine all 3 of them being regular posters on their countty WRF equivalent forum!
read and can also recommend most of the titles above but particularly
Netherland - a quality novel with a partial cricket theme (will they make a film out of it?)
Rain Men. Zimmer Men (and Brain Men about a quiz team) - all by Berkmann and very entertaining
When Penguins Stopped Play - better than the series above but of a similar theme
Fatty Batter - another humorous story of a below average players exploits for his sunday team
No Coward Soul - a great story about a great cricketer reaching beyond his exploits on the pitch
I used to read all the Test players and Yorkshire player autobiographies but after so many of them you begin to get bored by them, especially when covering the same series but from a different players perspective. Of the most recent ones, the ones to read are Trescothick's for the inside track on his off field problems, Warne for trying to understand such a fascinating player but with an astute mind and the one I want to read but have not yet done so is Mark Waghs diary of last season which is meant to be good.
Disappointments have included Boycotts book on his best X1s which was too reliant on statistics and not really sure what the purpose of it all was plus KP and Freddies books which were clearly brought out purely to latch on to the Ashes success of 2005.
I still think one of the best cricket books I have read was about 15 years ago called 'Three Men at the Match' and was the story of 3 cricket fans following their county (think it was Leicts) around the country. You could imagine all 3 of them being regular posters on their countty WRF equivalent forum!
Don't forget to peruse Steve Cowton's Book Reviews. Many of the books already mentioned have been
reviewed by our resident bibliophile, along with many others of interest. Book Reviews
Pope and Dyson's Yorkshire-themed books always make great gifts. I own and treasure: "100 Yorkshire Greats," and "Classic Matches." They should be in any Yorkshire fan's library.
Linseed and Fishpaste - best "fever pitch" like book.
Lot of Hard Yakka - by Simon Hughes is very good, but avoid his others.
I am reading Ed Smith's diary of a season at present (cannot remember the title) and it is pretty good
Cricket certainly does have an immense and varied literature. I wonder why cricket is so appealing to writers and authors, whereby the quantity and quality of writing in more popular sports such as football is minimal at best.
cricket is a more leisurely paced game with natural intervals (end of a ball, over session, day) to allow immediate thoughts to be noted and then used to elaborate at a later moment. Other sports are far more rapid and constantly moving but over shorter time periods. Of other major sports only golf perhaps offers the same time between 'shots' to make notes etc.
Cricket also requires a great degree of skill and tactical application unlike other sports which may rely on speed or strength - therefore it attracts like minded people who are naturally more cerebral and literate.
Cricket is imbued with a natural aesthetic quality that gives it a depth denied to other sports. You could never talk about football with the same poetry you could use to describe a Michael Vaughan cover drive...
CalScarborian (Login CaliforniaScarborian) (no login)
Stephen Chalke
October 7 2009, 6:11 PM
As Alex suggested, do take a look at Steve Cowton's book reviews (about a dozen, and all pretty thoughtful)
I'd like to suggest three more, all by STEPHEN CHALKE:
* RUNS IN THE MEMORY (1997, with action portaits by KEN TAYLOR, fine Yorkshire batsman, good bowler, outstanding fielder, professional footballer and eventually Slade School-trained art teacher) is a wonderfully evocative description, with a great many humorous vignettes, of county cricket in the 1950s.
* CAUGHT IN THE MEMORY (1999, also with KEN TAYLOR) covers county cricket in the 1960s, just as attractively.
*I've just finished re-reading the third, THE WAY IT WAS, published last year. It too is a delight. As with his other books, Chalke meets and chats with an amazing array of cricketers, not a few of them real characters, and you don't get far without smiling or laughing.
There's the famous remark by Worcestershire's Roly Jenkins to the snobbish Middlesex captain, R.W.V. Robins, after Roly had written a piece on spin bowling: "That was a very good article, Jenkins. Who wrote it for you?" "I wrote it myself, sir. Who read it for you?"
