A History of Cricket in 100 Objects
David Taylor |Published: 2013
Pages: 320
Author: Mortimer, Gavin
Publisher: Serpent's Tail
Rating: 4 stars
‘A History of the World in 100 Objects’ was the title given to a groundbreaking and award-winning radio series in 2010, broadcast on BBC Radio 4, and still to my knowledge available to listen to – at least in some parts of the world. A companion book by the presenter, British Museum director Neil McGregor, was published the same year. Its purpose was to use artefacts from various periods of history to tell the story of what was happening in the world at the time. Three years on, it clearly inspired this book – one which, incidentally, I picked up as an afterthought while purchasing this year’s Wisden.
Gavin Mortimer is described on the inside cover as an ‘award-winning sports author’ but I confess I haven’t heard of him before, so maybe cricket isn’t his usual subject matter. Reading the book though, it soon becomes clear that he has a good knowledge and real affection for the summer game. His choice of objects is pleasingly diverse and at times unpredictable. He states in his introduction “we accept that some will disagree with our final choice, but isn’t questioning selectors’ decisions one of cricket’s core appeals?” Absolutely. In any case I, as the reader, tend to think this in such matters – “your show, your choice.” The same goes for the Five Cricketers of the Year, which so many take issue with every April.
To give a few examples of the objects chosen – and ‘cricket bat’ and ‘cricket ball’ occur in the first seven, with explanations of how both pivotal items have evolved – they include the monument at Hambledon, WG Grace’s beard (not all have been preserved for posterity, I hasten to add), the Yorkshire rose, a pot of brylcreem (guess) and a packet of Rothman’s cigarettes. The sponsorship of the last-named company led to much of what we would consider the modern game. And we finish with those two essentials, the umbrella and the teapot.
The tone of the book is generally light-hearted, but always informative. I like to think my knowledge of cricket history is better than most, but I learned a huge amount in its 300-plus pages. The author is to be congratulated on his research, and the book deserves to reach a wider audience than I suspect it has to date. If you should come across it, it will make a much-welcomed Christmas present – or why not just treat yourself?
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