Martin Chandler - ARTICLES

Something a little different this week, but according to Martin an excellent addition to the literature of the game.

Coffee table books on any subject have a tendency to be disappointing, so it seems that is not the right category in which to place the latest book to bear the MCC logo.

While we are waiting for the name of George Headley to arrive in Steve Ferrier’s countdown, Martin has decided to get his oar in first.

There has been a steady flow of titles on the Ashes appearing in the last few months, but it seems as if Martin has found one that stands out from the crowd.

This week saw the 70th anniversary of the death of Hedley Verity, the most accomplished cricketer to lose his life in action in the Second World War. In this feature Martin tells his story.

A good cricketing biography deals with rather more than runs, wickets and catches. Brian Halford’s life of Percy Jeeves passes that test with flying colours.

As England take a 2-0 lead in the Ashes, and James Pattinson is ruled out for the rest of the series, how Australia must wish they had someone like Merv Hughes to call on.

This week Martin reviews a new biography of Maurice Tate, published more than half a century after his death, and four decades after the last one.

As James Anderson’s career continues to prosper Martin takes a look at the life and times of his great predecessor from the county of the Red Rose, Brian Statham.

Sometimes with books it pays dividends to look a little further than the shelves of the traditional outlets