Not surprisingly, Chalke gets a big charge out of one of the funniest guys ever to play professional cricket, Bomber Wells of Gloucestershire: "His running between the wickets occasioned many stories -- like the mix-up with Sam Cook that ended with Sam run out. 'For God's sake, call,' Sam cried out, and back came the reply: 'Tails.' Or the time Derbyshire's Derek Morgan picked up the ball and out-sprinted him to the bowler's end. 'That's not fair, Derek,' Bomber protested. 'I've got pads on.' "
Anyway, enjoy these if you can. I purchased the first two via amazon.co.uk's second-hand dealers, and the third I found here in the U.S. through amazon.com. All were reasonably priced.
A fair while since I read it but I think the book by Stephen Chalke about "Bomber" Wells was titled "One More Run" and I don't know what I've done with it.
For the anti-Boycs brigade, I would heartily recommend McKinstray's book, "Boycs." It's a warts-and-all treatment with a balanced perspective. Boycott comes off as very human, with flaws, but generally a good bloke who gave the game 100%. I didn't like Boycott much before reading the book, and didn't like him much better after reading it, but at least I had a better understanding of what really made him tick. A really good read.
agreed - its the best book on Boycs as its well balanced but also written by a bloke who has no angst to bear or too much cricket knowledge to have already formed a 'biased' viewpoint.
The alternative is to read Moseys book on Boycs and then read Boycs own autobiography and put the 2 together and take the average view!
As a kid, one of my Christmas presents in the late 70s was the books Boycott used to write of his overseas winter tours - think there were 3 of them, Life in the Fast Lane, Opening Up and Put to the Test from memory. Not sure if they are still available now but they kept me going through the dark winter nights as a kid.
I also agree with Hobson .... the only minor complaint is that McKinstrey sometimes goes too far to be fair .... but IMO EVERY Yorkshire cricket fan should read it.
Although I'm in no way a Boycott fan I wouldn't recomend reading the Mosey biog .... its the most hateful book I've ever read (& that was over 20 years ago)... as a poster on here once said .... if Mosey had found a spud in Boycott's bag he would have used the fact to blaim Geoff for the Irish Potato famine
The best biography is by Gerald Howat - called simply Len Hutton; The Biography.
Hutton himself wrote three books (with the assistance of others), "Cricket Is My Life", "Just My Story" and "Fifty years In Cricket". Geberally I'm afraid he was too private a chap to reveal too much in his own books, and you won't find any controversy or even much in the way of opinion.
The passing of years could mean that the time is right for a new biography of Yorkshire's last cricketing Knight.
About Sir Leonard, Steve C is on target, as usual.
May I make an additional suggestion? It's Donald Trelford's "Len Hutton Remembered" (1992). Besides Trelford's own thoughtful words, there are some marvellous contributions, and fascinating insights, from players such as Cyril Washbrook, Denis Compton, Godfrey Evans, Trevor Bailey, Alec Bedser, Colin Cowdrey, Peter May, Tom Graveney; J. M. Kilburn, Ted Lester, Vic Wilson, Bob Appleyard, Ronnie Burnet, Fred Trueman, Brian Close; Bill O'Reilly, Bill Brown, Lindsay Hassett, Ray Lindwall, Keith Miller, Arthur Morris, Neil Harvey, Alan Davidson and Sonny Ramadhin.
To know as much as possible of Hutton, I think you really have to read these players' comments. They're by no means just flattery, and contain some awkward truths. But the overall conclusion is, as the incomparable Sir Donald Bradman once said, here's a man "whose skill and style were the envy of us all."
And by the way, there are some great photographs, including one I'd never seen before
-- a really beautiful shot of Hutton bowling (it's sometimes forgotten that in his career he took 173 wickets at 29.51 -- which this year would have placed him, counting all who took more than three wickets, at the top of Yorkshire's averages!).
Found the Len Hutton book by Howat on my bookshelf last night but not sure I have ever read it. Must have picked up from my father at some stage so time to dust down the cover.
Harry Gration has a book out soon about his 30 greatest Yorkshire sporting heroes. Its bound to include a number of cricketers based on the article in the YP last week (Hutton, Boycott, Close, Trueman etc). Not seen any review of it to know if its a decent read or just a keen followers hero-worship and adulation. Doubt it will reveal anything the keen fan did not already know.
