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In this fascinating collection of interviews, John Duncan explores the eccentric and absorbing game of cricket in conversation with twenty of the most respected names in British culture, entertainment, sport, business and politics. The Duke of Edinburgh, Sir Michael Parkinson, Rory Bremner, Sir Tim Rice, Alan Davies, Sir Martin Sorrell, Barry Norman, Chris Tarrant, Bill Wyman, Sir John Major and Nicholas Parsons are among those who feature in Cricket Wonderful Cricket. They all offer their anecdotes, humour, memories, heroes and opinions as they tell of Hitler putting an early end to a budding Yorkshire career, a man creating his own cricket ground, a team being called Dusty Fleming's International Hair Stylists, shuddering at the thought of watching cricket while sitting next to Robert Mugabe and an innings of 1,792 not out. Former England Ashes winning captain Mike Gatting says A terrific mix of interviews has produced some pretty amazing stories. It's an absolute must for cricket lovers.A" About the author John Duncan is a writer and former broadcaster who made his debut alongside Des Lynam at BBC Radio Brighton. While also pursuing a successful business career, he commentated and reported on cricket, football and other sports and has written for the national press on a range of topics including banking, travel and sport. He has been commentator on charity & benefit cricket matches for 40 years, primarily for the Lord's Taverners cricketing charity.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I am pleased to say that this book did not disappoint. The premise - getting well-known cricket fans from culture, business and politics to talk about the game - is a sound one and the list of those involved is impressive. From the Duke of Edinburgh, Sir Michael Parkinson, Rory Bremner and Tim Rice through Chris Tarrant, Ainsley Harriott, Bill Wyman, Alan Davies and many more, those involved share their anecdotes and memories of the game in a book which is a joy from start to finish.
Part of the success is that the author, John Duncan, is a former broadcaster and cricket commentator and manages to put the interviews across in a way that makes you feel you are sitting across a coffee table listening to them. We all have our cricket stories but the author has managed to extract some pertinent and amusing stuff from his 'cast list.'
So we hear of the celebrity who was responsible for ex-Derbyshire player Fred Rumsey losing four teeth in a charity match ("you haven't lost them Fred, I've got some of them here...") and the former England legend who thought John Alderton was Graham Gooch. There are tales of Shane Warne showing kids how to bowl leg breaks in the nets when he could have mingled with the rich and famous and of the Duke of Edinburgh agreeing to play a charity match and being given out lbw first ball! How many of us would like to have been Ainsley Harriott, playing cricket with Lance Gibbs and Clive Lloyd in his back garden as a child, or Nicholas Parsons, with a claim to fame of having clean bowled Denis Lillee?
There are plenty of laugh out loud moments, from Allan Lamb's tendency to malapropisms "be careful with him, he doesn't take any pensioners" to David Lloyd's encounter with Jeff Thomson's fastest delivery in the nether regions "everything that was supposed to be inside the box had come outside - through the air holes." Ouch!
It was fascinating to hear how Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber once wrote a thirty minute mini operetta called Cricket, which was staged before a small private audience including the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. There were plans to record it but several tunes were used in The Phantom of the Opera and Aspects of Love. The hero's big song in Cricket was All I Ask of Life,sung as the batsman is being battered by a West Indian fast bowler. It later became All I Ask of You in Phantom of the Opera and did rather well...
In short, this book is 267 pages of pleasure. A word too for the publishers who have done the author proud. I have lost count in recent years of the number of books ruined by poor proof reading and people not doing their homework. John Wright's amusing autobiography disappointingly contained several references to his Derbyshire team mate "Fred Swarbrick" and such carelessness must irk others as it does me. Another I read recently had so many mis-spelt names that I was compelled to write to the publishers in frustration.
This book is a perfect union between an author who knows his subject and can write, coupled with a publisher who does all the rest to the highest possible standard. Given that you can pick this up on Amazon for £6.59 (£9.99 in book shops) there's a big incentive to buy, especially with all profits going to the Lords Taverners charity.
Excellent job Mr Duncan. The best cricket book I've read this year.
Review originally published on Peakfan's blog at www.derbyshirecricket.blogspot.com
Part of the success is that the author, John Duncan, is a former broadcaster and cricket commentator and manages to put the interviews across in a way that makes you feel you are sitting across a coffee table listening to them. We all have our cricket stories but the author has managed to extract some pertinent and amusing stuff from his 'cast list.'
So we hear of the celebrity who was responsible for ex-Derbyshire player Fred Rumsey losing four teeth in a charity match ("you haven't lost them Fred, I've got some of them here...") and the former England legend who thought John Alderton was Graham Gooch. There are tales of Shane Warne showing kids how to bowl leg breaks in the nets when he could have mingled with the rich and famous and of the Duke of Edinburgh agreeing to play a charity match and being given out lbw first ball! How many of us would like to have been Ainsley Harriott, playing cricket with Lance Gibbs and Clive Lloyd in his back garden as a child, or Nicholas Parsons, with a claim to fame of having clean bowled Denis Lillee?
