Quality !!!, 21 Jul 2006
Written like a football biography but with a pinch of Wisden.One of the best cricket books I have ever read (in fact one of the best sporting books I have ever read) - well written & informal, it gives us an insight into the gritty, less glamorous life of a county cricketer & shares the doubts, anxieties, fears , ambitions, achievements & humour of the protaganists.
This preceeds the very good "Yakking Around The World" (which is also worth a punt)but is an even better read.
If you buy one cricket "biography" , this should be it. Witty & well written, highly recommended.

An excellent overview of what happens in "the middle", 09 Jun 2006
The key characteristic of Hughes' book is how cricket has changed since his 1980s-early 90s playing career. His descriptions of the catering at Lords are barely believable with three course lunches (including roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and syrup sponge, washed down by litres of tea; how would Flintoff and co. play after putting away that lot we must wonder. The insights into the team are riveting. These are players in the world's top cricket league yet they have to hold down off-season jobs, and have the constant risk of being "let go" at the end of every season; even when their county grants them a benefit year the player does all of the organising of benefit events! The highlight though was the description of the umpires dismissing batsmen lbw because they couldn't stand the low calibre "banter" between batsman and bowler. If only the same umpire had officiated in Steve Waugh's matches. Excellent stuff.

Gratuitously amusing account of a County Cricketers lot., 03 Feb 2004
I,ve read a lot of books on cricket.This is the only one i read repeatedly.Hughes is an engaging bloke doing his analysts job on Channel 4 but this gives no indication as to his wealth of cricketing anecdotes or the warm humour he brings to them, for essentially this is a warm and very funny book.It is also in it,s understated way a scathing critique of the county set up and of English professional cricket in general.
What makes this book particually likeable is that Hughes does,nt spare himself from his occasional bouts of withering scorn noting wryly that after a persistent no-ball problem he realised at last that he ,d better get his run up sorted out.Something of a must for any fast bowler i would say.The lack of profesionalism not to mention inate cowardice of many first class cricketers is a constant theme.So is the resemblance in so many ways to "normal" working lifes, the frustrations, the ennui and most noticeably the constant banter and p*** taking.
Hughes grasp of his fellow cricketers pecadiloes and idiosyncracities is perceptive and ball bouncingly funny.Gattings prodigous appetite,Edmonds intellectual snobbery,Daniels eye for the ladies, Bothams monstrous self confidence are all captured superbly but he,s as generous with praise as he is with disdain and alway gives a balanced view on everyone he writes about.
Some of the anecdotes are priceless.Brealey letting rip with a fearsome expletetive filled volley over the heads of M.C.C. members at Lords,Tufnells less than impressive entrance when coming out to bat,Emburey,s hilarious reply to an innocent enquiry as to the state of his back and numerous accounts of the banter out in the middle and in the dressing room.Great stuff.
"A lot of hard Yakka" is a refreshing change from the dry ghost written accounts of high profile careers cricketers usually churn out.It,s candid ,balanced wildly entertaining and i,ll say it again snot sprayingly funny.Now thats not bad for any book let alone one about cricket.

A must for all cricket fans!, 13 Nov 2003
This is a biography of Simon Hughes' days as a county cricketer. Most people who have an interest in the sport only see the games played at the very level - international cricket. Hughes' book is a humourous, entertaining account of his 20 years as a decent county pro.

Not only is it an excellent account of a life of a cricketer, it's a great read for those who have no interest in the game. Many of the stories can be identified with by people in all careers and is a ggood account of an individual's life.

A wonderful account of a cricketer's life, 29 Mar 2002
Top! I enjoyed this book with a passion. I do enjoy cricket but even non cricket lovers will like this one. A wonderful insightful look at the life of a county cricketer who always seems to be on the peripheral of something big. A class read.

Quality !!!, 21 Jul 2006
Written like a football biography but with a pinch of Wisden.One of the best cricket books I have ever read (in fact one of the best sporting books I have ever read) - well written & informal, it gives us an insight into the gritty, less glamorous life of a county cricketer & shares the doubts, anxieties, fears , ambitions, achievements & humour of the protaganists.
This preceeds the very good "Yakking Around The World" (which is also worth a punt)but is an even better read.
If you buy one cricket "biography" , this should be it. Witty & well written, highly recommended.

An excellent overview of what happens in "the middle", 09 Jun 2006
The key characteristic of Hughes' book is how cricket has changed since his 1980s-early 90s playing career. His descriptions of the catering at Lords are barely believable with three course lunches (including roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and syrup sponge, washed down by litres of tea; how would Flintoff and co. play after putting away that lot we must wonder. The insights into the team are riveting. These are players in the world's top cricket league yet they have to hold down off-season jobs, and have the constant risk of being "let go" at the end of every season; even when their county grants them a benefit year the player does all of the organising of benefit events! The highlight though was the description of the umpires dismissing batsmen lbw because they couldn't stand the low calibre "banter" between batsman and bowler. If only the same umpire had officiated in Steve Waugh's matches. Excellent stuff.

Gratuitously amusing account of a County Cricketers lot., 03 Feb 2004
I,ve read a lot of books on cricket.This is the only one i read repeatedly.Hughes is an engaging bloke doing his analysts job on Channel 4 but this gives no indication as to his wealth of cricketing anecdotes or the warm humour he brings to them, for essentially this is a warm and very funny book.It is also in it,s understated way a scathing critique of the county set up and of English professional cricket in general.
What makes this book particually likeable is that Hughes does,nt spare himself from his occasional bouts of withering scorn noting wryly that after a persistent no-ball problem he realised at last that he ,d better get his run up sorted out.Something of a must for any fast bowler i would say.The lack of profesionalism not to mention inate cowardice of many first class cricketers is a constant theme.So is the resemblance in so many ways to "normal" working lifes, the frustrations, the ennui and most noticeably the constant banter and p*** taking.
Hughes grasp of his fellow cricketers pecadiloes and idiosyncracities is perceptive and ball bouncingly funny.Gattings prodigous appetite,Edmonds intellectual snobbery,Daniels eye for the ladies, Bothams monstrous self confidence are all captured superbly but he,s as generous with praise as he is with disdain and alway gives a balanced view on everyone he writes about.
Some of the anecdotes are priceless.Brealey letting rip with a fearsome expletetive filled volley over the heads of M.C.C. members at Lords,Tufnells less than impressive entrance when coming out to bat,Emburey,s hilarious reply to an innocent enquiry as to the state of his back and numerous accounts of the banter out in the middle and in the dressing room.Great stuff.
"A lot of hard Yakka" is a refreshing change from the dry ghost written accounts of high profile careers cricketers usually churn out.It,s candid ,balanced wildly entertaining and i,ll say it again snot sprayingly funny.Now thats not bad for any book let alone one about cricket.

