A Middlesex Lifer Writes: Sixty Summers

Peter Cox is genuinely MTWD � a life member of Middlesex.� He has written a thoroughly interesting book, Sixty Summers: English Cricket Since World War 2.� Ged Ladd reviews the book, spotting Middlesex references aplenty and enthusiasm for cricket abounding.

Peter Cox captained Derbyshire and the North Under 19 in 1964, but a year later his eyesight deteriorated dramatically, and he didn't play again till the Eighties, when he set up the 10-match-a-season wandering side he runs to this day.� He had an illustrious career with the John Lewis Partnership, culminating as IT Diredctor of Waitrose.� He has recently celebrated his first sixty years in two ways.� Firstly, he has treated himself to life membership of Middlesex (a very sensible move).� Secondly, he is attempting to pay for that membership with a splendid tome named Sixty Summers: English Cricket Since World War 2.

Ged took on the assignment to read and review the book with some trepidation.� The book is nearly 400 pages long and packed with detail.� �If this book is no good, it�s going to be a long, hard Easter holiday weekend�, thought Ged.� But Ged is never knowingly undeterred, so he ploughed on.�

And the effort was well worth it.� Despite Peter�s pleas that this is a �dipping� book, not a �read cover to cover� book, Ged believes it works both ways and found the book compelling.�

The structure

The book basically covers the 60 years of post war cricket (1946-2005), which in effect is Peter�s life to date.� The earlier years are less colourful (from a writers� personal perspective) than later years but the coverage is comprehensive if not exhaustive.

The neat element of the structure, which to me is the book�s selling point, is the way Peter intersperses the history with discussion chapters on cricket issues.� This is both an interesting diversion (if you are reading rather than dipping) and probably also the book�s strongest chapters.

Examples of these topics include: On speed and entertainment (Twenty:20 cricket and faster run rates generally), Decisions-decisions (technology and umpiring),� County cricket � a suitable case for treatment (county cricket).� There are several others, each excellent.

The writing

Peter Cox is clearly a cricket lover � his love of cricket oozes from every pore and from every word in this book.� Publishers are reluctant to touch any cricket writer who isn�t an ex-cricketer of note, a name journalist or a name published writer.� It is almost impossible to make sufficient money out of it.� So Peter has self-published this book, after getting (understandably) enthusiastic encouragement from a couple of publishers.

The upside of this approach is the comprehensiveness of the book and therefore its value.� A commercial publisher simply would not give you this much beef in one book.� It is (in publishing terms) more or less �two for the price of one�.� And two goodun�s too.

The downside is that the editorial team were either not knowledgeable enough on cricket or not diligent enough in helping with fact checking.� There are too many errors for a book that sets out to be authoritative.� But this is a minor quibble and does not detract from my emphatic �buy� recommendation; indeed some readers, like myself, will enjoy playing �spot the blot�.� Indeed, on the book�s website www.sixtysummers.co.uk �Peter encourages readers to send in corrections.

I agree with several of Peter�s opinions but do not agree with all of them � however the opinion elements are always set out with great clarity and wit, such that I consistently enjoyed reading the opinion sections even when I disagreed with the author.

The comprehensive �Almanack� appendix at the end is surprisingly strong on county as well as international cricket, as indeed is the whole book.� There are Middlesex references aplenty.

How do I get this book?

Easy as normal � easier perhaps.

The book is available in many good shops located in cricket grounds � not least Lord�s.� Cover Price �20.

You can sample the preface/1^st pages of chapters and buy signed copies for �15 including postage and packing on the web site: www.sixtysummers.co.uk

You can buy signed copies as above by tele-ordering on: (0208 883 6952) if you have an aversion to buying on-line.

Or you can go the Amazon route:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0955187702/qid=1147587867/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_2_1/202-8782393-3967055

�13.20 plus postage and packing (unless you avoid the p&p by making other purchases) but of course no signature.

Summary

This book comes with a Ged Ladd recommendation: BUY.

It�s not often that such a comprehensive book is published by someone who is MTWD.