Product Description

In this new anecdotal book, the unstoppable Dickie Bird takes one County Cricket Club at a time and revisits each with the aid of memorabilia, statistics, books and videos. A mass of new hilarious stories flow from Dickie as he flexes his memory: he describes the cricketers, the matches and the character of these clubs. Dickie also relives his journeys as a umpire to clubs and Test match arenas overseas and recalls the humorous times that have filled his unique career. A must have for cricket enthusiasts everywhere.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #66977 in Books
• Published on: 2000-09-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

The Times
'An entertaining view of sport from the other side of the wicket'

Review
‘A delightful book...I defy anyone to read it without emotion’ (Daily Telegraph on DICKIE BIRD - MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY )

'For those who love tales from the pavilion bar, this book is a jolly good read' (Independent on WHITE CAP AND BAILS )

'Humorous anecdotes abound' (Yorkshire Evening Post on W C & B )

'An immense book...joyous and kindly' (The Cricketer International on W C & B )

'An entertaining view of sport from the other side of the wicket' (The Times )

The Cricketer International on W C & B
'An immense book...joyous and kindly'

Customer Reviews

Very Poor and Boring
I admit I never finished this. It was so poor I couldn't stand any more of the anecdotes. It was about as much fun as a duodenal ulcer. If you find "I went to Ilkestone one day. It was so windy my hat blew off" (read in a dour Yorkshire accent) at all funny, then you will probably enjoy the book. For the rest - avoid like the plague.

A travelogue of the cricket grounds of England and beyond
White Cap and Bails follows a different format from Dickie Bird's autobiography. Rather than being a chronology, it is a sort of travelogue, with a chapter devoted to each county followed by similar content regarding international grounds.

For each county, Bird gives his best anecdotes about the club, its grounds, and his personal experience with it, both as a player and an umpire.

I think the international section is a bit unneccesary, as it does not go into anywhere near the depth of the rest of the book. That would be better suited for another Dickie Bird release.

The most remarkable thing about White Cap and Bails is that, for the most part, it avoids repeating the same information from Dickie Bird: My Autobiography.

I reccomend this book to anybody who loves cricket.

A superficial, glib rehash of old stories.
I admire Dickie Bird as an umpire and have memories of seeing him as a batsman for Yorkshire, and very promising he was too. I still see him nowadays when he visits Scarborough cricket club for Yorkshire matches, and he is a deservedly popular figure. However, this book is a grave disappointment. It is a highly superficial skim through the first class counties and major test playing countries, purporting to be Dickie's memories, but more often than not rehashing old stories of cricketers of the distant past. These can be found in other publications, and those that can't are not worth repeating anyway. Some of the stories are so thin and lacking interest you wonder how they could be included in a supposedly serious book. This reads like a publisher's attempt to milk Dickie's popularity, by throwing together a book of slender content, with nothing new to offer a cricket fan. It is not a worthy tribute to Dickie and it is a shame it bears his name. Avoid this one.