Cricket Books

[SJS]

Originally Posted by stumpski

I was wondering whether anyone can recommend a book on Sobers - other greats such as Hobbs, Bradman, Richards have had many books written on them but I can't recall seeing one on Sir Garfield .. there must have been at least one though I don't see any in the review section.

The absence of a eally great book on Sobers has always irritated me . Here are the three I have.

• Garry (that's how it spells there) Sobers : My Autobiography with Bob Harris
• Sir Gary - A Biography by Trevor Bailey
• Sobers : Twenty Years at the Top by Sobers with Brian Scovell

[Perm]

Originally Posted by archie mac

Reviews?

Possibly, I've got a few other assignments for James before I can get down to reading them, but I'll try.

[Matt79]

Yeah, the Harris ghosted autobiog of Sobers ain't bad. It's better than the one he did with Viv Richards (or maybe Sobers is just a better subject - Viv came across as a knob in his Harris ghosted autobiog).

Have a look around the second hand book shops and see whether you can find Sobers' own books from when he was playing, Cricket Crusader, Cricket Advance, and King Cricket. They're quite good and give you more of a sense of the man IMO.

[stumpski]

Thanks, I'll have a look for those, and I have heard of the Bailey book now I'm reminded of it. It just strikes me that with Sobers you also get the three Ws, Griffith and Hall, Kanhai and Lloyd and much more besides. I gather that towards the latter part of his career he was quite the bon viveur as well, a tradition carried on by the likes of Botham and Lamb.

[Matt79]

I think through most of his career tbh. That's certainly covered in some detail in the Harris book. Essentially his argument was that he played better after being out on the turps til 3am, because he didn't have to rock up til 10:50-ish and if he turned in at 8-9pm, he was too keyed up about the game the next day and tossed and turned all night playing and replaying the upcoming game in his head, and ended up shattered the next day. He also pointed out that he did it through most of his career and it never seemed to harm his performance.

[Perm]

Didn't he stay up all night drinking port or something before his final game at Lords?

[Matt79]

He liked port. But apparently he also liked port and ginger ale mixed together (IIRC) as a hair of the dog in the morning, and if he had that he was right as rain to play, regardless of how sore he was when he woke up.

[Speersy]

Originally Posted by Matt79

I think through most of his career tbh. That's certainly covered in some detail in the Harris book. Essentially his argument was that he played better after being out on the turps til 3am, because he didn't have to rock up til 10:50-ish and if he turned in at 8-9pm, he was too keyed up about the game the next day and tossed and turned all night playing and replaying the upcoming game in his head, and ended up shattered the next day. He also pointed out that he did it through most of his career and it never seemed to harm his performance.

and he always wanted to play better so that people didn't use his late nights as an excuse.

I read his autobiography, weird at the end how he honestly wishes he was a golfer as nobody criticizes them when they perform poorly

[pasag]

Finally finished Bodyline Autopsy, such a quality account of the series, I can't imagine anything topping it for sheer detail and unbias. WG Grace by Simon Rae is next on my list and at just under 500 pages, will be looking to finish it by sometime in 09

[archie mac]

Originally Posted by pasag

Finally finished Bodyline Autopsy, such a quality account of the series, I can't imagine anything topping it for sheer detail and unbias. WG Grace by Simon Rae is next on my list and at just under 500 pages, will be looking to finish it by sometime in 09

The best bodyline book for mine, and I have read close to a dozen other books on the subject, plus I have read bios on at least half of the players involved in the series

[pasag]

Originally Posted by archie mac

The best bodyline book for mine, and I have read close to a dozen other books on the subject, plus I have read bios on at least half of the players involved in the series

Would love to get my hands on Larwood's and Jardine's books on the subject. Any idea of any places in Melbourne to have a look?

[stumpski]

Originally Posted by pasag

Would love to get my hands on Larwood's and Jardine's books on the subject. Any idea of any places in Melbourne to have a look?

I read Jardine's book In Quest of the Ashes many years ago, and my recollection is that it was quite dull, in fact I'm not sure if I even finished it. But now I've read Bodyline Autopsy I suppose I ought to dig it out again. I think he skirts over the whole bodyline business though.

[archie mac]

Originally Posted by pasag

Would love to get my hands on Larwood's and Jardine's books on the subject. Any idea of any places in Melbourne to have a look?

If you can find the hard back Larwood bio, I have a spare dust jacket you can have

[archie mac]

Originally Posted by stumpski

I read Jardine's book In Quest of the Ashes many years ago, and my recollection is that it was quite dull, in fact I'm not sure if I even finished it. But now I've read Bodyline Autopsy I suppose I ought to dig it out again. I think he skirts over the whole bodyline business though.

Yes the Jardine one will put you to sleep

[Matt79]

I'm fifty pages into Rae's WG Grace, and I'm struggling a little. That might be due to baby-related sleep rationing (3-4 hours a night), I am enjoying it - I just can't read more than 3 pages at a time without my concentration wandering.

I'm two-timing Rae with Mallet's Trumper, which I got ages ago but only now got around to reading. Finding that more lively and engaging and... accessible in my current state. That said, its got some great howlers in terms of writing in there. Things like three sentences in a row all describing exactly the same thing in almost identical terms.