Cricket Books

Sorry Scuudz, it was wasted on you!

500-1 The Miracle of Headingley 81 - Rob Steen & Alastair McLellan

Oh dear, I was looking forward to this one only to come away with thoroughly mixed feelings and the overriding conclusion that the authors simply weren't up to the task of conveying the Herculean events of these five days.

Steen and McLellan are perhaps not helped by Mike Brearley's sparkling foreword, which only serves to magnify the moribund nature of their own prose as they plunge firstly into a social discourse of 1981 Britain that would embarass a school Sixth Former then into a lifeless view on the state of domestic cricket at the time

Most repugnant of all are the pre-match pen portraits of the players, intended to read as though written ahead of the match yet dripping with the benefit of hindsight thus coming across as irredeemably smug - we get knowing nods towards Dilley's batting, Gatting's catching and especially nauseating a discourse on Peter Willey's temperant concluding with "He'd make a top-notch umpire".

Fortunately the dramas of days 4 and 5 speak for themselves and finally the books lifts of and rattles along with page turning insistence for a couple of cracking chapters. Perhaps unsurprisingly it is during these passages that the authors take more of a back seat and allow the eyewitness accounts and the amazing events to take centre stage and for once the match has the book it deserves.

Thereafter the book almost manages to avoid the inevitable anti-climax by throwing in some semi-interesting chapters (the groundsman's tale, what happened to the match ball and 'where are they now') alongside the sheer mundanity of what it supposedly meant in the long run and the recollections of random spectators (who cares?).

This could - and should - have been so much better.




Edited by Clobber - 27 July 2007 at 10:38am

Originally posted by daisy77 Originally posted by -JP- Beating The Field (The Story Of My Life) That's one of them anyway. Are there any more? Thanks.....I will have to get my hands on a copy of that book!

Save your money; it's a mind-numbingly contrived effort.

Originally posted by Clobber 500-1 The Miracle of Headingley 81 - Rob Steen & Alastair McLellanOh dear, I was looking forward to this one only to come away with thoroughly mixed feelings and the overriding conclusion that the authors simply weren't up to the task of conveying the Herculean events of these five days.Steen and McLellan are perhaps not helped by Mike Brearley's sparkling foreword, which only serves to magnify the moribund nature of their own prose as they plunge firstly into a social discourse of 1981 Britain that would embarass a school Sixth Former then into a lifeless view on the state of domestic cricket at the time Most repugnant of all are the pre-match pen portraits of the players, intended to read as though written ahead of the match yet dripping with the benefit of hindsight thus coming across as irredeemably smug - we get knowing nods towards Dilley's batting, Gatting's catching and especially nauseating a discourse on Peter Willey's temperant concluding with "He'd make a top-notch umpire".Fortunately the dramas of days 4 and 5 speak for themselves and finally the books lifts of and rattles along with page turning insistence for a couple of cracking chapters. Perhaps unsurprisingly it is during these passages that the authors take more of a back seat and allow the eyewitness accounts and the amazing events to take centre stage and for once the match has the book it deserves.Thereafter the book almost manages to avoid the inevitable anti-climax by throwing in some semi-interesting chapters (the groundsman's tale, what happened to the match ball and 'where are they now') alongside the sheer mundanity of what it supposedly meant in the long run and the recollections of random spectators (who cares?).This could - and should - have been so much better.

Thanks. That one'd been on my wishlist for ages; it looks like I'd've been wholly disappointed.

Edited by SK Warne - 11 August 2007 at 7:49pm

Originally posted by SK Warne Originally posted by daisy77 Anyone ever read "My Spin on Cricket" by Richie Benaud? I didn't read it yet but I was looking at the pictures in it and hopefully it's good. I don't know a lot about the past players so it should be educational. LOL. If you're looking for a Benaud book that reads as well as he commentated, this most certainly isn't the one.

Originally posted by daisy77 Originally posted by SK Warne Originally posted by daisy77 Anyone ever read "My Spin on Cricket" by Richie Benaud? I didn't read it yet but I was looking at the pictures in it and hopefully it's good. I don't know a lot about the past players so it should be educational. LOL. If you're looking for a Benaud book that reads as well as he commentated, this most certainly isn't the one. Well I guessing that you read it but I think I'll still read it. LOL...I don't have to buy it so there's nothing to lose in reading it....LOL

Aside from your hard-earned money, o'course. Seriously, though, why not give "Anything But ... An Autobiography" a go? Now there's Benaud at his best.

Originally posted by daisy77 I have never heard about that one before....

Well, it wasn't published any time recently. Take a gander at AbeBooks, though.

Originally posted by daisy77 Thanks for the advice.

Certainly. It's just about the best that I've given in ages, so I'd be tremendously appreciative if you were to take it. (If there a begging smiley existed, it'd be here.)

Originally posted by daisy77 LOL. Well I have started reading "my spin on cricket". I must admit that so far it is not going that great. Kind of boring.

*cough*-toldyaso-*cough*

Originally posted by daisy77 OH well don't rub it in...I'm not finished with the book as yet.

*cough*-toldyaso-*cough*

Hi all,

I'm trying to locate a book series out of england early 90's.

its about a group of kids who join a cricket club and have a great time playing other teams with mixed results, heaps of fun to read, if anyone can help, that would be much appreciated.

I've read quite a few since I last put anything in here, I will try to add a few when time permits.

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