Simon Jones - The Test - Cricket Book Recommendation

Oakster

I am reading an absolute belter of a book at the moment - one of the best cricket books I have ever read and I read a lot. Simon Jones - The Test - his memoir of the 2005 Ashes series. Memories of that summer are flooding back - on a personal note my last in the UK. If you love cricket - you have to read this!

Anyone else read or reading it?

Jints

Sounds good. A bit of an unsung hero in that series IMO. Shame he was crocked so soon afterwards

Uboat

It was such a pity for him and us that he was never fully right after that. Did he even play for England again?

killerandflash

Jints said:

Sounds good. A bit of an unsung hero in that series IMO. Shame he was crocked so soon afterwards

A bigger shame was him getting crocked down under in the previous series, without that initial injury, I'm sure the innocuous injury in 2005 would never have been so serious

BringBackMendonca

Will give it a read. If you haven't read them, the books by Ed Smith and Marcus Trescothick are both very good.

Oakster

BringBackMendonca said:

Will give it a read. If you haven't read them, the books by Ed Smith and Marcus Trescothick are both very good.

Haven't read the Ed Smith one..am also dipping in and out of the Alan Gibson anthology - lovely stuff.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Of-Didcot-Demon-Cricketing-Gibson/dp/0956070256

McBobbin

Have to check this out. The rain men is my favourite cricket book, and the one by miles jupp is funny

kentaddick

BringBackMendonca said:

Will give it a read. If you haven't read them, the books by Ed Smith and Marcus Trescothick are both very good.

simon hughes' a lot of hard yakka is a brilliant read. You really get the feel of some one who nearly "made it" to getting in the england squad and just generally being a county pro amongst the likes of gatting, brearley, emburey and botham.

9goalswentpastperry

BringBackMendonca said:

Will give it a read. If you haven't read them, the books by Ed Smith and Marcus Trescothick are both very good.

Which Ed Smith one are you referring to? I'm on Amazon and he's done a few and none recently from what I can see. He always writes well in the Sunday Times anyway.

Oakster

This review is typical of the book. I was prompted to buy it from a review in The Cricketer Magazine - it lives up to these reviews and more!

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/the-test-by-simon-jones-book-review-this-bittersweet-memoir-of-england-s-2005-ashes-victory-is-the-10380589.html

McBobbin

Anyone read the willow wand by derek birley? Meant to be very good

BringBackMendonca

9goalswentpastperry said:

BringBackMendonca said:

Will give it a read. If you haven't read them, the books by Ed Smith and Marcus Trescothick are both very good.

Which Ed Smith one are you referring to? I'm on Amazon and he's done a few and none recently from what I can see. He always writes well in the Sunday Times anyway.

It was On and Off the Field. A diary of one of his seasons at Kent, pretty sure it was the season he got called up for England.

Might have to dig it out.

carly burn

There was a spell in the old Trafford test I think that Jones and Flintoff were completely unplayable.

Raith_C_Chattonell

On a lighter note, Fatty Batter by Michael Simkins is an amusing read. He was originally inspired by Colin Milburn.

The hilarious story of one man’s cricket obsession: from his earliest days as a fat boy growing up in a Brighton sweetshop to his years running a team of dysfunctional inadequates.

suzisausage

Ooooh brill. Will give his book a go. he's part of the reason I got into cricket. met him last summer at a test match during the break doing one of those Q&A things and he was a lovely charming bloke.

Jints

On my wish list along with the new biog of WG Grace (which has also attracted rave reviews) but will wait for the paperback editions before buying