A must for all cricket fans!, 13 Nov 2003
This is a biography of Simon Hughes' days as a county cricketer. Most people who have an interest in the sport only see the games played at the very level - international cricket. Hughes' book is a humourous, entertaining account of his 20 years as a decent county pro.

Not only is it an excellent account of a life of a cricketer, it's a great read for those who have no interest in the game. Many of the stories can be identified with by people in all careers and is a ggood account of an individual's life.

A wonderful account of a cricketer's life, 29 Mar 2002
Top! I enjoyed this book with a passion. I do enjoy cricket but even non cricket lovers will like this one. A wonderful insightful look at the life of a county cricketer who always seems to be on the peripheral of something big. A class read.

An interesting account of the author's experiences..., 31 Jan 2005
...but that is all it is.

I enjoyed this book but it was not the book I was expecting or hoping for. That said, if Ed Smith had written the book I wanted him to write I suspect that only about 3 people would have read it.

I was hoping for a much more technical analysis of the similarities and differences between baseball and cricket. In this respect the book is quite sparse. The view that the equivalent of a batsman in cricket is the pitcher in baseball is interesting (although never really explored) but quite superficial.

Finally, in the section that discusses which cricketers could have played baseball, Ed Smith omits to mention the one cricketer who could not only have played baseball but been a star. Viv Richards, certainly the best batsman I have ever seen, would have been a fantastic baseball player - good speed, a strong arm, fantastic eye, powerful hitter - I suspect he could have even played shortstop.

Ed Smith gets it right, 20 Aug 2003
Ed Smith's very enjoyable book does a service to both sports - cricket and baseball. As I am a transplanted Yank in England, it helped me understand some of the tactical nuances of test cricket I had not yet penetrated - and it rekindled my nostalgia for baseball.

And it's always refreshing to see a double first at Cambridge put good old Anglo Saxon expressions in writing...

A good intro to the rival for cricket/baseball fans, 11 Jul 2003
Cricket enthusiasts who have watched any baseball will already know that the two sports share a lot more characteristics that simply hitting a ball with a stick. Most obviously, there is a shared obsession with statistics and tradition. This book lists those shared aspects, but also highlights the contrasts in the sports in an interesting and accessible way. It's a shame Smith did not ponder this fact though: the "brash" American sport has far more unwritten rules about behaviour on the pitch and not "showing up" the other side than the English gentleman's game. To show any significant enthusiasm after throwing a strikeout or hitting a home run is asking to be deliberately hit by the ball in the next inning (punishment beatings are an accepted and semi-sanctioned part of the game). In the so-called gentleman's game of cricket the players throw the ball in the air after a catch, shout and scream after a run out or for an lbw decision, and deliberately intimidate, 'bounce' and 'sledge' the opposition players. Baseball is nearly always played in a gentlemanly way, Cricket is (and has always been) brash. Ok, you get the odd punch-up in baseball, but those fights are nearly always because the unwritten rules of gentlemanly conduct have been broken. Nevertheless, Smith's book demonstrates quite clearly that any fan of one sport will almost certainly love the other.

Best introduction to baseball for an Englishman, 08 Nov 2002
First off I must declare a personal interest in this book. Ed Smith's father taught me English at A-level (a B grade, but I don't hold it against him) and Ed himself was a couple of years below me at school. Nevertheless I assure you this book is well worth the read, even from an impartial point of view.

I read it before a recent trip to California which happily coincided with the 2002 World Series - a rare all-Californian affair. Ed's descriptions of being in a World Series team's hometown during the event are very accurate (although sadly I never got to attend a Giants home game I did watch them with some fiercely partisan Giants supporters), not least in conveying quite what baseball means to Americans. Unlike one of the other reviewers I think Ed captured the human ties of the Special Relationship post-September 11 very well - the most evocative moment being when he tells of how the Star Spangled Banner had an unexpectedly emotional impact on him. The book is not just about cricket and baseball, early on Ed admits he bought into European anti-Americanism but as he spends more time understanding Americans through their national game he realises the error of his youthful ways!

Ed manages to bring baseball to life for those of us brought up believing cricket is a man's game whereas baseball is just glorified rounders. By drawing the many parallels between the two national games he achieves this in a way that makes it more accessible to an Englishman.

Promising debut - Better to come?, 03 Sep 2002
If Ed Smith writes a book about the County Cricket circuit, it could well be very good. Where he inhabits home territory in "Playing Hard Ball", the writing is compelling and natural. When he writes of Baseball, (which comprises the majority of the book) his efforts often begin to grind to the uninitiated reader. In seeking to compare and contrast the two games, Smith often tries too hard to find parallels and strains to keep the narrative flowing freely.
There are many deft touches and the scope of his own reading is impressive in a 25 year old pro sportsman. However, there are times when he seems out of his depth, particularly when dealing with Anglo-American feeling post September 11th.
With Simon Hughes now retired to the Analyst's couch, there is definitely a place for a contemporary cricketer to chronicle the domestic game and Ed Smith shows here that he has the skills required.

Quality !!!, 21 Jul 2006
Written like a football biography but with a pinch of Wisden.One of the best cricket books I have ever read (in fact one of the best sporting books I have ever read) - well written & informal, it gives us an insight into the gritty, less glamorous life of a county cricketer & shares the doubts, anxieties, fears , ambitions, achievements & humour of the protaganists.
This preceeds the very good "Yakking Around The World" (which is also worth a punt)but is an even better read.
If you buy one cricket "biography" , this should be it. Witty & well written, highly recommended.

An excellent overview of what happens in "the middle", 09 Jun 2006
The key characteristic of Hughes' book is how cricket has changed since his 1980s-early 90s playing career. His descriptions of the catering at Lords are barely believable with three course lunches (including roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and syrup sponge, washed down by litres of tea; how would Flintoff and co. play after putting away that lot we must wonder. The insights into the team are riveting. These are players in the world's top cricket league yet they have to hold down off-season jobs, and have the constant risk of being "let go" at the end of every season; even when their county grants them a benefit year the player does all of the organising of benefit events! The highlight though was the description of the umpires dismissing batsmen lbw because they couldn't stand the low calibre "banter" between batsman and bowler. If only the same umpire had officiated in Steve Waugh's matches. Excellent stuff.

