A Striking Summer

Archie Mac | 8:19am BST 06 July 2025

Published: 2024
Pages: 255
Author: Brenkley, Stephen
Publisher: Fairfield Books
Rating: 5 stars

What a run of quality tour books I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing lately. First David Tossell’s Blood on the Tracks, followed by John Benaud’s The First Ball After Lunch, and now Stephen Brenkley’s superb A Striking Summer, about the 1926 Ashes series.

One of the noticeable differences about Brenkley’s book is the timeframe. With no living participants the challenge for the author was to present a fresh take on a well known contest. He achieves this magnificently by presenting the series in the context of its time. In fact Brenkley achieves his goal so well; A Striking Summer should be the template for all cricket tour books.

The book starts with a brief history of the Ashes series, as well as the financial problems England faced after the Great War. The dominance of the Aussies in the first three post war series, combined with the plight of the miners left England desperate for good news. It seems the whole country was following the Ashes, from the prime minister to the poor miners. The book’s title is a reference to the coal mining strikes that occurred during 1926, which was protracted and despite the strikers catch phase, ‘not an hour on the day. Not a penny off the pay’, resulted in exactly the opposite.

It’s not all doom and gloom and wherever possible the author lightens the mood. His extract from the cricket loving, Peter Pan author James Barrie’s welcome speech to the Australian cricketers is an example; “Our fast bowler – I mention this in confidence – is WK Thunder. He has never been known to smile except when people refer to Mr Gregory as a fast bowler”.

Brenkley combines his coverage of the series with pen portraits of the combatants, including the English selectors. Unlike other books that follow a similar pattern, these brief entries are dispersed throughout, and rather than covering the subjects whole career focus on their record to the start of the 1926 summer. This makes them more relevant to the contest, and gives a sense of immediacy.

At the time of the series, and since, much criticism has been levelled at the decision to afford each Test just three days play. The reason for this was to minimise impact on the County Championship, which at the time played two matches a week, with a rest day on Sunday. Brenkley points out that the drawn Lord’s Test in 1926 over three days contained 50 overs more than the Lord’s Test of 2023, which finished on the fifth day. Slow scoring rates and inclement weather resulted in the first four Tests ending in draws.

In the end, the fifth and deciding Test of 1926 was played to a finish. This match at the Oval is still considered one of the great contests, mainly for the tremendous sticky wicket master class opening stand between Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe. The quality of this partnership was summed up by the contemporary cricketer and writer Arthur Croome:

“Before they started their performance, if I had been given my choice of all the pairs who have ever gone in first for England, I should have selected Dr WG Grace and Shrewsbury to bat for my side in existing circumstances. Now I consider reincarnation unnecessary’.   

Apart from the great opening pair, the fifth Test had the dropping of both the English captain Arthur Carr, and the most successful bowler of the series Fred Root. In their places were the untried captain Percy Chapman, and one of the selectors; 48 year old Wilfred Rhodes.

Throughout history, the chairman of selectors ‘Plum’ Warner has been credited for the changes and as such, a large share in the glory of England’s Ashes triumph. Unfortunately, ‘Plum’ comes across in A Striking Summer as a disloyal and perhaps conniving figure. First, he all but guaranteed Carr and Root their places in the fifth Test. Next, he took credit for usurping Carr with Chapman, when in fact he also wanted Chapman dropped for the decider so his own county representative Greville Stevens could assume the leadership role. At this stage only amateurs could captain England and if Chapman joined Carr on the sidelines, then Stevens would have been the only amateur in the team, and as a result captain by default.

I am not sure I have read a better cricket tour book then this one, and it goes without saying that I will buy whatever cricket book Stephen Brenkley next pens.