Product Description

This is a comprehensive account of charismatic and controversial cricketer Geoffrey Boycott's life. It contains research and interviews with a host of players, test captains, officials, broadcasters, friends, and some enemies.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1028826 in Books
• Published on: 2001-05-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Billing Geoff Boycott (as the inside cover of this biography does) as a "charismatic, single-minded and often exasperating personality" may be, to some, not unlike calling Attila the Hun somebody "who liked to pick an argument". Coupled with the claim that this account is "the true story", Leo McKinstry has certainly set himself a challenge in terms of convincing what can only be described (at the best of times) as a doubtful public.

McKinstry, to give him his credit, certainly goes for the holistic approach, tracing Boycott's life from his childhood as a miner's son in the West Yorkshire village of Fitzwilliam, through his professional career at Yorkshire and his international success to his time after retirement as commentator and media personality. (As for the "squalid" court case--make up your own mind!) Collecting testimony from friends, colleagues, relatives and "some enemies", McKinstry attempts a balanced picture of a difficult subject--known throughout the cricketing and media world for his acerbic, forthright and often downright rude manner, this portrait of a "charismatic" and "enigmatic" figure might be more "comprehensive and balanced" for some than others.

Whatever your view of Geoff Boycott, it is unlikely to be vastly changed by this fascinating and certainly well-researched biography. Love him or hate him, very few people are ambivalent about the professional Yorkshireman and he may very well be a figure who is misunderstood and misrepresented because of his refusal to play the PR game. For that reason alone, this is a book which probably deserves to be read as much, if not more, by those who hate him than those who remain forever devoted to one of the greatest cricketing talents of the last century. Read, enjoy, and draw your own conclusions. --Jane Smith

From the Author
A frank and comprehensive portrait of the cricketing legend
This is an unauthorised biography of one of Britain's most controversial sporting figures. Based on in-depth research and over ninety interviews with family, friends and colleagues - including some of the greatest names in cricket like Tony Greig, David Gower and Ted Dexter - I have aimed to discover the truth behind the Boycott mythology. The book's central theme is the interplay between Boycott's obsessive, driven personality and his accomplishments on the cricket field. I argue that Boycott, who was not endowed with great natural talent, would have never reached the top of his sport without his relentless determination. But it was the same tunnel vision that turned him into a loner and led to all the titanic rows that punctuated his career. There is a host of revelations in the book about everything from Boycott's notorious rudeness to his entangled private life, from his arguments with England captains to his performance in the commentary box. As a devoted cricket fan, it is has been a great pleasure researching and writing this book - I hope that others will derive a similar enjoyment from reading it.

I have already been gratified by the comments and reviews I have received, including: THE DAILY MAIL (which serialised extracts over five days): "A fascinating book. Drawing on unique testimony from friends, relatives and colleagues, it reveals the untold story behind the enigma." SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: "Shrewd, perceptive, and offering a fresh slant on Boycott's fabled selfishness as a batsman. Some of the most enjoyable passages are descriptions of Boycott's spectacular rudeness. A balanced and not unfavourable book, it makes Boycott's numerous contrasting traits seem not only natural but almost appealing." DAILY MIRROR (news item): "The spotlight is on Geoffrey Boycott with the arrival of this warts-and-all biography." THE YORKSHIRE POST: "McKinstry has produced the most thorough study to date on Boycott the man and the cricketer." BBC WM: "An excellent book." GREATER MANCHESTER RADIO: "A terrific read."

From the Back Cover
No British sportsman has intrigued the public more than Geoffrey Boycott. A record-breaking Test cricketer and acerbic commentator, Boycott has never been far from controversy. From highlights like his hundredth century at Headingley against Australia in 1977 to low points such as the squalid court case in France in 1998, his has been a dramatic roller-coaster of a life lived in the public eye.

Based on meticulous research Boycs: The True Story cuts through the Boycott mythology to expose the truth about his charismatic, single-minded and often exasperating personality, lifting the lid on one of cricket's great enigmatic characters.

