Trying to track down a cricket fiction series I once read!

[BoyBrumby]

Billy's Boots had him playing cricket in summer. I don't remember how they benefited him in cricket, but surely logic dictates that they would have been of limited use in a sport where you have to use your hands. Then again, it was a story about magic boots, so I guess logic goes out the window.

Ha, yeah, I don't think realism was the primary concern for its creators, no.

Takes me back though; didn't he inherit his old 30s-styley boots from Dead Eye Keen, a long dead footballing ace and was comically dire without them?

I actually think none other than Sir Geoffrey Boycott became the chairman of Melchester Rovers too in Roy of the Rovers when the strip moved to its own comic.

 

[Dendarii]

Takes me back though; didn't he inherit his old 30s-styley boots from Dead Eye Keen, a long dead footballing ace and was comically dire without them?

It was Dead Shot Keen (who also owned the aforementioned cricket boots), but yeah that's the one. It was basically a continuous cycle of Billy playing brilliantly thanks to the boots, losing them (often because someone threw them away thinking they were only fit for the trash) and then finding them again in the nick of time.

I actually think none other than Sir Geoffrey Boycott became the chairman of Melchester Rovers too in Roy of the Rovers when the strip moved to its own comic.

He did. They also had two members of Spandau Ballet play for them at one point.

 

[ankitj]

No one:
Absolutely no one:
non-Australians: I don't like Australia

Jeez never thought this lame "no one" meme will make its way on CW.

 

[trundler]

Jeez never thought this lame "no one" meme will make its way on CW.

Had to be an Australian though

 

[honestbharani]

Had to be TJB though

lol, yeah...

 

[TheJediBrah]

lol, yeah...

serous question, is your obsession with me ever going to end? I completely ignore you 99% of the time because I know you have an issue but you still manage to respond negatively to most of my posts and bring me up with disturbing frequency

 

[Shri]

Jeez never thought this lame "no one" meme will make its way on CW.

Alpha brain

 

[ankitj]

Not to pick on TJB, but seriously I don't understand that meme. If no one says nothing, does it mean everyone said something?

 

[TheJediBrah]

Not to pick on TJB, but seriously I don't understand that meme. If no one says nothing, does it mean everyone said something?

Good because you know I'm sensitive

but yeah I guess the double negative meme format doesn't make sense if you think too hard about it

 

[Red]

It's not a bad meme, just highlighting the times when people say things without any prompting, usually a rant or a prejudiced thing.

 

[Red]

Had to be an Australian though

this is very prejudiced.

 

[TheJediBrah]

It's not a bad meme, just highlighting the times when people say things without any prompting, usually a rant or a prejudiced thing.

I think it's a great meme. Guess I just have poor judgement what with my inferior Australian genetics.

 

[vcs]

I've only seen that thing in YouTube comments

 

[TheJediBrah]

you read youtube comments?

 

[vcs]

Yes

 

[Line and Length]

Back onto the book aspect, but not helping gregp, a cricket themed book that might appeal to kids is "Spinner" by Ron Elliott. It's the story of a young lad with an amazing talent to spin the ball. It's set between the wars and those with a knowledge of the game would see similarities between the fictional cricketers and some real cricketers from that era. The story is a but far-fetched (a kid dismissing established Test cricketers) but it's an easy read. The book has a good glossary of terms to explain cricketing words and phrases to the uniintiated.

 

[gregp]

I think I read that book too?

The team was a bit ragtag, and had a fat dude that was a spinner, a girl or two in the side? Or am I thinking of another book?

Marius I think you're right! I'm pretty sure there was a girl or two in the side, and you could be right on the spinner! Another couple of pieces in the puzzle...? Is there anything else you can recall about it to add to the knowledge bank on this elusive series??

 

[gregp]

I think I read that book too?

The team was a bit ragtag, and had a fat dude that was a spinner, a girl or two in the side? Or am I thinking of another book?

Further to my last comment... one possible lead! It is possible two of the books are by Tom Tully:

* The Magnificent 11 https://childrensbookshop.com/book-88372.html ISBN 0583309216 , and
* Showdown at Seabank https://www.amazon.com/Showdown-at-Seabank-Dragon-Books/dp/0583309224 ISBN 0583309224

Unfortunately none of the sites I've looked for so far for either of these books have any information *AT ALL* on the storyline to be able to say conclusively, but the title rang a very faint bell, and the covers immediately looked slightly familiar. I have contacted the sellers for more information. It seems Tom Tully was far better known for other books, and I have been unable to find any list of Tom Tully's works which includes either of these books, to be able to identify if there is a third in the series as I recalled.

Does this gel with your recollections?

Thanks,
Greg

 

[gregp]

Only tangentially related, but UK readers of similar vintage to me might remember the Tiger comic, which featured sporting and adventure stories aimed at nippers from about 7-11. Their most famous comic strip was Roy of The Rovers, but they also featured a series called The Slogger from Down Under.

As a nascent cricket fan I loved it. From memory its star was Cedric "Digger" Dean from the outback, who came to England when he inherited a stately home from a great aunt (or similar) with his Aboriginal pal Jim Jim (I think) and when documents proved his estate was a county in its own right he formed a cricket team made of gardeners, gamekeepers and underbutlers to take on the might of the English county game.

All very "boys own" stuff and it probably hasn't aged too well, but it was cool to have a comic strip hero who was a cricketer.

Ironically, you might be onto something here! Tom Tully was also the writer of Roy of the Rovers! I am still investigating, but an irony if your 'tangent' turned out to have a valuable gem inside it!

 

[Marius]

Further to my last comment... one possible lead! It is possible two of the books are by Tom Tully:

* The Magnificent 11 https://childrensbookshop.com/book-88372.html ISBN 0583309216 , and
* Showdown at Seabank https://www.amazon.com/Showdown-at-Seabank-Dragon-Books/dp/0583309224 ISBN 0583309224

Unfortunately none of the sites I've looked for so far for either of these books have any information *AT ALL* on the storyline to be able to say conclusively, but the title rang a very faint bell, and the covers immediately looked slightly familiar. I have contacted the sellers for more information. It seems Tom Tully was far better known for other books, and I have been unable to find any list of Tom Tully's works which includes either of these books, to be able to identify if there is a third in the series as I recalled.

Does this gel with your recollections?

Thanks,
Greg

That's it! The Magnificant Eleven is the one I was thinking of. I remember because the way the batsman's grip was drawn always bothered me because the hands were wrong.