No Balls And Googlies

From the leg glance to leg before, king pair to cover drive, and from the no-ball to the googly, this book is sure to entertain, inform and delight.

Marcus Berkmann, author of the cricket classics Rain Men and Zimmer Men, returns to the great game with this irresistible miscellany of cricketing trivia, stories and more fascinating facts than Geoffrey Boycott could shake a stick of rhubarb at. Which England captain smoked two million cigarettes in his lifetime? Which Australian captain, asked what his favourite animal was, said 'Merv Hughes'? What did Hitler think of cricket? Which National Hunt trainer had a dog called Sobers? Who was described in his obituary as 'perhaps the only unequivocally popular man in Yorkshire'? No other sport is so steeped in oddness and eccentricity. There's the only Test player ever to be executed for murder, the only first-class cricketer to die on the Titanic, and the only bestselling author to catch fire while playing at Lord's. (It was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The ball hit a box of matches in his pocket.) All cricket is here, including an XI entirely made up of players who share their names with freshwater fish.

200 brilliant and bizarre curiosities highlighting the First, Last and Onlys that have occurred during the illustrious history of this sport - from the determined cricketers fined for playing on the Sabbath to the only virtuoso to score a century and take all ten wickets in a single innings. This absorbing collection of stories is guaranteed to enthral and includes some of the greatest gentleman to have graced the field of play, such as: The first player to bat on all 5 days of a test match. The last incidence of under-armed bowling in an international match. The only father and son to score centuries in the same First Class innings.Delight in a myriad of facts that you never knew about this glorious game.

An account of some of the adventures of the ffrench-Morley family over several generations.

"The reality is that if I hadn't stopped drinking and drugging at twenty-five years of age, I wouldn't have made twenty-six." This is Ross Fitzgerald's 42nd book, an updated edition of his 2010 book My Name is Ross. Although he has now succeeded in not drinking alcohol or using drugs for 50 years, in this revised edition the author still calls himself an alcoholic, and pays extended tribute to the role of Alcoholics Anonymous in keeping him on the wagon. His involvement in AA has become a way of life; he still attends two or three meetings a week. A key aspect of AA's therapeutic process involves what can be termed the mechanism of surrender. Instead of telling alcoholics to use their willpower, control their drinking or pull up their socks, AA suggests that a much more efficacious strategy is to admit that, at least in relation to alcohol, they are beaten. With his insight into the scourge of numerous kinds of addiction, Fitzgerald traces the journey of many alcoholics and drug addicts. In this brutally honest and intimate portrayal of his fascinating life - his struggles as well as his successes - Fitzgerald doesn't shy away from his difficult times and regrets, but ultimately has written an uplifting and inspiring book. With the prevalence of alcohol in our daily lives for every celebration or sad occasion, a book like this is needed more than ever.

Brutally honest and inspiring, this narrative tells the story of a well-known writer's life as an alcoholic and his struggle to become-and stay-sober. Beginning with his first drink at the age of 14, this unique account traces the author's relationship with alcohol, taking readers on a journey from substance abuse and despair to hope and courage. Both heart-wrenching and enlightening, this chronicle is a strong personal story of triumph over substance abuse that will grip readers from the start.

Some ten thousand years ago, Earth was visited by beings from another planet in the Barnard’s Star system. The Babylonians recorded that beings they called the Oannes were amphibious creatures who came to Earth for the welfare of the human race. The historian Hellandus describes them as having fishlike features but the head, feet, and arms of a man. They instructed humans in everything a civilized nation should know. They built a city beneath Antarctica near the Davis Sea and have lived there peacefully and secretly ever since. But now a rogue Dwarf Star called Zarama threatens the very existence of both Earth and the home planet, Nazmos. Their mythology predicts that a being from another planet will avert disaster. Enter Ashley Bonner into this scenario. He has been granted special gifts, and the Oannes think he may be the predicted one. Can Ashley really prevail against a star a third more massive than the sun? This is the story of Ashley’s development to manhood from age four to seventy and his ultimate sacrifice to save both worlds. —C. J. Harvey