Cricket Books

One Hell of a Life: Brian Close – Daring, Defiant and Daft has been named Wisden’s Book of the Year for 2024. Stephen Chalke’s biography of the former England, Yorkshire and Somerset captain has been selected by this year’s Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack reviewer David Woodhouse as the outstanding cricket book...

This review from Charles Barr in the Association of Cricket Historians quarterly journal, soon to be released:

Teenage prodigy Karl Schneider was destined for stardom when selected ahead of a young Don Bradman for Australia’s 1928 tour of New Zealand.

Due in at the end of March,  are signed copies of John Benaud’s new book on the 1973 Australian tour of the West Indies, entitled ‘The First Ball After Lunch’

It was the summer of speed which smashed cricket’s modus operandi forever. So relentless were the volleys of ‘throat’ balls from Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee in 1974-75, that the departing English blessed themselves that no one had been killed. ‘One tour too many,’ 35-year-old Brian Luckhurst told a teammate.

Join me, Ken Piesse, in the fabulous West Indies for three Test matches from June 2025.