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AFLW 2024 - Round 8 - Chat, game threads, injury lists, team lineups and more.
The Cricket Writing Thread
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The anecdotes from both his playing days and in the commentary box are terrific as you'd expect from a guy so experienced, but was interesting and sad to read the chapter on the troubles of Robin Smith following retirement. Knew he was kicking around Perth grade cricket along with Nicholas' other mate from the Hampshire days Paul Terry, but wasn't aware of the downward spiral he fell into. Separate case but Alan Mullaly has been in the news recently as going down that similar worrying path, so I don't know if it says more about the mentality of ex-professional cricketers or whether there's some other common reason why these successful migrants fell on tough times in Perth.
Am getting my way through Rogers' now, as expected it is terrific. An interesting and contrasting character - the underlying story you get of his conscious transition from a socially awkward and intense guy to a party animal who would turn up to the final day of a shield game well and truly cut makes for an excellent read. Between the lines sound like he saw alcohol as a way to fit in and be popular with the lads and actively looked to smash the stereotype people had on first impression.
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Before Gideon there was Mike Coward who was a brilliant cricket journo.
A good read is 'Luck' by former English opening batsman Ed Smith. Cricket is central to it but it's much deeper then sport.
A good read is 'Luck' by former English opening batsman Ed Smith. Cricket is central to it but it's much deeper then sport.
philreich
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My son and I are going on a 7 day cruise, starting on Saturday, so I'll have plenty of opportunities to read a good book. Santa was very good to me this year - from various sources, I received books about Michael Clarke, Adam Gilchrist, Dennis Lillee and Darren Lehmann, so I'm spoilt for choice. Where should I start - thoughts?
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Oh I didn't even know he had a new one out, assumed it was one of his previous offerings! Heh I rec'mon you'd be right there.
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Also really enjoying his insights in to covering the game in both broadcasting and writing. Highlight was his story about the only time he met Kerry Packer.
GreyCrow
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I came here for Mike. Good to see him get a baggy green.
Jack Fingleton was ok but a bit dry.
Yep really enjoy all of Smith's work regardless of it's relation to cricket.
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James has been on my "to read" list for years ever since I read The Black Jacobins; I've been waiting for the ebook, but I think I've been waiting in vain.
A couple of my older favourites include
A History of Cricket by Benny Green (a series of vignettes of players and incidents covering 200 years, which he used to show the ways class and social status had influenced the history and development of the game; sounds dry, but it is anything but)
10 for 66 and All That by Arthur Mailey (a genuinely interesting, amusing, self-deprecating and well-written autobiography by a player who played between the wars then became a journalist and writer, before he retired to the Sydney coast and ran a butcher shop; over the counter he hung a notice “I bowled tripe, I wrote tripe and now I sell tripe.”)
Fingleton wrote some absolute brilliant books.
Cricket Crisis (about Bodyline) is the best cricket book I have ever read. He also wrote a lot of mini-biogs (6-10 pages) of famous contemporaries.
He's not afraid to let his feelings about Bradman (batsman - best ever. Bloke - Shit) be abundantly clear.
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yes, that's one of the things he apparently used to dine out on.
GreyCrow
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He said that his figures would have been much better had not three sitters been dropped off his bowling -- "two by a man in the pavilion wearing a bowler hat" and one by an unfortunate team-mate whom he consoled with the words, "I'm expecting to take a wicket any day now."yes, that's one of the things he apparently used to dine out on.
GreyCrow
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Extract from ''10 for 66 and all that'' about his meeting with Trumper
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A famous story, apparently for many years regarded as apocryphal until somebody discovered some old scorebooks showing that the match and the early dismissal did actually occur.
Gough
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Speaking of scorebooks, according to Haigh in The Summer Game, after the scorebook from the Tied Test in 1960/61 had been transcribed they weren't burned, as was the done thing at the time, and thus are lost to time. It's incredible that nobody thought to preserve them.
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Absolutely incredible really.
I'm with the OP - I think Jarrod Kimber stands head and shoulders above the other cricket writers. Some of his writing is so incredibly evocative I think it would be appreciated by people who don't even enjoy cricket on any level. I hadn't seen the Bryce McGain one before, so I'm going to read it now. I actually sent my dad an email with a list of my favourite Kimber articles only this morning as he was sending some of his cricket books to his brother-in-law in New Zealand, so seeing this thread is quite timely.
These are the ones I recommended for him:
http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/670709.html - This is the first part of a series of articles around the development of Irish cricket and it's equally fascinating and frustrating.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/865093.html - The somewhat tragic tale of NZ's Jesse Ryder.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/the-ashes-2015/content/story/908005.html - The history of Michael Clarke's career and the constant whispers against him and his battles against them. Some on this board might scoff at the reverence in the article, but it just shows how tough he had it.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/992881.html - An in-depth look at the way Afghanistan went about it in the World Cup and their relationship with Pakistan's Afridi.
I also really like Mark Nicholas' writing on cricinfo. I wasn't aware that he had a book out and it's probably the only cricket autobiography that I'd have any interest in reading. All the other efforts are pretty horrendous and might as well read Warwick Todd instead (more laughs, less cringe).
These are the ones I recommended for him:
http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/670709.html - This is the first part of a series of articles around the development of Irish cricket and it's equally fascinating and frustrating.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/865093.html - The somewhat tragic tale of NZ's Jesse Ryder.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/the-ashes-2015/content/story/908005.html - The history of Michael Clarke's career and the constant whispers against him and his battles against them. Some on this board might scoff at the reverence in the article, but it just shows how tough he had it.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/992881.html - An in-depth look at the way Afghanistan went about it in the World Cup and their relationship with Pakistan's Afridi.
I also really like Mark Nicholas' writing on cricinfo. I wasn't aware that he had a book out and it's probably the only cricket autobiography that I'd have any interest in reading. All the other efforts are pretty horrendous and might as well read Warwick Todd instead (more laughs, less cringe).
strewthcobber
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Kimber is doing a very interesting series on stats in the modern game at the moment on cricinfo, especially fielding.
Well worth reading
Well worth reading
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Charlie Watts (of Rolling Stones fame) is one of the world's great cricketing collectors. He is said to have several complete runs of Wisden. Mind you, he has the money to splurge.
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