John Lazenby (1)

I approached "The Strangers Who Came Home" with some trepidation, having read many a dry cricket book but I happily found it a thoroughly enjoyable read, detailing both the cricket that was played in the exhausting tour but also of the people behind the names on the yellowing scorebooks.

A decade after the Australian Aboriginal cricket tour of England, a second Australian team travelled half way around the world to play the best cricketers in England, Scotland, Wales, Canada and the United States (not all in the same match obviously). We read of the team's preparation in Australia and their tour around the UK, unleashing the Demon Spofforth on unsuspecting batsman. We also read of the backstage machinations by the Australian manager and his opposition counterparts.

Highly recommended and I'm definitely seeking out the author's other tomes.… (more)

Edging Towards Darkness is rather like a long Wisden essay drawn out to fill hard covers. The heart of the book is an excellent account of the last timeless Test, played at Durban in 1939; this section is head and shoulders above the rest, engaging and informative. The remainder of the book is flat by comparison: the introductory chapters (providing build-up) draw from memoirs and match records; the final section outlines what happened to all of the players during the Second World War and in their later lives.… (more)