There are plenty of laugh out loud moments, from Allan Lamb's tendency to malapropisms "be careful with him, he doesn't take any pensioners" to David Lloyd's encounter with Jeff Thomson's fastest delivery in the nether regions "everything that was supposed to be inside the box had come outside - through the air holes." Ouch!
It was fascinating to hear how Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber once wrote a thirty minute mini operetta called Cricket, which was staged before a small private audience including the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. There were plans to record it but several tunes were used in The Phantom of the Opera and Aspects of Love. The hero's big song in Cricket was All I Ask of Life,sung as the batsman is being battered by a West Indian fast bowler. It later became All I Ask of You in Phantom of the Opera and did rather well...
In short, this book is 267 pages of pleasure. A word too for the publishers who have done the author proud. I have lost count in recent years of the number of books ruined by poor proof reading and people not doing their homework. John Wright's amusing autobiography disappointingly contained several references to his Derbyshire team mate "Fred Swarbrick" and such carelessness must irk others as it does me. Another I read recently had so many mis-spelt names that I was compelled to write to the publishers in frustration.
This book is a perfect union between an author who knows his subject and can write, coupled with a publisher who does all the rest to the highest possible standard. Given that you can pick this up on Amazon for £6.59 (£9.99 in book shops) there's a big incentive to buy, especially with all profits going to the Lords Taverners charity.
Excellent job Mr Duncan. The best cricket book I've read this year.
Review originally published on Peakfan's blog at www.derbyshirecricket.blogspot.com
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The literature of cricket is rich with wonderful writers weaving equally wonderful stories, but although this extraordinary game constantly produces new tales, it's difficult to justify yet another book.
But John Duncan's Cricket Wonderful Cricket does more than just earn its place on a crowded bookshelf. He has interviewed 20 `celebrities', found out how cricket came into their lives and what the game means to them and drawn out plenty of new anecdotes, some of them undoubtedly true.
Although the author painstakingly explains how each meeting took place, he lets the tape recorder run, is sparing with his own opinions and allows readers to make their own decisions about the personalities and what they have to say.
Because of their well-publicised love of cricket, some of those interviewed almost pick themselves: comedian and impressionist Rory Bremner, Ian now Lord MacLaurin, who turned Tesco into Britain's biggest retailer, Barry Norman, Michael Parkinson, Tim Rice and Chris Tarrant.
Others are more surprising and, perhaps because of that, are the better reads: actress Lorraine Chase, one-time football manager Graham Taylor, former Rolling Stones bass player Bill Wyman and the Duke of Edinburgh.
Duncan has waived his fee and all proceeds from the book go to the Lord's Taverners cricketing charity.
But John Duncan's Cricket Wonderful Cricket does more than just earn its place on a crowded bookshelf. He has interviewed 20 `celebrities', found out how cricket came into their lives and what the game means to them and drawn out plenty of new anecdotes, some of them undoubtedly true.
Although the author painstakingly explains how each meeting took place, he lets the tape recorder run, is sparing with his own opinions and allows readers to make their own decisions about the personalities and what they have to say.
Because of their well-publicised love of cricket, some of those interviewed almost pick themselves: comedian and impressionist Rory Bremner, Ian now Lord MacLaurin, who turned Tesco into Britain's biggest retailer, Barry Norman, Michael Parkinson, Tim Rice and Chris Tarrant.
Others are more surprising and, perhaps because of that, are the better reads: actress Lorraine Chase, one-time football manager Graham Taylor, former Rolling Stones bass player Bill Wyman and the Duke of Edinburgh.
Duncan has waived his fee and all proceeds from the book go to the Lord's Taverners cricketing charity.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have very much enjoyed reading this book. The interviews with the various people provide a very interesting insight to their connections with cricket, but also tell us a little bit about these people as well. I particularly enjoyed the chapters on Rory Bremner and Nicholas Parson, but all 20 chapters are very good.
I like cricket, but I don't count myself as any kind of cricket expert - and that's what good about this book - it will appeal to anyone who has interest in people, as well as cricket fans. It is very well written.
I can definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants a relaxing, enjoyable, amusing and interesting read.
I like cricket, but I don't count myself as any kind of cricket expert - and that's what good about this book - it will appeal to anyone who has interest in people, as well as cricket fans. It is very well written.
I can definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants a relaxing, enjoyable, amusing and interesting read.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Boring !
Am I missing something ? Of all the many cricket books I have read this is the worst. It is repetitive and tedious...it's only merit is that the proceeds go to charity. Read more
Published 8 months ago by DavidOrlo,London
Cricket Wonderful Cricket
The authentic sound of bat on ball from those who know! John Duncan has interviewed 20 well known personalities, each with a warm affection for 'the summer game' and the result is... Read more
Published 11 months ago by AD - Tufnell Park
A brilliant concept turned into a fascinating read
You don't need to be a cricketing aficionado to enjoy this fascinating collection of interviews with various famous people all of whom share a love of cricket and have the... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Olly
A delightful read
It never amazes me how cricket attracts such a diverse group to the game. In his very readable book "Cricket, Wonderful Cricket" John Duncan captures this diversity in a series of... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Byron Ousey
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