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

[gregp]

Hi all,

Probably ~30 years ago when I was a kid I read a series of a few fiction books about cricket and I want to get them now for my kids. Trouble is, I can't remember the name of the series, or the main characters, or the title! All I can remember is a few details of the storyline and a few rough quotes which I've searched Google for and Google books but with no success.

The basic storyline was about a couple of boys who wanted to make a cricket field or a team. They found an old field behind a nursing home I think it was and cut down the weeds with sickles, then turned it into an oval. They scratched around for gear, a few others joined them and they got a team together, played against others, and had various adventures along the way.

I can remember the parents of the main character were named Reg and Rita. Here are a few rough quotes I can remember in case they trigger any memories:

Rita to Reg: when the boy had asked for a couple of hundred dollars for their gear: "You're the one who's always telling him to make something of his life, and you'd see it all go to waste for the sake of a couple of hundred measly quid!"
Reg: "Listen dear..."
Boy does a jig of delight. When dad starts calling mum 'dear' (or something) he's starting to weaken...

The saints had a spin bowler called Eggy White

"As you know folks", he began, "the weather lately has been pretty muggy. Followed by tuggy, weggy, thurgy and frigy." It was an old joke, but it got people laughing.

It's not Glory Gardens by the way, I've taken a look at that already and it looks nice but it's not the one.

Does anyone remember these books? If so can you remember the title??

Thanks in anticipation!
Greg

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

The World's Most Loved Team, Australia

 

[gregp]

The World's Most Loved Team, Australia

Thanks for the reply... is that the title of the book? I looked it up and couldn't find any books by that title. If I recall it was set in England, not Australia - they referred to '200 quid' in one of the quotes. Could you clarify please?

Thanks!
Greg

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

Ah sorry, I was thinking of another work of fiction.

 

[gregp]

So... back to the topic at hand, which was a question about a book series, not one's thoughts on modern day teams... Does anyone remember this book series I'm looking for?

 

[TheJediBrah]

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


greg I've spent quite a bit of time trying find out the answer to your question through google and other methods over the last couple of days while I should have been working but unfortunately have come up with sfa so apologies. Also apologies in advance for getting your hopes up by responding in your thread without any helpful information. I can recommend another book though, I've heard Harry Potter is popular with the kids. They have a sport called quickitch which almost sounds like cricket so hope this helps.

 

[Daemon]

Do elaborate on the other methods

 

[Maximas]

Glory Gardens was sick, have your kids read them anyway, the WI tour they go on was lit

 

[gregp]

OK thanks all for your help. Glory Gardens did sound interesting so maybe I'll check that out.

 

[Maximas]

Honestly I can't believe these tiny little details you can recall (that sound hilarious mind you) but can't think of the name of the books, good luck anyway

 

[mr_mister]

Sounds like something by Roald Dahl

 

[a massive zebra]

Are your parents still around? Do you have siblings? Could you ask them if they can remember?

 

[andmark]

I've just tried Google Books with no success (unless by some miracle it was was called "Winter Cricket: The Spirit of Wedza").

 

[Red]

Is this it?

 

[gregp]

Honestly I can't believe these tiny little details you can recall (that sound hilarious mind you) but can't think of the name of the books, good luck anyway

Ain't that the truth! The irony of that has struck me many times throughout this search. I think the bits I can remember are all a bit oddball things or things I had to think a bit more about - Reg, Rita and Eggy White are all odd names; at the time I didn't know what 'quid' meant but could see it must have been something about money; and it was the first time I heard of the tuggy weggy thurgy joke. I therefore assume the names of the main characters, and perhaps the title, were 'normal' and thus unremarkable enough to stick in my memory.

Thanks for your help. I'll check Glory Gardens out regardless, it sounds to be well regarded! Glory Gardens sounds to be set on a bigger stage than the one I recall though, with the Ashes, World Cup and so on. IIRC mine was just different teams in the local area playing each other, and I think they went to a camp or something in the third book.

Sounds like something by Roald Dahl

I agree it's a bit like that style and the era is probably about right, but it doesn't appear to be in the list of his books. Some I'm unfamiliar with but there were three books (at least) in this series.

Are your parents still around? Do you have siblings? Could you ask them if they can remember?

Actually not a bad suggestion! I don't know if they read them but it's worth a shot. I'm travelling at the moment but I'll ask them when I get back.

I've just tried Google Books with no success (unless by some miracle it was was called "Winter Cricket: The Spirit of Wedza").

Thanks for the effort. I tried Google Books too, equally unsuccessfully. I couldn't find a PDF of Winter Cricket, but the brief description doesn't sound like the one. Thanks anyway though.

Is this it?

I don't think so. It was definitely human players. But thanks anyway.

 

[gregp]

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone has some other thoughts on this? I have continued to hunt in vain for this story, I've even asked at my local library and they had the same troubles. I'm sure someone must have read this book at some stage.

Here's hoping!

Thanks,
Greg

 

[Marius]

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone has some other thoughts on this? I have continued to hunt in vain for this story, I've even asked at my local library and they had the same troubles. I'm sure someone must have read this book at some stage.

Here's hoping!

Thanks,
Greg

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?

 

[Howe_zat]

Glory Gardens was sick, have your kids read them anyway, the WI tour they go on was lit

They were fantastic, I remember spending ages looking at the scorecards that came after every described match. Did a lot to teach me about cricket.

 

[BoyBrumby]

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.

 

[Dendarii]

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.

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.