Product Description

‘Fred Trueman was the first superstar of the game. He was a flamboyant, larger-than-life character’ Ian Botham Fred Trueman was so much more than a cricketing legend. ‘The greatest living Yorkshireman’ according to Prime Minister Harold Wilson, he couldn’t help excelling at everything he did, whether it was as a hostile fast bowler for Yorkshire and England, and the first man to take 300 Test wickets in a career, or as a fearlessly outspoken radio summariser for Test Match Special. He was famous for regularly spluttering that ‘I don’t know what’s going off out there’, as well as for the level of swearing he managed to incorporate into everyday speech. Beloved of cricket crowds who filled grounds to witness his belligerent way of playing the game, and nothing but trouble to the cricket authorities, ‘Fiery Fred’ was the epitome of a full-blooded Englishman. But as Chris Waters reveals in this first full biography, behind the charismatic, exuberant mask lay a far less self-assured man – terrified even that his new dog wouldn’t like him - and whose version of his bucolic upbringing bore no relation to the gritty and impoverished South Yorkshire mining community where he actually grew up. Drawing on dozens of new interviews with his Yorkshire colleagues, family and friends, this life of Fred Trueman will surprise and even shock, but also confirm the status of an English folk hero.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #21760 in Books
• Published on: 2011-10-10
• Released on: 2011-10-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 352 pages

Review
'Now (Trueman) has been brought to life in this wonderful new biography by Chris Waters. It is one of the finest sports books of recent years: well-researched, highly readable and packed with anecdotes.’ – Leo McKinstry (Mail on Sunday )

‘Thorough and well-judged biography. This book’s strength is that, with the heavy assistance of Truemann’s surviving family, it fleshes out his early life in south Yorkshire.’ (The Sunday Times )

‘A trenchant portrait of its subject…a thorough and judicious book. Trueman’s flaws make it an uncomfortable read for devotees but to his credit the author has been as true to his trade as he is to his subject.’ – Rob Bagchi (The Guardian )

‘Chris Waters deserves extremely high marks for his welcome, authentically honest new biography of Fred Trueman’ – Frank Keating - SPORTS BOOKS OF THE YEAR (The Guardian )

‘Perceptive biography…Waters has done a good job in disentangling the man from the myths, many of which were eagerly promoted by Fiery Fred himself.’ (Independent on Sunday )

‘His multi-coloured life is given sharper focus by the meticulous research and unforgiving anecdotes of Chris Waters. The strengths of the book lie in the breadth of insights from those closest to Trueman, along with Waters’ own sharp conclusions.’ (The Cricketer )

‘A brilliant account of a remarkable life. There is a whole load of new information about (Trueman). Waters deserves a lot of credit for this book.’ (Englandcricket.net )

‘Trueman's latest biographer does a better job of fleshing out his subject than his more illustrious predecessors (John Arlott and Don Mosey). The result is the fullest picture yet of a great sportsman and all-too-human being.’ (Espncricinfo.com )

‘Waters sought to look beyond the brash, Jack-the-lad image that Trueman was once happy to live up to and find the truth. It was something even Arlott, for all his perceptiveness, did not quite manage.’ (Sportsbookshelf.com )

‘It will forever stand as the definitive attempt to set the record straight in relation to which Trueman stories are true, which are less than entirely accurate, and those that are apocryphal. Fred Trueman - The Authorised Biography is a terrific story. It is highly recommended.’ (Cricketweb.net )

‘The book will draw you in, make you chuckle and is not short on poignancy. Waters is balanced in his assessment of Trueman’s life. Exhaustive research is evident throughout.’ (Cricketyorkshire.com )

‘A fine, fair-minded and well-rounded portrait of great fast bowler. It is Waters’ probing into Fred’s background and psyche - what made him, and what made him tick - that gives his biography true distinction. A splendid biography, which it is hard to think will ever be bettered’ – Harry Mead (Northern Echo )

‘An incisive, entertaining biography…a rattling good read.’ (Blackpool Evening Gazette )

‘ A work full of interest on every page as a biopic with a strong social narrative. Waters uses painstaking research and dozens of witnesses to piece together the unusual life of a complicated man. This book is a cut above average.’ (Club-cricket.co.uk )

‘The one which stood out to me was Fred Trueman. Don Mosey wrote a book about him in years gone by, John Arlott as well. Neither of them are anywhere near as good as this one.’ John Rawling - SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR (BBC Radio 5 Live )

‘Chris Waters deserves praise for his admirable handling of a difficult subject. Whether you like Trueman or not, this is a compelling portrait of a sporting legend.’ (Good Book Guide )

‘Honest and erudite portrait of the charismatic England and Yorkshire fast bowler’ - BOOKS OF THE YEAR (The Cricketer )

‘One of the many virtues of Chris Waters’s thoughtful and painstakingly researched biography is that he examines the Trueman myths and dismantles most of them, but leaves a vivid portrait of a complex and contradictory character who was at heart surprisingly insecure.’ (The Oldie )

‘Engrossing and typically well written’ (Country Life )

‘Separating fact from fiction is difficult, but Waters has done an outstanding job and, to his credit, presents the player warts and all. Of the cricket biographies I have read in the past twelve months, this is the best by some distance. Fred Trueman was one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time and deserved a ‘proper’ biography. Chris Waters has undoubtedly delivered.’ (Derbyshirecricket.blogspot.com )

‘The reader gains a tremendous insight into Fred Trueman’s character from this book. Waters catches the essence of Fred Trueman admirably and gives us the fullest story yet of the man who once described himself as “t’finest bloody fast bowler who ever drew breath.’ (Andrewrobertscricketstatistics.com )

'Chris Waters brings flesh and blood to the man Harold Wilson once dubbed "the greatest living Yorkshireman" and endears him even more to the generations of cricket fans who have been weaned on stories of Fiery Fred. Waters has mined for the real man... Only now can we see the legend in its true light. And it's even bigger because of that.' (Sheffield Telegraph )

About the Author
Chris Waters is the cricket correspondent of the Yorkshire Post.