The Twelfth Man 2016

23 to look at the spread of cricket through the Test playing countries. He starts off by showing that throughout the history of the game that nothing has changed. The rise of money in the game in the 19 th century by betting that led to match fixing still goes on today including the tragic Hansie Cronje. Scyld believes that the authorities do not have the fight or resources to rid the game of the fixers. The first thing I found facilitating in this journey was the rise and then the fall of Lascelles Hall cricket club. I have often wondered why this small village club played an important role in the Yorkshire cricket history and in this book I have found it. Scyld then goes on to tell us how the Aborigines would play against the early England touring sides in their barefeet. He cannot understand why there hasn’t been more Australian Test players from an Aborigine background, apart from Yorkshire’s coach Jason Gillespie. As the story moves on you become moved by the stories. The psychology of captaincy and how Sir Leonard Hutton thought about throwing himself into the river near the Gabba at Brisbane after he had put Australia into bat and they amassed a huge score. Near the end of his journey he relates the story of Dudley Carew, cricket writer meeting a lady at Lord’s in 1926. The lady tells the writer that she only visits Lord’s and sees one match a season, the Eton/Harrow match. She tells the writer that her son told her that he would play in the match, but it is only at the end of their two- day conversation that the writer twigs what happened to her son. The book is now available as a paperback as well as hardback. Editor The War of the White Roses by Stuart Rayner, Published by Pitch – £17.99 The book retells the troubles of Yorkshire cricket during the 1980’s and the build up to them from the 1960’s. Stuart, a cricket journalist for The Journal since 2005 and from 2009 he has written for its sister papers the Newcastle Chronicle and Sunday Sun covering Durham. Before you say what’s it to do with him, Stuart is a Yorkshire man born in Scarborough. Stuart has interviewed most of the people involved, including stories from the Yorkshire players both from the 1960’s and those playing during the 1980’s. He has also interviewed fans who became involved in the struggles and whose voices have not been heard before. You know the story and the ending but the Wars of the White Rose is an enjoyable and easy read. Editor Empire, War & Cricket in South Africa by Dean Allen, Published by Zebra Press – £18.99 This is a sumptuous production that tells the story of a largely forgotten Scotsman, James Douglas Logan, a most important figure in the development of South African cricket. Dean Allen’s book was ten years in the making, and you can easily tell why. Excellently researched and sourced it is a heavyweight tome, with splendid and rare images leaping from virtually every page. The author sets out to explain how Logan, founder of his own town, Matjiesfontein, in South Africa, played a major role in arranging the first international fixtures between England and South Africa; organised the 1901 South African cricket tour to England, against the backdrop of the Anglo-Boer War; influenced the fall of South Africa’s first government and even had the captain and manager of England’s cricket team arrested as they tried to leave the country having not received the expected financial return after a tour. A real quality publication in all respects and Dean will be at the Society in November 2016 to enlighten members further. Mick Pope