I also saw a book out about Yorkshire and the Ashes with the forward by Boycs. Is this the one referred to originally at the top of this thread?
from the article in the YP earlier in the week, there were the usual suspects of Boycott, Close, etc plus John Charles and Billy Bremner and then you would imagine some RL boys knowing Harrys love of the game.
The article suggested the unluckiest player not to make the final 30 was Phil Carrick from memory.
I think it was limited to those he had seen play so not sure if Hutton made it
I really enjoyed Marcus Berkmann's latest: "Ashes to Ashes." Not as funny as "Rain Men" but lots of interesting facts and trivia. Covers the period from 1972 to 2007.
the book Nick Hobbes refers to above sounds interesting - Fire & Ashes.
I was surprised that there are only 18 living Yorkshiremen who have played in a test v the Aussies as I expected it to be much more.
The link to the book on the Boycott website lists 16 of the players featured but this left me wondering who the other 2 were - I know one is Paul Jarvis but the last one has escaped me.
Any helpers out there to stop me racking my brains all day or fruitlessly searching the t'internet?
Could someone provide the full list?
I'm amazed that there aren't more - there must have been some very good Yorkshire players who NEVER played in an Ashes test?
Geoffrey Boycott - 1977- Headingley - Hundredth hundred
Chris Old - 1981 - Headingley - Botham's Ashes
Phil Sharpe - 1964 - Trent Bridge
Ken Taylor - 1964 - Headingley
Michael Vaughan - 2005 - The Oval
Matthew Hoggard - 2005 - Trent Bridge
Darren Gough - 98-99 tour of Australia
John Hampshire - 1975 - Headingley
Arnie Sidebottom - 1985 - Trent Bridge
Chris Silverwood - 2002 - Perth
Richard Dawson - 2002 - Adelaide
Ray Illingworth - 1971 - Sydney
Bill Athey - 1986-87 tour of Australia
Brian Close - 1950-51 tour
Bob Appleyard - 1954-55 tour
Martyn Moxon - 1988 - Sydney
Plus Paul Jarvis (2 tests in 1989 so not sure which one he picked but doubt it will be the one where Steve Waugh creamed to all parts of the boundary!) and Craig White.
the list is shorter as some players have sadly passed away (Trueman, Bairstow etc) and others may have played for England but not against the Aussies whilst with Yorkshire (Stevenson, Ryan Sidebottom, Bresnan, Blakey etc)
I think the important word is "living" Yorkshiremen.
Still not a bad team! You're only lacking a keeper really - obviously you'd have to make Boycott captain or he wouldn't play.
I wonder who'll be the next Yorkshire player to appear in an Ashes series - Adil Rashid perhaps.....?
White would probably have done the Melbourne testt of 2002 ... England lost but Craing took 3 of the 6 wickets to fall in Aus's first innings ... Dawson also taking 2 ... & scored 85 not out in England's first innings.
I really enjoyed "Fire and Ashes." It's an easy read, is beautifully illustrated and as you would expect from Yorkshiremen, there are no holds barred in their commentaries and observations. It would make a great gift for a Yorkshire cricket fan.
Hopefully, Steve will write us a book review of MV's bio. I for one, would be interested in Mr. Cowtons's perspective, since I've not yet decided whether to buy the book or not.
A personal favourite of mine, which I just read was "The Centurions: From Grace to Ramprakash" by Patrick Murphy (Second edition). Lots of statistics for the numbers men, but it's a really great study of the life and times of the batsmen with 100 first-class centuries. Filled with anecdotes, witty asides, and technical analysis, but with some really superb portraits.
Boycott's and Ramprakash's were my favourite sections. He even claims Boycs stage-managed his 100th hundred so that he could do it at home against the Aussies.
The original edition was written in 1983, when there were only 20 members of "the club": it now has 25. I personally doubt that there will ever be a 26th member, considering the rapid capitulation of the first class game to the baseball-style slogathons.
4.5 stars out of 5 for me.
Note: The last member of the club was Mark Ramprakash, who reached is 100th century when he hit our own David Wainwright to the boundary, on August 2, 2008. Now there's a piece of trivia for you.
I always wondered if he stage managed that moment. It just seemed TOO perfect. How long was he stuck on 99 centuries - and were there any occasions when he got close only to get out in the 80's or 90's?