Customer Reviews

Boycott, A self made man.
If you only read one biography this year read this one. It's not all cricket but a potted history of a self made man, warts and all. I have no idea what Boycotts views on the book are, perhaps he will tell us. If you want an insight into a living ledgend then this is for you.

Boycott - Yorkshire's own 'Selfish Giant'
In any team sport, an individual who appears to place his own interests above those of his team is always liable to be the target of resentment among fellow team members. Former England and Yorkshire batsman Geoffrey Boycott was plagued by such accusations throughout the entire twenty-four years of a playing career during which he notched up 48,426 first-class runs, including 151 centuries.

For Geoffrey 'Boycs' Boycott Cricket was his life and keeping his own wicket intact was his primary compulsion. Few professional sportsmen can be said to have been more dedicated to achieving technical excellence in their particular field than Boycott. Leo McKinstry in 'Boycs' - The True Story effectively illuminates Boycott's intense determination to overcome a marked lack of natural ability through sheer hard work seven days a week, fifty-two weeks of the year. In a very well balanced biography McKinstry also provides us with another view of Boycott, that of the moody, foul-mouthed loner, incredibly rude and deliberately obstinate - particularly at the crease where his leaning towards slow-scoring, 'hogging' the strike and running players out made him immensely unpopular among his team mates.

McKinstry is very fair in his reflections upon the more controversial incidents that occurred during Boycott's conflict-ridden career. He further reinforces the scathing contempt that supporters of Boycott felt towards those among the Yorkshire hierarchy who siezed upon any opportunity to discredit him and eventually to oust him as a disruptive influence in the dressing room. He gives us a good insight into the controversies of Boycott's test-career, including the incident that infuriated him more than any other when after scoring 248no against India the MCC promptly dropped him for slow-scoring. Countless test players have made important contributions in which they describe their experiences of batting with Boycott out in the middle. Some of the hottest coals are spared for references to his Jekyll and Hyde personality off the field. An abundance of incidents are described that further expose Boycott as insecure and rigidly egocentric. Again, McKinstry effectively balances this view with several accounts that serve to provide a counter-image of him as generous, considerate, loyal and, above all, totally without prejudice.

The stable balance of the book ultimately falls into disequilibrium in the final chapter, that which deals with the infamous incident in a hotel room involving Margaret Moore, which resulted in Boycott receiving a three-month suspended sentence and a heavy fine for assault. The author comes down heavily on the side of Boycott, serving up an impressive mixture of testimoies from medical consultants, psychiatrists, lawyers and former acquaintances of Ms Moore that appear to fully vindicate Boycott of any wrong-doing. The evidence accumulated by McKinstry projects an image of the wealthy, honest batchelor falling victim to the forces of opportunism... The chaoitic debacle that supposedly represents the everyday mechanics of French justice appears farcical enough, without the inclusion of an irate Yorkshireman desperately trying to be understood by a non English-speaking judge who knows nothing of 'Creekit'.

The tragic legacy of the whole affair is that Geoffrey Boycott is no longer on our screens. The BBC and Sky TVs loss has been Talk Radio's gain, although for fans of Boycott this will never be enough. Geoff should be out there in front where he belongs - where it seems he has always been, executing the opening shots (if a little slowly from time-to-time). The one thing upon which all McKinstry's contributors appear to agree, being that Boycott's expertise on the game and the accuracy and delivery of his summaries are second to none.

entertaining read of a man who inspires worship or loathing
In terms of the descriptive passages of the book I felt the author was too personally involved with the subject and had a tendency to over empathise with the subject ...

The passages about Boycs as a commentator were superb. Again I have to admit that I am biased because I rate him as one of the best.

I was surprised at the amount of humour within the book, and some of the passages had ne laughing out loud.I'll conclude by saying that it was an interesting read but perhaps limited to those interested in the man himself or cricket in general.