Young Vic

Archie Mac | 9:09am BST 20 April 2025

Published: 2025
Pages: 98
Author: Bonnell, Max
Publisher: Red Rose Books
Rating: 4.5 stars

I have to admit that I’m annoyed with this book and one of my favourite authors in Max Bonnell. The book is 98 pages of informative, well written prose, with that rare commodity, new information about the legendary Victor Trumper. That is something that the Cricket Tragic dreams of. The problem is the 98 pages of Young Vic could have been the opening third of the definitive biography on the beau ideal of batsmanship, and not just a treatise up to his first tour to England.   

Still, the cricket history buffs will enjoy the new information that Victor Trumper may have been born on 2 November 1878 and not on 2 November 1877, which has always been accepted. As there is no known birth certificate for Trumper, a definitive date has eluded cricket historians. So rare is new intel on Trumper, that I won’t spoil the discovery for the reader, however will note that Bonnell presents a compelling financial reason as to why the young Trumper may have added a year to his birth date.

Bonnell delves into the reasons for the lack of a birth certificate for Trumper, and who his likely parents may be. The man that raised Trumper, and was a staunch supporter of his son, is almost certainly not the biological father. Bonnell does hypothesise that Trumper’s maternal grandfather could mathematically be his biological father, although ultimately accepts this as unlikely.

Apart from his lineage, we learn about Trumper’s rise to the brink of Test selection. Bonnell focuses on the paucity of runs Trumper scored, compared to the superlatives used by the press and fellow players. On occasions, for example, Trumper barely scored, yet was still described as a coming champion of the game. One such example given was by Prince Ranji. After Trumper scored five and zero, Ranji wrote, “he will be a very great batsman in this country”. Bonnell provides numerous examples of the disparity between his output and the raptures of the press and it again makes you appreciate just how aesthetically pleasing the batting of Trumper must have been.

I am wondering whether Bonnell and Red Rose Books may consider a three part account of Trumper’s life. Young Vic, Champion Vic (on his cricket career), and finally Business Vic. In the last named, Bonnell could utilise his legal mind to dissect why Trumper was such a failure in the business world. It appears this is an area which is open to much debate and possibly new information. The old trope, that Trumper was so nice, he simply gave away too many sporting goods to young children to turn a profit from his sports store, is too simplistic.

Perhaps I am being unrealistic in the expectation of further books in this series. What I can write is that Young Vic is a must have for all cricket fans, and if Mr Bonnell does write a further book on Trumper I can guarantee him at least one sale.