The Random History of Cricket: Silly Mid-offs & Silly Mid-ons

Description

A lot of leather has 'plunk-plicked' against willow since cricket was first played on the village greens of Olde England, but this doughty little book heroically manages to capture the true essence of the noble ball game in just 100 run-grabbing moments (plus a few extras for overthrows). This is the story of cricket as it has never been told before: a well tossed-up compilation of surreal match reports, spoof correspondence and quirky cartoons. From a Great Victorian refusing to walk (even though his bails have been knocked off by the bowler) to modern-day sledgers playing floodlit pyjama cricket, the game's towering achievements, hilarious happenings and ludicrous coincidences are entertainingly recalled. The book's title says it all: which other sport would have Silly positions in the field? For those who don't know, silly mid-off (facing the batsman) & silly mid-on (behind him) field within a couple of metres of the man at the crease as he flails at the ball, delivered at 140kmh, using a 1kg wooden bat.

Aubrey Day is the Editorial Director at Future Publishing. A former newspaper journalist he has written about everything from football to showbiz to politics for all of Britain's nationals. Justyn Barnes, a former editor of United magazine, is now a freelance writer, contributing regularly to various titles including FourFourTwo, JACK and Sky The Magazine. Tony Husband is one of Britain's best-known cartoonists. He created the famous Private Eye cartoon series 'The Yobs'.