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A Lot of Hard Yakka: Triumph and Torment - A County Cricketer's Life
 
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A Lot of Hard Yakka: Triumph and Torment - A County Cricketer's Life (Paperback)

by Simon Hughes (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
RRP: £8.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Headline; New Ed edition (2 April 1998)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0747255164
  • ISBN-13: 978-0747255161
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.4 x 2.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 7,048 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #1 in  Books > Sports, Hobbies & Games > Cricket > English
    #7 in  Books > Biography > Sport > Cricket

Product Description

Review
‘You won’t read a better inside story of cricket and the men who play it for a living. Vigorous, funny and full of insight from a gifted observer. It was a book waiting to be written and Simon Hughes has done it.’ (Michael Parkinson )

‘Terrific.’ (Harold Pinter )

‘A devastating account of English cricket and its shortcomings... The book describes the shocking lack of ambition, dedication, coaching and leadership in English cricket.’ (Mike Brearley, Observer )

‘A brilliant commentary on the life of a county cricketer.’ (Mike Selvey, Guardian )

‘You will never read a better book about the bizarre circus known as county cricket ... a very funny, often outrageous book.’ (Ian Wooldridge, Daily Mail )

‘Hughes may never have scaled the heights as a cricketer, but he has become a wonderful writer on the sport ... gaspingly candid ... One thing is clear from this book - he had a really good time. So will anyone sensible enough to read it.’ (Marcus Berkmann, Daily Telegraph )

‘Sharp and funny ... his book sails neatly between self-glorification and self-pity and lays bare the real truth of the athlete: a dark life of angst and self-doubt lit by sudden piercing shafts of transcendent adequacy.’ (Simon Barnes, The Times )

‘May be the first cricketer’s autobiography ever to tell it like it is, from dressing-room to bedroom ... Hughes is rivetingly unguarded.’ (Tim de Lisle, Wisden Cricket Monthly )

‘As life-lived-through-sport, it is pure Hornby ... The book that cricket needed.’ (Simon Wilde, The Times )

Product Description
Between 1980 and 1993, Simon Hughes was a regular on the county circuit, playing for Middlesex until 1991 before moving on to Durham at the end of his career. In that time, he played alongside some of the great characters in cricket: Mike Brearley, Mike Gatting, Phil Edmonds and Ian Botham. This is not an autobiography of a good county pro, but a look at the ups and downs, the lifestyle, the practical jokes and sheer hard yakka that make such a poorly paid, insecure job appeal to so many. Now a respected journalist and broadcaster, Simon Hughes has written a brilliant, amusing and wrily self-depracating book, packed with hilarious and embarrassing anecdotes about some of the greatest cricketers of the last 20 years.

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Customer Reviews

12 Reviews
5 star:
 (10)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An articulate and humourous account of the game Hughes loves, 1 Oct 1999
Perhaps I'm biassed. After all, I'm a student who'd love to play for Middlesex (and, like Hughes, their training runs go past my back garden). The difference is that I'm no good at cricket. But Hughes never quite loses the sense of wonder at his own ability - or good fortune - that so many young cricketers would feel given the chance to play for their county. It's this love for the game that pervades the book. Add to that good humour and insider knowledge and you have a winning combination. If you are a county-cricket wannabe, or if you were twenty years ago, you simply must read this book. And if you wondered what it was like to play when England actually won things you should read it too. Hell, you should just read it anyway. You'll love it.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars I learned a great deal about cricket, 30 Jul 2001
Being Scottish I have always viewed cricket from the outside. The only knowledge I have of the game comes from watching television, when it is usually the highest level that is shown. Simon Hughes has opened my eyes to the other side of the coin, how the cricketer who does not quite make it spends his sporting life. I can certainly recommend this book to anyone who has a passing interest in this wonderful sport.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The best I've ever read., 15 Oct 2000
By A Customer
I am young and I don't read much and I was given this book for a present. I didn't even pick it up for ages but once I started reading it I found it fascinating. You discover the most bizarre stories which made me laugh for ages and discover some of the biggest characters in the game. You realise the lack of motivation in cricketers as well which is what possibly leads to our national side's continued failure. Hughes takes you through all the emotions of being a professional cricketer, both on and off the field. This book is so easy to follow and so fascinating to read. I've started reading the second book which is good but not quite as good as this book and I'm going to have to read it again soon!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Quality !!!
Written like a football biography but with a pinch of Wisden.One of the best cricket books I have ever read (in fact one of the best sporting books I have ever read) - well... Read more
Published on 21 Jul 2006 by DavyA

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent overview of what happens in "the middle"
The key characteristic of Hughes' book is how cricket has changed since his 1980s-early 90s playing career. Read more
Published on 9 Jun 2006 by Caterkiller

5.0 out of 5 stars Gratuitously amusing account of a County Cricketers lot.
I,ve read a lot of books on cricket.This is the only one i read repeatedly.Hughes is an engaging bloke doing his analysts job on Channel 4 but this gives no indication as to his... Read more
Published on 3 Feb 2004 by russell clarke

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for all cricket fans!
This is a biography of Simon Hughes' days as a county cricketer. Most people who have an interest in the sport only see the games played at the very level - international cricket... Read more
Published on 13 Nov 2003 by Viddy

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful account of a cricketer's life
Top! I enjoyed this book with a passion. I do enjoy cricket but even non cricket lovers will like this one. Read more
Published on 29 Mar 2002 by Roger King

5.0 out of 5 stars There's never been a cricket book like it!
For so long, cricket books have been easy to categorise: statistical, biographical, historical/literary. Read more
Published on 26 Aug 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars English cricket unmasked.
A lot of hard yakka? Certainly not reading this wonderful book. Simon Hughes' dissection of English county cricket is actue, informed and funny. Read more
Published on 25 Aug 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars A 'journeymans' tale of life on the county cricket circuit
From his introduction to the sport, through his successful years at Middlessex and his less successful years at Durham to his career in journalism, Simon Hughes recounts what... Read more
Published on 26 Jul 1999

4.0 out of 5 stars window into county cricket
Great book for anyone with an interest in cricket or professional sport in general. If you thought the county circuit was made of cosy matches and chumsey rolly polly... Read more
Published on 11 Jan 1999

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