Gratuitously amusing account of a County Cricketers lot., 03 Feb 2004
I,ve read a lot of books on cricket.This is the only one i read repeatedly.Hughes is an engaging bloke doing his analysts job on Channel 4 but this gives no indication as to his wealth of cricketing anecdotes or the warm humour he brings to them, for essentially this is a warm and very funny book.It is also in it,s understated way a scathing critique of the county set up and of English professional cricket in general.
What makes this book particually likeable is that Hughes does,nt spare himself from his occasional bouts of withering scorn noting wryly that after a persistent no-ball problem he realised at last that he ,d better get his run up sorted out.Something of a must for any fast bowler i would say.The lack of profesionalism not to mention inate cowardice of many first class cricketers is a constant theme.So is the resemblance in so many ways to "normal" working lifes, the frustrations, the ennui and most noticeably the constant banter and p*** taking.
Hughes grasp of his fellow cricketers pecadiloes and idiosyncracities is perceptive and ball bouncingly funny.Gattings prodigous appetite,Edmonds intellectual snobbery,Daniels eye for the ladies, Bothams monstrous self confidence are all captured superbly but he,s as generous with praise as he is with disdain and alway gives a balanced view on everyone he writes about.
Some of the anecdotes are priceless.Brealey letting rip with a fearsome expletetive filled volley over the heads of M.C.C. members at Lords,Tufnells less than impressive entrance when coming out to bat,Emburey,s hilarious reply to an innocent enquiry as to the state of his back and numerous accounts of the banter out in the middle and in the dressing room.Great stuff.
"A lot of hard Yakka" is a refreshing change from the dry ghost written accounts of high profile careers cricketers usually churn out.It,s candid ,balanced wildly entertaining and i,ll say it again snot sprayingly funny.Now thats not bad for any book let alone one about cricket.

A must for all cricket fans!, 13 Nov 2003
This is a biography of Simon Hughes' days as a county cricketer. Most people who have an interest in the sport only see the games played at the very level - international cricket. Hughes' book is a humourous, entertaining account of his 20 years as a decent county pro.

Not only is it an excellent account of a life of a cricketer, it's a great read for those who have no interest in the game. Many of the stories can be identified with by people in all careers and is a ggood account of an individual's life.

A wonderful account of a cricketer's life, 29 Mar 2002
Top! I enjoyed this book with a passion. I do enjoy cricket but even non cricket lovers will like this one. A wonderful insightful look at the life of a county cricketer who always seems to be on the peripheral of something big. A class read.

An interesting account of the author's experiences..., 31 Jan 2005
...but that is all it is.

I enjoyed this book but it was not the book I was expecting or hoping for. That said, if Ed Smith had written the book I wanted him to write I suspect that only about 3 people would have read it.

I was hoping for a much more technical analysis of the similarities and differences between baseball and cricket. In this respect the book is quite sparse. The view that the equivalent of a batsman in cricket is the pitcher in baseball is interesting (although never really explored) but quite superficial.

Finally, in the section that discusses which cricketers could have played baseball, Ed Smith omits to mention the one cricketer who could not only have played baseball but been a star. Viv Richards, certainly the best batsman I have ever seen, would have been a fantastic baseball player - good speed, a strong arm, fantastic eye, powerful hitter - I suspect he could have even played shortstop.

Ed Smith gets it right, 20 Aug 2003
Ed Smith's very enjoyable book does a service to both sports - cricket and baseball. As I am a transplanted Yank in England, it helped me understand some of the tactical nuances of test cricket I had not yet penetrated - and it rekindled my nostalgia for baseball.

And it's always refreshing to see a double first at Cambridge put good old Anglo Saxon expressions in writing...

A good intro to the rival for cricket/baseball fans, 11 Jul 2003
Cricket enthusiasts who have watched any baseball will already know that the two sports share a lot more characteristics that simply hitting a ball with a stick. Most obviously, there is a shared obsession with statistics and tradition. This book lists those shared aspects, but also highlights the contrasts in the sports in an interesting and accessible way. It's a shame Smith did not ponder this fact though: the "brash" American sport has far more unwritten rules about behaviour on the pitch and not "showing up" the other side than the English gentleman's game. To show any significant enthusiasm after throwing a strikeout or hitting a home run is asking to be deliberately hit by the ball in the next inning (punishment beatings are an accepted and semi-sanctioned part of the game). In the so-called gentleman's game of cricket the players throw the ball in the air after a catch, shout and scream after a run out or for an lbw decision, and deliberately intimidate, 'bounce' and 'sledge' the opposition players. Baseball is nearly always played in a gentlemanly way, Cricket is (and has always been) brash. Ok, you get the odd punch-up in baseball, but those fights are nearly always because the unwritten rules of gentlemanly conduct have been broken. Nevertheless, Smith's book demonstrates quite clearly that any fan of one sport will almost certainly love the other.

Best introduction to baseball for an Englishman, 08 Nov 2002
First off I must declare a personal interest in this book. Ed Smith's father taught me English at A-level (a B grade, but I don't hold it against him) and Ed himself was a couple of years below me at school. Nevertheless I assure you this book is well worth the read, even from an impartial point of view.

I read it before a recent trip to California which happily coincided with the 2002 World Series - a rare all-Californian affair. Ed's descriptions of being in a World Series team's hometown during the event are very accurate (although sadly I never got to attend a Giants home game I did watch them with some fiercely partisan Giants supporters), not least in conveying quite what baseball means to Americans. Unlike one of the other reviewers I think Ed captured the human ties of the Special Relationship post-September 11 very well - the most evocative moment being when he tells of how the Star Spangled Banner had an unexpectedly emotional impact on him. The book is not just about cricket and baseball, early on Ed admits he bought into European anti-Americanism but as he spends more time understanding Americans through their national game he realises the error of his youthful ways!

Ed manages to bring baseball to life for those of us brought up believing cricket is a man's game whereas baseball is just glorified rounders. By drawing the many parallels between the two national games he achieves this in a way that makes it more accessible to an Englishman.