(I ask this in genuine admiration for his sense of theatre and not for any mischevious purpose!)
Wasn't it the timing of Boycott's return to Test cricket from his self-imposed exile that caused this speculation originally?
I haven't the time at present to check these details but I'm sure some of our knowledgeable contributors will know the details off the top of their heads.
Ramprakash has a 'history' with Yorkshire .... Mark made his championship debut against Yorks at Lords in 1987, got his first ton at Headingley in 1989 & his 100th ton again at Headingley in 2008. Amazingly I was present for all 3
How does anyone stage manage a century, let alone a 100th? It may have been in Boycs mind that it could happen but the odds were still stacked against and surely impossible to plan. One false stroke could alter the equation and I'm certain he'd never have run himself out on 99 if he were likely to score a century too soon.
I know Boycs liked his runs - but would he really have wanted to score his 100th Century at Derby on a Tuesday afternoon in front of three men and the proverbial canine...
Nobody would choose to score their 100th hundred on a damp afternoon in a low profile (typed meaningless first but changed my mind) match at Derby, but who would run themselves out on 99 unless fate dictated their path?
All the planning in the world couldn't make Boycott score a century in the test at Trent Bridge, (80 odd not out 2nd knock too, that would have put a spanner in the works)a century against Warwickshire in the CC, and then the 100th in the Headingley test. Think about it perhaps, but nobody could plan it. If Boycs could plan that to perfection then he'd have ended up with an average better than Bradman.
2 things - one connected with how this thread has evolved and gone off piste and the other with the original title of the thread.
if you go on to the geoffboycott website you will see his recollection of his 100th 100 and the build up to this - he claims not to have been aware of the chance to get his 100th ton at Headingley v the Aussies until his wife told him 'youv'e gone and done it now' so whilst there may be some fabrication over the 30 years I would think that usually Boycs went out into every innings planning to score a century irrespective of the number he had got or the opposition.
Second, congratulations to Duncan Hamilton who won the sports Booker (or is it Whitbread or another sponsor now?) prize yesterday for his book on Larwood. The second time he has won it after his book about Cloughy a few years back.
He won 21k, a 2k bet with the bookies and a day out at the races. Wonder if he has the courage to put the bet on Yorkshire winning the CC in 2010?
I seem to have missed this thread originally, but, in answer to the person who asked directly, I'm currently reading a shedload of books that one of my publishers sent me after the Frankfurt Book Fair in the hope that I'd agree to translate some of them (which I probably will, though not the one that's in Turkish!).
Otherwise, I did get some way earlier this year with Robertson-Glasgow's "46 Not out", but fell out of sympathy with the man by the second or third chapter and gave up on the whole thing two-thirds through. In my view, Glasgow was the finest of all cricket writers; he just couldn't seem to help writing like an angel. On the other hand, he shared the prejudices of his class and a few extra ones of his own (are the Swedes really a "money-loving race"; are the women of the Italian old masters "disgustingly fat"?).
If I were making a recommendation for Christmas, I suppose I'd still say Robertson-Glasgow's "Cricket Prints" is a "must" for any historians of the game who haven't read it. Of Herbert Sutcliffe, he writes:
"If he is bowled, he appears to regard the event less as a human miscalculation than some temporary, and reprehensible, lapse of human laws. There has been a blunder, to which he is unwillingly privy and liable... He does not regret that it has occurred, for he is never sorry for himself; but he is sorry that Nature should have forgotten herself."
Otherwise, I've promised myself that I'll take a little bit of time out at Christmas to read Ramachandra Guha's "A Corner of a Foreign Field: The Indian History of a British Sport" and Denzil Batchelor's "The Match I Remember", which I've owned for years, but never read from cover to cover. If there are any gems in there, I'll try to find time to convey them.
No idea who he - or she is - but I have an anthology by my bed which he/she edited and it is one of the most delightful cricket collections I've ever read. Indian cricket is a fascinating subject.
That's an impossible question.
If there was a fire in my house and i only had time to save one book it would be my signed copy of Leonard Hutton's "Cricket Is My Life" but I wouldn't dare suggest that this is the definitive book!
