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And God Created Cricket
 
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And God Created Cricket (Hardcover)

by Simon Hughes (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
RRP: £20.00
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Product details

  • Hardcover: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Doubleday & Co Inc. (5 Jun 2009)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0385614993
  • ISBN-13: 978-0385614993
  • Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.8 x 4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,746 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #5 in  Books > Sports, Hobbies & Games > Cricket

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Product Description

Product Description

Cricket defines Englishness like no other national pastime. From its earliest origins in the sixteenth century (or an early version played by shepherds called creag in the 1300s), through the formation of the MCC and the opening of Lord's cricket ground in 1787, to the spread of county cricket in the next century, when the "Wisden Cricketers' Almanack" was first published and the Ashes series was born, this simple sport of bat and ball has captured the imagination of the masses. Throughout its 500-year history, cricket has been a mirror for society as a whole, reflecting the changes that have brought us from the quintessential village green to Freddie Flintoff's pedalo, from W G Grace to Monty Panesar, via a fair number of eccentrics, heroes and downright villains. William Hill Award-winning writer Simon Hughes, no mean player himself, has lived and breathed cricket his whole life and now takes his analytical skills and typically irreverent eye to charting the history of English cricket. But this is no dry, dusty tome. It is the story of the mad characters who inhabit the game, the extraordinary lengths people will go to watch and play it, the tale of a national obsession. It debunks the myth of cricket sportsmanship, showing the origins of sledging and match-fixing in centuries of subterfuge, corruption and violence. And it takes us beyond sport, to the heart of what it really means to be English.


From the Inside Flap

For centuries, the sport of cricket has been known for its spirit of fair play, gentlemanly conduct, mellow thwack of leather on willow and all-round good old-fashioned Englishness. Wrong. Since the earliest primitive hitabouts, cricket has been rife with gambling, corruption, subterfuge and violence, and has been run by a bunch of self-appointed incompetents. Well, some things never change.

In And God Created Cricket, award-winning writer and broadcaster Simon Hughes casts his expert eye over the real history of this most English of sports, and how the rest of the world soon started beating us at it. From the first encounters with the dastardly Australians, through the emergence of the West Indies as the most frightening force the game has ever seen, to the modern commercial operation headquartered in India and Dubai, cricket has survived and still thrives, alternately captivating and infuriating almost two billion people.

With his unique blend of irreverent humour, biting analysis and deep affection for cricket, Hughes also revisits and evaluates the greats of the game and their incredible scoring feats - the laws have always been biased towards batsmen, after all - as well as those whose names have not gone down so well in history. And through it all runs the seam of the Ashes, the titanic contests between England and Australia that always seem to elevate the sport to something altogether different. It just is cricket.


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7 Reviews
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 (1)
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Yozzer in sparkling form, 10 Jun 2009
By Anthony Brace - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This is an outstanding book, perhaps his best yet - a bit like his bowling ; pacy, incisive, slightly unpredictable and mostly pretty accurate. It's also funny ( a characteristic which Viv Richards might say his bowling also shared). Any cricket-lover is bound to enjoy it - make a good birthday or Christmas present !
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best, 13 Jul 2009
By G. McQueen - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I used to be a TV cricket widow until 2005 - I loved every word of this book - the history bits - the funny bits and finished it just in time for the Ashes so I am now giving bits of info to my cricket mad other half - what a way to spend retirement - watching cricket on TV and reading cricket books - but this was certainly the best. His sense of humour is a delight.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars what a gem, 8 Jul 2009
By G. talbot "geoff talbot" (peterborough, uk) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
What a gem of a book.For any cricket lovers, a good cricket book is a must- & this one is one of the best that i`ve ever read. Superbly written, very funny in parts, (more than once i was told off by work collegues for laughing out loud,non cricket lovers-heathens!)Was`nt a bad bowler in his day, but a helluva writer,so if you looking for a good, funny read, do yourself a favour & buy this book, you wont be dissapointed
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars He's a commentator, not a writer
I love Simon the Analyst, but he should stick to that. Shame, as he's obviously put a lot of research into this, but it comes out as weak schoolboy humour. Read more
Published 22 days ago by M. Evans

5.0 out of 5 stars The best without a doubt
There are a lot of fine, and some very funny, books about cricket. If you only buy one, this must be it. Funny, perceptive, and hugely informative.
Published 2 months ago by Neil French

4.0 out of 5 stars Irreverent potted history of English cricket told in Hughes normal enjoyable way .
Personally I don't, think you can give even a potted history of English cricket in around 300 pages but Simon Hughes has had a jolly good go with And God Created Cricket. Read more
Published 3 months ago by russell clarke

5.0 out of 5 stars And God Created Cricket
This book was in fact a present for my son-in-law, who stated that he thoroughly enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it.
Published 4 months ago by C. F. Smitheman

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