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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #36029 in Books
• Published on: 1998-04-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

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 )

Synopsis
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.

About the Author
Simon Hughes won four championship medals with Middlesex between 1980 and 1991. He retired in 1994 to write for the Daily Telegraph and commentate for TV. He is the author of one previous book, From Minor to Major.

Customer Reviews

The best cricket book around
There are not many "authentic" books concerning the life of a county cricketer in England in recent times. Too many cricket books concentrate on individual games, acheivements, scores and so on. This one is different. Simon Hughes gets right into the heart of what it is like trawling around, day-in day-out to places like Chelmsford, Canterbury and Colwyn Bay erking out a living on the county cricket circuit. Hughes details not only the game and his time in it but acts as a sort of mirror for our changing society and habits too, through the background of cricket. Players used to eat enormous roast beef meals followed by trifle and fruit pie and apple crumble in a 40 minute lunch interval. Nowadays, that sort of consumption is frowned upon in one's office lunch break let alone the dining room of professional sportsmen.


Hughes describes his own sporting and personal ups and downs but he never allows his narrative to become self-pitying nor does he show the presence of any chips on his shoulder. He does not hold back in criticising people by name if he needs to, and this is refreshing in amongst so much of the "what happens in the dessing room stays in the dressing room" platitudes found in many similar books. Overall, this is an honest, engaging, often wryly amusing and above all, interesting read.

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 written & informal, it gives us an insight into the gritty, less glamorous life of a county cricketer & shares the doubts, anxieties, fears , ambitions, achievements & humour of the protaganists.
This preceeds the very good "Yakking Around The World" (which is also worth a punt)but is an even better read.
If you buy one cricket "biography" , this should be it. Witty & well written, highly recommended.

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. His descriptions of the catering at Lords are barely believable with three course lunches (including roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and syrup sponge, washed down by litres of tea; how would Flintoff and co. play after putting away that lot we must wonder. The insights into the team are riveting. These are players in the world's top cricket league yet they have to hold down off-season jobs, and have the constant risk of being "let go" at the end of every season; even when their county grants them a benefit year the player does all of the organising of benefit events! The highlight though was the description of the umpires dismissing batsmen lbw because they couldn't stand the low calibre "banter" between batsman and bowler. If only the same umpire had officiated in Steve Waugh's matches. Excellent stuff.