Promising debut - Better to come?, 03 Sep 2002
If Ed Smith writes a book about the County Cricket circuit, it could well be very good. Where he inhabits home territory in "Playing Hard Ball", the writing is compelling and natural. When he writes of Baseball, (which comprises the majority of the book) his efforts often begin to grind to the uninitiated reader. In seeking to compare and contrast the two games, Smith often tries too hard to find parallels and strains to keep the narrative flowing freely.
There are many deft touches and the scope of his own reading is impressive in a 25 year old pro sportsman. However, there are times when he seems out of his depth, particularly when dealing with Anglo-American feeling post September 11th.
With Simon Hughes now retired to the Analyst's couch, there is definitely a place for a contemporary cricketer to chronicle the domestic game and Ed Smith shows here that he has the skills required.

Brown Caps 50, 17 Jul 2006
TOP 10s, greatest 100s and finest 50 type books are always the same -- there are one or two that actually meet the criteria of being great, or top, or best, while the rest are there to make up the numbers. Lodge's effort is an exception though.
Other Lodge `catalogues' have been a bit of a struggle -- Surrey CCC 100 Greats springs to mind, but here he has found some great games from the archives.
Surrey have played thousands of matches, yet Lodge has done a good job of selecting a fine 50. The reader begins the journey of fine matches in 1872 and finishes in 2005.
The scorecards are included with each match summary and provide interesting reading. Look closely and you find the odd gem like Ali Brown's record breaking 268 against Glamorgan in 2002 during a Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy match. Even more fascinating is that despite that heroic effort Surrey only just managed to win by nine runs.
Looking through the round ups of these 50 matches, you almost wish this was a DVD rather than a book. To actually see Pat Pocock bowl those dream two overs against Sussex in 1972 would be more appealing.
With Sussex needing just five runs and six wickets in hand. Then Pocock turned it on. As the day neared its end, the spinner took seven wickets for just four runs in the last two overs, with five coming off the last over, including a hat-trick.
The match was drawn after Sussex looked certain to win. Pocock has been a living legend ever since.
There are some great memories, but lets hope there will be many more close finishes and heroic efforts from the Brown Caps.

Quality !!!, 21 Jul 2006
Written like a football biography but with a pinch of Wisden.One of the best cricket books I have ever read (in fact one of the best sporting books I have ever read) - well written & informal, it gives us an insight into the gritty, less glamorous life of a county cricketer & shares the doubts, anxieties, fears , ambitions, achievements & humour of the protaganists.
This preceeds the very good "Yakking Around The World" (which is also worth a punt)but is an even better read.
If you buy one cricket "biography" , this should be it. Witty & well written, highly recommended.

An excellent overview of what happens in "the middle", 09 Jun 2006
The key characteristic of Hughes' book is how cricket has changed since his 1980s-early 90s playing career. His descriptions of the catering at Lords are barely believable with three course lunches (including roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and syrup sponge, washed down by litres of tea; how would Flintoff and co. play after putting away that lot we must wonder. The insights into the team are riveting. These are players in the world's top cricket league yet they have to hold down off-season jobs, and have the constant risk of being "let go" at the end of every season; even when their county grants them a benefit year the player does all of the organising of benefit events! The highlight though was the description of the umpires dismissing batsmen lbw because they couldn't stand the low calibre "banter" between batsman and bowler. If only the same umpire had officiated in Steve Waugh's matches. Excellent stuff.

Gratuitously amusing account of a County Cricketers lot., 03 Feb 2004
I,ve read a lot of books on cricket.This is the only one i read repeatedly.Hughes is an engaging bloke doing his analysts job on Channel 4 but this gives no indication as to his wealth of cricketing anecdotes or the warm humour he brings to them, for essentially this is a warm and very funny book.It is also in it,s understated way a scathing critique of the county set up and of English professional cricket in general.
What makes this book particually likeable is that Hughes does,nt spare himself from his occasional bouts of withering scorn noting wryly that after a persistent no-ball problem he realised at last that he ,d better get his run up sorted out.Something of a must for any fast bowler i would say.The lack of profesionalism not to mention inate cowardice of many first class cricketers is a constant theme.So is the resemblance in so many ways to "normal" working lifes, the frustrations, the ennui and most noticeably the constant banter and p*** taking.
Hughes grasp of his fellow cricketers pecadiloes and idiosyncracities is perceptive and ball bouncingly funny.Gattings prodigous appetite,Edmonds intellectual snobbery,Daniels eye for the ladies, Bothams monstrous self confidence are all captured superbly but he,s as generous with praise as he is with disdain and alway gives a balanced view on everyone he writes about.
Some of the anecdotes are priceless.Brealey letting rip with a fearsome expletetive filled volley over the heads of M.C.C. members at Lords,Tufnells less than impressive entrance when coming out to bat,Emburey,s hilarious reply to an innocent enquiry as to the state of his back and numerous accounts of the banter out in the middle and in the dressing room.Great stuff.
"A lot of hard Yakka" is a refreshing change from the dry ghost written accounts of high profile careers cricketers usually churn out.It,s candid ,balanced wildly entertaining and i,ll say it again snot sprayingly funny.Now thats not bad for any book let alone one about cricket.

A must for all cricket fans!, 13 Nov 2003
This is a biography of Simon Hughes' days as a county cricketer. Most people who have an interest in the sport only see the games played at the very level - international cricket. Hughes' book is a humourous, entertaining account of his 20 years as a decent county pro.

Not only is it an excellent account of a life of a cricketer, it's a great read for those who have no interest in the game. Many of the stories can be identified with by people in all careers and is a ggood account of an individual's life.

A wonderful account of a cricketer's life, 29 Mar 2002
Top! I enjoyed this book with a passion. I do enjoy cricket but even non cricket lovers will like this one. A wonderful insightful look at the life of a county cricketer who always seems to be on the peripheral of something big. A class read.

An interesting account of the author's experiences..., 31 Jan 2005
...but that is all it is.

I enjoyed this book but it was not the book I was expecting or hoping for. That said, if Ed Smith had written the book I wanted him to write I suspect that only about 3 people would have read it.

I was hoping for a much more technical analysis of the similarities and differences between baseball and cricket. In this respect the book is quite sparse. The view that the equivalent of a batsman in cricket is the pitcher in baseball is interesting (although never really explored) but quite superficial.

Finally, in the section that discusses which cricketers could have played baseball, Ed Smith omits to mention the one cricketer who could not only have played baseball but been a star. Viv Richards, certainly the best batsman I have ever seen, would have been a fantastic baseball player - good speed, a strong arm, fantastic eye, powerful hitter - I suspect he could have even played shortstop.

