The Twelfth Man 2019

40 41 Mick Pope Arlott, Swanton and the soul of English cricket by Stephen Fay and David Kynaston Bloomsbury, 386pp (hb) - £20 T wo of Wombwell’s long- est serving and esteemed past Patrons – John Arlott and EW ‘Jim’ Swanton – are the central characters in this highly ac- claimed book published in 2018. Current Society Patron, David Frith, knew both very well and was moved to write in his own review of this publication: ‘I’ve read several thousand cricket books but none has gripped me more tightly than this.’* Swanton and Arlott were very dif- ferent men, but both were monu- mental broadcasters and journal- ists in perhaps the most turbulent and changing period for the pro- fessional game. Despite the huge demands on their time both found moments in their busy schedules to visit WCLS and write for T he Twelfth Man when approached for a contribution or a feature. When invited for a Society gathering Jim Swanton stayed with Wombwell President Dr. Leslie Taylor and vis- ited Roy Kilner’s grave. Arlott came last to Wombwell (Elsecar actually) on a memorable evening in April 1981 when he drank wine, received a crystal decanter to honour his ca- reer and then enthralled members with his thank you speech. This book is an outstanding tribute to both and a richly rewarding read. * The Cricket Statistician Autumn 2018 (pgs 40-41) contains David’s review of this publication. Tom Emmett: The spirit of Yorkshire cricket by Jeremy Lonsdale ACS Publications, 142pp (pb) - £15 T he Hornsea-born author of this latest work was a welcome visitor to the Society in January 2018 when he gave a fascinating talk about his book A Game Taken Seriously: The Foundations of Yorkshire’s Cricketing Power . One of the central and most significant Yorkshire cricketers in the period Jeremy researched for that well received publication was the Halifax professional Tom Em- mett, described by Lord Hawke as ‘the greatest “character” who ever stepped on to the field.’ Jeremy’s biography fully explores the career and life of a player he describes as ‘a sporting pioneer and a cricketing innovator…’ Be- neath the laughter, good humour and the joyous personality Emmett had his own fair share of tragedy and the author details the highs and lows of this remarkable crick- eter and man. Long overdue, this addition to the ACS’s ‘Lives in Crick- et’ series finally does justice to the legend – strongly recommended. Keep an eye out for more works from Jeremy in the near future. Mick Pope