Derek Birley (1926–2002)

Having read plenty of books on the history of cricket, I was somewhat hesitant approaching this book for fear of it simply repeating what I had already digested. Happily this fear proved unfounded as Birley touched upon much of what was new to me then.

The "social" aspect of "A social history of English cricket" is what makes this stand out from the many other books on cricket history. Birley also has a wry sense of humour and makes a very welcome change to the very dry, stilted prose of many other cricket books; thankfully Birley does not engage in the school of "here is an extremely minor factoid that I am including purely to show that I have done loads of research".

The book goes into detail on all the key moments in cricket English cricket history, from ruminating on where and when cricket developed from, to its development through to the Hambledon Cricket Club and thence to Marylebone Cricket Club, with specific detail on the important role of gambling on the development of cricket. All the usual suspects get a mention; WG Grace and his brothers, Lords Harris and Hawke, Prince Ranjitsinhji and some lesser lights.

I've also heard good things about Birley's other cricket book, "The Willow Wand" and if I ever manage to track down a copy I will report on its contents here.… (more)