Ed Smith gets it right, 20 Aug 2003
Ed Smith's very enjoyable book does a service to both sports - cricket and baseball. As I am a transplanted Yank in England, it helped me understand some of the tactical nuances of test cricket I had not yet penetrated - and it rekindled my nostalgia for baseball.

And it's always refreshing to see a double first at Cambridge put good old Anglo Saxon expressions in writing...

A good intro to the rival for cricket/baseball fans, 11 Jul 2003
Cricket enthusiasts who have watched any baseball will already know that the two sports share a lot more characteristics that simply hitting a ball with a stick. Most obviously, there is a shared obsession with statistics and tradition. This book lists those shared aspects, but also highlights the contrasts in the sports in an interesting and accessible way. It's a shame Smith did not ponder this fact though: the "brash" American sport has far more unwritten rules about behaviour on the pitch and not "showing up" the other side than the English gentleman's game. To show any significant enthusiasm after throwing a strikeout or hitting a home run is asking to be deliberately hit by the ball in the next inning (punishment beatings are an accepted and semi-sanctioned part of the game). In the so-called gentleman's game of cricket the players throw the ball in the air after a catch, shout and scream after a run out or for an lbw decision, and deliberately intimidate, 'bounce' and 'sledge' the opposition players. Baseball is nearly always played in a gentlemanly way, Cricket is (and has always been) brash. Ok, you get the odd punch-up in baseball, but those fights are nearly always because the unwritten rules of gentlemanly conduct have been broken. Nevertheless, Smith's book demonstrates quite clearly that any fan of one sport will almost certainly love the other.

Best introduction to baseball for an Englishman, 08 Nov 2002
First off I must declare a personal interest in this book. Ed Smith's father taught me English at A-level (a B grade, but I don't hold it against him) and Ed himself was a couple of years below me at school. Nevertheless I assure you this book is well worth the read, even from an impartial point of view.

I read it before a recent trip to California which happily coincided with the 2002 World Series - a rare all-Californian affair. Ed's descriptions of being in a World Series team's hometown during the event are very accurate (although sadly I never got to attend a Giants home game I did watch them with some fiercely partisan Giants supporters), not least in conveying quite what baseball means to Americans. Unlike one of the other reviewers I think Ed captured the human ties of the Special Relationship post-September 11 very well - the most evocative moment being when he tells of how the Star Spangled Banner had an unexpectedly emotional impact on him. The book is not just about cricket and baseball, early on Ed admits he bought into European anti-Americanism but as he spends more time understanding Americans through their national game he realises the error of his youthful ways!

Ed manages to bring baseball to life for those of us brought up believing cricket is a man's game whereas baseball is just glorified rounders. By drawing the many parallels between the two national games he achieves this in a way that makes it more accessible to an Englishman.

Promising debut - Better to come?, 03 Sep 2002
If Ed Smith writes a book about the County Cricket circuit, it could well be very good. Where he inhabits home territory in "Playing Hard Ball", the writing is compelling and natural. When he writes of Baseball, (which comprises the majority of the book) his efforts often begin to grind to the uninitiated reader. In seeking to compare and contrast the two games, Smith often tries too hard to find parallels and strains to keep the narrative flowing freely.
There are many deft touches and the scope of his own reading is impressive in a 25 year old pro sportsman. However, there are times when he seems out of his depth, particularly when dealing with Anglo-American feeling post September 11th.
With Simon Hughes now retired to the Analyst's couch, there is definitely a place for a contemporary cricketer to chronicle the domestic game and Ed Smith shows here that he has the skills required.

Brown Caps 50, 17 Jul 2006
TOP 10s, greatest 100s and finest 50 type books are always the same -- there are one or two that actually meet the criteria of being great, or top, or best, while the rest are there to make up the numbers. Lodge's effort is an exception though.
Other Lodge `catalogues' have been a bit of a struggle -- Surrey CCC 100 Greats springs to mind, but here he has found some great games from the archives.
Surrey have played thousands of matches, yet Lodge has done a good job of selecting a fine 50. The reader begins the journey of fine matches in 1872 and finishes in 2005.
The scorecards are included with each match summary and provide interesting reading. Look closely and you find the odd gem like Ali Brown's record breaking 268 against Glamorgan in 2002 during a Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy match. Even more fascinating is that despite that heroic effort Surrey only just managed to win by nine runs.
Looking through the round ups of these 50 matches, you almost wish this was a DVD rather than a book. To actually see Pat Pocock bowl those dream two overs against Sussex in 1972 would be more appealing.
With Sussex needing just five runs and six wickets in hand. Then Pocock turned it on. As the day neared its end, the spinner took seven wickets for just four runs in the last two overs, with five coming off the last over, including a hat-trick.
The match was drawn after Sussex looked certain to win. Pocock has been a living legend ever since.
There are some great memories, but lets hope there will be many more close finishes and heroic efforts from the Brown Caps.


A masterpiece!, 12 Nov 2003
Steve Chalke's first book is, quite simply, one of the most essential and innovative accounts of English cricket that has ever been written. Unusually penned in the present tense, but ever effective, it thoroughly encapsulates both the state of play of the English game and the interests of its participants, all within a thoroughly researched account of its context.

Quality !!!, 21 Jul 2006
Written like a football biography but with a pinch of Wisden.One of the best cricket books I have ever read (in fact one of the best sporting books I have ever read) - well written & informal, it gives us an insight into the gritty, less glamorous life of a county cricketer & shares the doubts, anxieties, fears , ambitions, achievements & humour of the protaganists.
This preceeds the very good "Yakking Around The World" (which is also worth a punt)but is an even better read.
If you buy one cricket "biography" , this should be it. Witty & well written, highly recommended.

An excellent overview of what happens in "the middle", 09 Jun 2006
The key characteristic of Hughes' book is how cricket has changed since his 1980s-early 90s playing career. His descriptions of the catering at Lords are barely believable with three course lunches (including roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and syrup sponge, washed down by litres of tea; how would Flintoff and co. play after putting away that lot we must wonder. The insights into the team are riveting. These are players in the world's top cricket league yet they have to hold down off-season jobs, and have the constant risk of being "let go" at the end of every season; even when their county grants them a benefit year the player does all of the organising of benefit events! The highlight though was the description of the umpires dismissing batsmen lbw because they couldn't stand the low calibre "banter" between batsman and bowler. If only the same umpire had officiated in Steve Waugh's matches. Excellent stuff.

