"There are riches on every page...It's almost as fun as scoring a century. Almost." —Daily Mail
"This is charming stuff from a writer who has not lost a certain boyish delight in the game or its myths and legends...the book serves as a wonderful prop for woollen jumper wearers this summer as they wait for yet another rain delay to pass." —The Times
"Berkmann brings the dogged romanticism of the village green to this hugely enjoyable smorgasbord of gossip, anecdote and celebration of the sport's legends." —Sunday Times
"A Crickipedia! Marcus Berkmann has stories about them all." —Mail on Sunday
Marcus Berkmann, author of the cricket classics Rain Men and Zimmer Men, returns to the great game with this irresistible miscellany of cricketing trivia, stories and more fascinating facts than Geoffrey Boycott could shake a stick of rhubarb at. Which England captain smoked two million cigarettes in his lifetime? Which Australian captain, asked what his favourite animal was, said 'Merv Hughes'? What did Hitler think of cricket? Which National Hunt trainer had a dog called Sobers? Who was described in his obituary as 'perhaps the only unequivocally popular man in Yorkshire'?
No other sport is so steeped in oddness and eccentricity. There's the only Test player ever to be executed for murder, the only first-class cricketer to die on the Titanic, and the only bestselling author to catch fire while playing at Lord's. (It was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The ball hit a box of matches in his pocket.) All cricket is here, including an XI entirely made up of players who share their names with freshwater fish.
