The Random History
3 total works
This is the story of football as it's never been told before. A cock-eyed compilation of match reports, correspondence, and reminiscences from pundits, commentators, players, officials and spectators who weren't there but should have been.
The nutmegs, the tantrums, the penalty shoot-outs that have provided the ubiquitous topic of male conversation for generations, are entertainingly evoked. If The Random History of Football boasted the stories were in bite-sized chunks, Luis Suarez would buy every copy!
The albatrosses, the Big Berthas, the yips and the holes-in-one that have provided the perfect excuse to linger at the nineteenth hole are amusingly recalled for the delectation of the Fair Isle sweater brigade.
A lot of leather has 'plunk-plicked' against willow since cricket was first played on the village greens of Olde England, but this doughty little book heroically manages to capture the true essence of the noble ball game in just 100 run-grabbing moments (plus a few extras for overthrows).
This is the story of cricket as it has never been told before: a well tossed-up compilation of surreal match reports, spoof correspondence and quirky cartoons. From a Great Victorian refusing to walk (even though his bails have been knocked off by the bowler) to modern-day sledgers playing floodlit pyjama cricket, the game's towering achievements, hilarious happenings and ludicrous coincidences are entertainingly recalled.
The book's title says it all: which other sport would have Silly positions in the field? For those who don't know, silly mid-off (facing the batsman) & silly mid-on (behind him) field within a couple of metres of the man at the crease as he flails at the ball, delivered at 140kmh, using a 1kg wooden bat.