Gratuitously amusing account of a County Cricketers lot., 03 Feb 2004
I,ve read a lot of books on cricket.This is the only one i read repeatedly.Hughes is an engaging bloke doing his analysts job on Channel 4 but this gives no indication as to his wealth of cricketing anecdotes or the warm humour he brings to them, for essentially this is a warm and very funny book.It is also in it,s understated way a scathing critique of the county set up and of English professional cricket in general.
What makes this book particually likeable is that Hughes does,nt spare himself from his occasional bouts of withering scorn noting wryly that after a persistent no-ball problem he realised at last that he ,d better get his run up sorted out.Something of a must for any fast bowler i would say.The lack of profesionalism not to mention inate cowardice of many first class cricketers is a constant theme.So is the resemblance in so many ways to "normal" working lifes, the frustrations, the ennui and most noticeably the constant banter and p*** taking.
Hughes grasp of his fellow cricketers pecadiloes and idiosyncracities is perceptive and ball bouncingly funny.Gattings prodigous appetite,Edmonds intellectual snobbery,Daniels eye for the ladies, Bothams monstrous self confidence are all captured superbly but he,s as generous with praise as he is with disdain and alway gives a balanced view on everyone he writes about.
Some of the anecdotes are priceless.Brealey letting rip with a fearsome expletetive filled volley over the heads of M.C.C. members at Lords,Tufnells less than impressive entrance when coming out to bat,Emburey,s hilarious reply to an innocent enquiry as to the state of his back and numerous accounts of the banter out in the middle and in the dressing room.Great stuff.
"A lot of hard Yakka" is a refreshing change from the dry ghost written accounts of high profile careers cricketers usually churn out.It,s candid ,balanced wildly entertaining and i,ll say it again snot sprayingly funny.Now thats not bad for any book let alone one about cricket.

A must for all cricket fans!, 13 Nov 2003
This is a biography of Simon Hughes' days as a county cricketer. Most people who have an interest in the sport only see the games played at the very level - international cricket. Hughes' book is a humourous, entertaining account of his 20 years as a decent county pro.

Not only is it an excellent account of a life of a cricketer, it's a great read for those who have no interest in the game. Many of the stories can be identified with by people in all careers and is a ggood account of an individual's life.

A wonderful account of a cricketer's life, 29 Mar 2002
Top! I enjoyed this book with a passion. I do enjoy cricket but even non cricket lovers will like this one. A wonderful insightful look at the life of a county cricketer who always seems to be on the peripheral of something big. A class read.

An interesting account of the author's experiences..., 31 Jan 2005
...but that is all it is.

I enjoyed this book but it was not the book I was expecting or hoping for. That said, if Ed Smith had written the book I wanted him to write I suspect that only about 3 people would have read it.

I was hoping for a much more technical analysis of the similarities and differences between baseball and cricket. In this respect the book is quite sparse. The view that the equivalent of a batsman in cricket is the pitcher in baseball is interesting (although never really explored) but quite superficial.

Finally, in the section that discusses which cricketers could have played baseball, Ed Smith omits to mention the one cricketer who could not only have played baseball but been a star. Viv Richards, certainly the best batsman I have ever seen, would have been a fantastic baseball player - good speed, a strong arm, fantastic eye, powerful hitter - I suspect he could have even played shortstop.

Ed Smith gets it right, 20 Aug 2003
Ed Smith's very enjoyable book does a service to both sports - cricket and baseball. As I am a transplanted Yank in England, it helped me understand some of the tactical nuances of test cricket I had not yet penetrated - and it rekindled my nostalgia for baseball.

And it's always refreshing to see a double first at Cambridge put good old Anglo Saxon expressions in writing...

A good intro to the rival for cricket/baseball fans, 11 Jul 2003
Cricket enthusiasts who have watched any baseball will already know that the two sports share a lot more characteristics that simply hitting a ball with a stick. Most obviously, there is a shared obsession with statistics and tradition. This book lists those shared aspects, but also highlights the contrasts in the sports in an interesting and accessible way. It's a shame Smith did not ponder this fact though: the "brash" American sport has far more unwritten rules about behaviour on the pitch and not "showing up" the other side than the English gentleman's game. To show any significant enthusiasm after throwing a strikeout or hitting a home run is asking to be deliberately hit by the ball in the next inning (punishment beatings are an accepted and semi-sanctioned part of the game). In the so-called gentleman's game of cricket the players throw the ball in the air after a catch, shout and scream after a run out or for an lbw decision, and deliberately intimidate, 'bounce' and 'sledge' the opposition players. Baseball is nearly always played in a gentlemanly way, Cricket is (and has always been) brash. Ok, you get the odd punch-up in baseball, but those fights are nearly always because the unwritten rules of gentlemanly conduct have been broken. Nevertheless, Smith's book demonstrates quite clearly that any fan of one sport will almost certainly love the other.

Best introduction to baseball for an Englishman, 08 Nov 2002
First off I must declare a personal interest in this book. Ed Smith's father taught me English at A-level (a B grade, but I don't hold it against him) and Ed himself was a couple of years below me at school. Nevertheless I assure you this book is well worth the read, even from an impartial point of view.

I read it before a recent trip to California which happily coincided with the 2002 World Series - a rare all-Californian affair. Ed's descriptions of being in a World Series team's hometown during the event are very accurate (although sadly I never got to attend a Giants home game I did watch them with some fiercely partisan Giants supporters), not least in conveying quite what baseball means to Americans. Unlike one of the other reviewers I think Ed captured the human ties of the Special Relationship post-September 11 very well - the most evocative moment being when he tells of how the Star Spangled Banner had an unexpectedly emotional impact on him. The book is not just about cricket and baseball, early on Ed admits he bought into European anti-Americanism but as he spends more time understanding Americans through their national game he realises the error of his youthful ways!

Ed manages to bring baseball to life for those of us brought up believing cricket is a man's game whereas baseball is just glorified rounders. By drawing the many parallels between the two national games he achieves this in a way that makes it more accessible to an Englishman.

