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Cricket Autobiographies

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PallionPeasant

PallionPeasant

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Just finished reading "Time To Declare" by Michael Vaughan, found it a very decent read. Also remember reading Dermot Reeve's a while back and it was quite interesting to see his take on his relationship with Brian Lara.

Does anyone have any other reccommendations of Cricket autobiographies that are worth a read?
 

I've read those both, I thought Vaughan's was excellent but Reeve's, aside from the Lara spat, was almost childlike.

The best I've read is Boycott's, Atherton's and Botham's, all for differing reasons - Boycott is a good insight into a man widely renowned as being difficult, Atherton is a born writer and Botham had such a fantastic career, that he simply has a lot of interesting stories to tell, despite him not being the most eloquent.

Truth be told though, I have read a lot of good ones, I would also recommend Nasser Hussain's for a good, honest account, Graham Thorpe's was quite an eye opener too, although mainly focused around his failed marriage.

Avoid Flintoff's at all costs, it was shocking.
 
PallionPeasant said:
Just finished reading "Time To Declare" by Michael Vaughan, found it a very decent read. Also remember reading Dermot Reeve's a while back and it was quite interesting to see his take on his relationship with Brian Lara.

Does anyone have any other reccommendations of Cricket autobiographies that are worth a read?
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Read Marcus Trescothick's on holiday last month, wasn't bad.

Not Autobiographies as such but there's some absolute quality books out about village green cricket. Try Fatty Batter, Rain Men and Penguins Stopped Play - all hilarious and easy to relate to if you've ever played club cricket.
 
The Breen Machine said:
I've read those both, I thought Vaughan's was excellent but Reeve's, aside from the Lara spat, was almost childlike.

The best I've read is Boycott's, Atherton's and Botham's, all for differing reasons - Boycott is a good insight into a man widely renowned as being difficult, Atherton is a born writer and Botham had such a fantastic career, that he simply has a lot of interesting stories to tell, despite him not being the most eloquent.

Truth be told though, I have read a lot of good ones, I would also recommend Nasser Hussain's for a good, honest account, Graham Thorpe's was quite an eye opener too, although mainly focused around his failed marriage.

Avoid Flintoff's at all costs, it was shocking.
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Thanks for that, for obvious reasons Trescothick's is one that's always interested me, Nasser's should also be good as it would read like quite a good prolouge to the Michael Vaughan era. I'm pleased you have told me to not bother with Flintoff's, as I was actually thinking about buying it. Bullet dodged :lol: Why is it so bad?
 
PallionPeasant said:
Thanks for that, for obvious reasons Trescothick's is one that's always interested me, Nasser's should also be good as it would read like quite a good prolouge to the Michael Vaughan era. I'm pleased you have told me to not bother with Flintoff's, as I was actually thinking about buying it. Bullet dodged :lol: Why is it so bad?
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I just thought it was utter shit mate, I can't recall anything interesting from it and the writing at times was almost child-like.

Don't buy Flintoff's, I'll send you it for free.
 
brandon said:
Read Marcus Trescothick's on holiday last month, wasn't bad.

Not Autobiographies as such but there's some absolute quality books out about village green cricket. Try Fatty Batter, Rain Men and Penguins Stopped Play - all hilarious and easy to relate to if you've ever played club cricket.
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Cheers,"Summers With Durham" is probably the best cricket book I have read, was an excellent, well-written account of our rise to the top of County Cricket. Also very informative about our early years as a first class Coutny that I had no memory of!
 
Nasser's is superb.

Personally wasn't keen on Trescothick's although his admission that the first time he had to spend a night away from home he cried, and his parents came to pick him up immediately could tell you a lot about the subsequent years.
 
The Breen Machine said:
I just thought it was utter shit mate, I can't recall anything interesting from it and the writing at times was almost child-like.

Don't buy Flintoff's, I'll send you it for free.
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That surprises me a little bit, would have thought he'd have plenty of stories to tell!

And from what you've just said there I think I'll pass, mate :lol:
 
brandon said:
Read Marcus Trescothick's on holiday last month, wasn't bad.

Not Autobiographies as such but there's some absolute quality books out about village green cricket. Try Fatty Batter, Rain Men and Penguins Stopped Play - all hilarious and easy to relate to if you've ever played club cricket.
Click to expand...
Great read, very funny.
 
ollie c said:
Slipless in Settle worth a read.
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Loved that book.

Flintoff's was atrocious. Read like it had been written by his PR team. Bland and uninteresting. Second only to Pele's in the worst sports autobiog ever

Penguins stopped play was canny in patches. Don Mosey wrote a great biog on Boycs years ago which is a cracker.

Am gonna try and get 10 for 10 which has just been released.
 
brandon said:
Read Marcus Trescothick's on holiday last month, wasn't bad.

Not Autobiographies as such but there's some absolute quality books out about village green cricket. Try Fatty Batter, Rain Men and Penguins Stopped Play - all hilarious and easy to relate to if you've ever played club cricket.
Click to expand...

Only read Penguins stopped play, its brilliant.
 
Really enjoyed Nassers. As expected, Boycott's was brilliant. Felt Warne's was a bit of a let down.

The Breen Machine said:
I've read those both, I thought Vaughan's was excellent but Reeve's, aside from the Lara spat, was almost childlike.

The best I've read is Boycott's, Atherton's and Botham's, all for differing reasons - Boycott is a good insight into a man widely renowned as being difficult, Atherton is a born writer and Botham had such a fantastic career, that he simply has a lot of interesting stories to tell, despite him not being the most eloquent.

Truth be told though, I have read a lot of good ones, I would also recommend Nasser Hussain's for a good, honest account, Graham Thorpe's was quite an eye opener too, although mainly focused around his failed marriage.

Avoid Flintoff's at all costs, it was shocking.
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Spot on. I even enjoyed Atherton's Ashes on the 2009 series. Brilliant.
 
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Have read:
Thorpe
Botham v1
Botham v2
Trescothick
Hussain
Atherton (his book "Glorious Summers and Discontents" is fantastic also)
Strauss
Vaughan (also his Ashes diary 2005)
Ponting
Langer
Hayden
Gilchrist
Duncan Fletcher
Flintoff
Stewart
Gooch
McGrath

Only ones I would avoid are Botham v2 and Flintoff.

Tresco, Thorpe, Gilchrist and Ponting are excellent reads. Strauss very bland as is Alec Stewart's. Gooch and McGrath are biographies rather than auto which I'm not a fan of (Gooch's was co-written is alternates between auto and bi)
 
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