Promising debut - Better to come?, 03 Sep 2002
If Ed Smith writes a book about the County Cricket circuit, it could well be very good. Where he inhabits home territory in "Playing Hard Ball", the writing is compelling and natural. When he writes of Baseball, (which comprises the majority of the book) his efforts often begin to grind to the uninitiated reader. In seeking to compare and contrast the two games, Smith often tries too hard to find parallels and strains to keep the narrative flowing freely.
There are many deft touches and the scope of his own reading is impressive in a 25 year old pro sportsman. However, there are times when he seems out of his depth, particularly when dealing with Anglo-American feeling post September 11th.
With Simon Hughes now retired to the Analyst's couch, there is definitely a place for a contemporary cricketer to chronicle the domestic game and Ed Smith shows here that he has the skills required.

Brown Caps 50, 17 Jul 2006
TOP 10s, greatest 100s and finest 50 type books are always the same -- there are one or two that actually meet the criteria of being great, or top, or best, while the rest are there to make up the numbers. Lodge's effort is an exception though.
Other Lodge `catalogues' have been a bit of a struggle -- Surrey CCC 100 Greats springs to mind, but here he has found some great games from the archives.
Surrey have played thousands of matches, yet Lodge has done a good job of selecting a fine 50. The reader begins the journey of fine matches in 1872 and finishes in 2005.
The scorecards are included with each match summary and provide interesting reading. Look closely and you find the odd gem like Ali Brown's record breaking 268 against Glamorgan in 2002 during a Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy match. Even more fascinating is that despite that heroic effort Surrey only just managed to win by nine runs.
Looking through the round ups of these 50 matches, you almost wish this was a DVD rather than a book. To actually see Pat Pocock bowl those dream two overs against Sussex in 1972 would be more appealing.
With Sussex needing just five runs and six wickets in hand. Then Pocock turned it on. As the day neared its end, the spinner took seven wickets for just four runs in the last two overs, with five coming off the last over, including a hat-trick.
The match was drawn after Sussex looked certain to win. Pocock has been a living legend ever since.
There are some great memories, but lets hope there will be many more close finishes and heroic efforts from the Brown Caps.


A masterpiece!, 12 Nov 2003
Steve Chalke's first book is, quite simply, one of the most essential and innovative accounts of English cricket that has ever been written. Unusually penned in the present tense, but ever effective, it thoroughly encapsulates both the state of play of the English game and the interests of its participants, all within a thoroughly researched account of its context.

Excellent - a must have for a true cricket supporter!, 04 Oct 2001
The pictures are fantastic and many have not been seen before - and they are right up to date. The writing compliments the pictures and it is great to see this series being done for every county. They are great to collect and I am having fun trying to get players to autograph my copy. The current players are easy to get but it's the older ones that are more difficult as they are not always around, but I have had a successful season in getting older players.

Quality !!!, 21 Jul 2006
Written like a football biography but with a pinch of Wisden.One of the best cricket books I have ever read (in fact one of the best sporting books I have ever read) - well written & informal, it gives us an insight into the gritty, less glamorous life of a county cricketer & shares the doubts, anxieties, fears , ambitions, achievements & humour of the protaganists.
This preceeds the very good "Yakking Around The World" (which is also worth a punt)but is an even better read.
If you buy one cricket "biography" , this should be it. Witty & well written, highly recommended.

An excellent overview of what happens in "the middle", 09 Jun 2006
The key characteristic of Hughes' book is how cricket has changed since his 1980s-early 90s playing career. His descriptions of the catering at Lords are barely believable with three course lunches (including roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and syrup sponge, washed down by litres of tea; how would Flintoff and co. play after putting away that lot we must wonder. The insights into the team are riveting. These are players in the world's top cricket league yet they have to hold down off-season jobs, and have the constant risk of being "let go" at the end of every season; even when their county grants them a benefit year the player does all of the organising of benefit events! The highlight though was the description of the umpires dismissing batsmen lbw because they couldn't stand the low calibre "banter" between batsman and bowler. If only the same umpire had officiated in Steve Waugh's matches. Excellent stuff.

Gratuitously amusing account of a County Cricketers lot., 03 Feb 2004
I,ve read a lot of books on cricket.This is the only one i read repeatedly.Hughes is an engaging bloke doing his analysts job on Channel 4 but this gives no indication as to his wealth of cricketing anecdotes or the warm humour he brings to them, for essentially this is a warm and very funny book.It is also in it,s understated way a scathing critique of the county set up and of English professional cricket in general.
What makes this book particually likeable is that Hughes does,nt spare himself from his occasional bouts of withering scorn noting wryly that after a persistent no-ball problem he realised at last that he ,d better get his run up sorted out.Something of a must for any fast bowler i would say.The lack of profesionalism not to mention inate cowardice of many first class cricketers is a constant theme.So is the resemblance in so many ways to "normal" working lifes, the frustrations, the ennui and most noticeably the constant banter and p*** taking.
Hughes grasp of his fellow cricketers pecadiloes and idiosyncracities is perceptive and ball bouncingly funny.Gattings prodigous appetite,Edmonds intellectual snobbery,Daniels eye for the ladies, Bothams monstrous self confidence are all captured superbly but he,s as generous with praise as he is with disdain and alway gives a balanced view on everyone he writes about.
Some of the anecdotes are priceless.Brealey letting rip with a fearsome expletetive filled volley over the heads of M.C.C. members at Lords,Tufnells less than impressive entrance when coming out to bat,Emburey,s hilarious reply to an innocent enquiry as to the state of his back and numerous accounts of the banter out in the middle and in the dressing room.Great stuff.
"A lot of hard Yakka" is a refreshing change from the dry ghost written accounts of high profile careers cricketers usually churn out.It,s candid ,balanced wildly entertaining and i,ll say it again snot sprayingly funny.Now thats not bad for any book let alone one about cricket.

A must for all cricket fans!, 13 Nov 2003
This is a biography of Simon Hughes' days as a county cricketer. Most people who have an interest in the sport only see the games played at the very level - international cricket. Hughes' book is a humourous, entertaining account of his 20 years as a decent county pro.

Not only is it an excellent account of a life of a cricketer, it's a great read for those who have no interest in the game. Many of the stories can be identified with by people in all careers and is a ggood account of an individual's life.

A wonderful account of a cricketer's life, 29 Mar 2002
Top! I enjoyed this book with a passion. I do enjoy cricket but even non cricket lovers will like this one. A wonderful insightful look at the life of a county cricketer who always seems to be on the peripheral of something big. A class read.

An interesting account of the author's experiences..., 31 Jan 2005
...but that is all it is.

I enjoyed this book but it was not the book I was expecting or hoping for. That said, if Ed Smith had written the book I wanted him to write I suspect that only about 3 people would have read it.

I was hoping for a much more technical analysis of the similarities and differences between baseball and cricket. In this respect the book is quite sparse. The view that the equivalent of a batsman in cricket is the pitcher in baseball is interesting (although never really explored) but quite superficial.

Finally, in the section that discusses which cricketers could have played baseball, Ed Smith omits to mention the one cricketer who could not only have played baseball but been a star. Viv Richards, certainly the best batsman I have ever seen, would have been a fantastic baseball player - good speed, a strong arm, fantastic eye, powerful hitter - I suspect he could have even played shortstop.

Ed Smith gets it right, 20 Aug 2003
Ed Smith's very enjoyable book does a service to both sports - cricket and baseball. As I am a transplanted Yank in England, it helped me understand some of the tactical nuances of test cricket I had not yet penetrated - and it rekindled my nostalgia for baseball.

And it's always refreshing to see a double first at Cambridge put good old Anglo Saxon expressions in writing...

A good intro to the rival for cricket/baseball fans, 11 Jul 2003
Cricket enthusiasts who have watched any baseball will already know that the two sports share a lot more characteristics that simply hitting a ball with a stick. Most obviously, there is a shared obsession with statistics and tradition. This book lists those shared aspects, but also highlights the contrasts in the sports in an interesting and accessible way. It's a shame Smith did not ponder this fact though: the "brash" American sport has far more unwritten rules about behaviour on the pitch and not "showing up" the other side than the English gentleman's game. To show any significant enthusiasm after throwing a strikeout or hitting a home run is asking to be deliberately hit by the ball in the next inning (punishment beatings are an accepted and semi-sanctioned part of the game). In the so-called gentleman's game of cricket the players throw the ball in the air after a catch, shout and scream after a run out or for an lbw decision, and deliberately intimidate, 'bounce' and 'sledge' the opposition players. Baseball is nearly always played in a gentlemanly way, Cricket is (and has always been) brash. Ok, you get the odd punch-up in baseball, but those fights are nearly always because the unwritten rules of gentlemanly conduct have been broken. Nevertheless, Smith's book demonstrates quite clearly that any fan of one sport will almost certainly love the other.

Best introduction to baseball for an Englishman, 08 Nov 2002
First off I must declare a personal interest in this book. Ed Smith's father taught me English at A-level (a B grade, but I don't hold it against him) and Ed himself was a couple of years below me at school. Nevertheless I assure you this book is well worth the read, even from an impartial point of view.

I read it before a recent trip to California which happily coincided with the 2002 World Series - a rare all-Californian affair. Ed's descriptions of being in a World Series team's hometown during the event are very accurate (although sadly I never got to attend a Giants home game I did watch them with some fiercely partisan Giants supporters), not least in conveying quite what baseball means to Americans. Unlike one of the other reviewers I think Ed captured the human ties of the Special Relationship post-September 11 very well - the most evocative moment being when he tells of how the Star Spangled Banner had an unexpectedly emotional impact on him. The book is not just about cricket and baseball, early on Ed admits he bought into European anti-Americanism but as he spends more time understanding Americans through their national game he realises the error of his youthful ways!

Ed manages to bring baseball to life for those of us brought up believing cricket is a man's game whereas baseball is just glorified rounders. By drawing the many parallels between the two national games he achieves this in a way that makes it more accessible to an Englishman.

Promising debut - Better to come?, 03 Sep 2002
If Ed Smith writes a book about the County Cricket circuit, it could well be very good. Where he inhabits home territory in "Playing Hard Ball", the writing is compelling and natural. When he writes of Baseball, (which comprises the majority of the book) his efforts often begin to grind to the uninitiated reader. In seeking to compare and contrast the two games, Smith often tries too hard to find parallels and strains to keep the narrative flowing freely.
There are many deft touches and the scope of his own reading is impressive in a 25 year old pro sportsman. However, there are times when he seems out of his depth, particularly when dealing with Anglo-American feeling post September 11th.
With Simon Hughes now retired to the Analyst's couch, there is definitely a place for a contemporary cricketer to chronicle the domestic game and Ed Smith shows here that he has the skills required.

Brown Caps 50, 17 Jul 2006
TOP 10s, greatest 100s and finest 50 type books are always the same -- there are one or two that actually meet the criteria of being great, or top, or best, while the rest are there to make up the numbers. Lodge's effort is an exception though.
Other Lodge `catalogues' have been a bit of a struggle -- Surrey CCC 100 Greats springs to mind, but here he has found some great games from the archives.
Surrey have played thousands of matches, yet Lodge has done a good job of selecting a fine 50. The reader begins the journey of fine matches in 1872 and finishes in 2005.
The scorecards are included with each match summary and provide interesting reading. Look closely and you find the odd gem like Ali Brown's record breaking 268 against Glamorgan in 2002 during a Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy match. Even more fascinating is that despite that heroic effort Surrey only just managed to win by nine runs.
Looking through the round ups of these 50 matches, you almost wish this was a DVD rather than a book. To actually see Pat Pocock bowl those dream two overs against Sussex in 1972 would be more appealing.
With Sussex needing just five runs and six wickets in hand. Then Pocock turned it on. As the day neared its end, the spinner took seven wickets for just four runs in the last two overs, with five coming off the last over, including a hat-trick.
The match was drawn after Sussex looked certain to win. Pocock has been a living legend ever since.
There are some great memories, but lets hope there will be many more close finishes and heroic efforts from the Brown Caps.


A masterpiece!, 12 Nov 2003
Steve Chalke's first book is, quite simply, one of the most essential and innovative accounts of English cricket that has ever been written. Unusually penned in the present tense, but ever effective, it thoroughly encapsulates both the state of play of the English game and the interests of its participants, all within a thoroughly researched account of its context.

Excellent - a must have for a true cricket supporter!, 04 Oct 2001
The pictures are fantastic and many have not been seen before - and they are right up to date. The writing compliments the pictures and it is great to see this series being done for every county. They are great to collect and I am having fun trying to get players to autograph my copy. The current players are easy to get but it's the older ones that are more difficult as they are not always around, but I have had a successful season in getting older players.

Excellent - a must have for a true cricket supporter!, 04 Oct 2001
The pictures are fantastic and many have not been seen before - and they are right up to date. The writing compliments the pictures and it is great to see this series being done for every county. They are great to collect and I am having fun trying to get players to autograph my copy. The current players are easy to get but it's the older ones that are more difficult as they are not always around, but I have had a successful season in getting older players.