1. Searching for Heroes by Ian Wooldridge
As one of the Daily Mail’s chief sportswriters for over forty years, Wooldridge covered a huge number of sporting events and encountered a great number of personalities. This book details some of his best work and liveliest encounters, providing a lesson in old school sports journalism.
2. House of Pain by Keith Duggan
Followers of Gaelic Football in Ireland will be aware of how the Mayo team has endured over fifty years of heartbreak in pursuit of the All-Ireland Championship. As one of the nation’s premier teams, Mayo have a history of playing entertaining, easy on the eye Gaelic Football, but their efforts have only ended in defeat at the last hurdle on a number of occasions. House of Pain provides an in depth look at the impact, the tragedies and the utter disappointment of Irish sport’s equivalent of a Greek tragic hero. The book also provides an insight into rural life in Ireland and how important Gaelic Football and Hurling are on a geographically scattered society.
3. The Meaning of Sport by Simon Barnes
Regular Times readers will no doubt be aware of Simon Barnes’ thoughtful columns. The Meaning of Sport is a collection of his work, with a theme that delves into more subtle aspects of sport. Particularly interesting for those who enjoy writing of a more creative, thought provoking nature, Barnes’ piece on the quality of ‘Redgrave’ is a highlight of the book.
4. The Miracle of Castel di Sangro by Joe McGinniss
With just a population of 6,000 the town of Castel di Sangro in southern Italy is not one of the more famous locales. However, the town’s football team made it to Serie B, the second division of Italian Football, in 1996, an unprecedented achievement. McGinniss’ book details their first season in the big time, the struggles against relegation, financial instability and provincialism that dominate Italian Football. There is also a dramatic twist at the end of the season which makes the whole account remarkable and memorable.
5. Many a Slip by Gideon Haigh
Anyone who has played club cricket at any level will appreciate and understand Haigh’s account of a season playing for his local club in Melbourne. There were a number of occasions when I found myself nodding at the parallels with my time playing club cricket. The colourful characters and unique stories behind a non-descript, big city sporting club provide much entertainment and hilarity.
6. Not Dark Yet by Mike Harfield
As literary productions go, this book will not win any prizes. However, similar to Many a Slip, one is able to empathise with Mike Harfield’s attempts to organise an annual cricket match between his friends and the Clifden Hampden CC in Oxfordshire. Tales of players being drafted in at the very last moment, players turning up drunk, agonising defeats and triumphant victories again had me nodding profusely at the problems encountered organising a cricket team. Only 130 pages long it won’t take long to read, but is full of whimsy and fun.
7. Stamping Grounds by Charlie Connelly
Much will be written in the coming weeks and months about England’s quest to win the World Cup. As a subject matter, this will become, as it does every four years, saturated and flogged. On the flip side, Charlie Collins’ account of Liechtenstein’s bid to qualify for the World Cup is refreshing and informative. Ultimately, any Football fan will know the final outcome even before they start reading the book, but the story behind the journey provides a different spectrum on the Football world.
8. What Sport tells us about life by Ed Smith
On a similar theme to Simon Barnes’ book, cricketer Ed Smith looks at the impact sport has on life on general, how it effects people’s thoughts, the parallels between sporting exploits and everyday life and how sport regularly mirrors social themes and contexts. Smith, a former test cricketer for England, has had a couple of books published, demonstrating more than sporting prowess in the process.
9. The Thinking Fans Guide to the World Cup by Matt Weiland and Sean Wilsey
Written prior to the 2006 Finals in Germany, this book is a collection of ad hoc pieces, one from a writer from each of the thirty-two nations involved. Each article involves themes that are not necessarily obvious and weaves cultural themes with those of a sporting nature.
10. Pommies by William Buckland
Despite recent successes, English cricket is racked with staid traditions and anachronisms. William Buckland, an Australian, looks at English cricket through the critical eye of an outsider, comparing Australian cricket’s successes over the past twenty years with English cricket’s regular failings, both on an off the pitch. Not afraid to raise controversial issues, Buckland’s book is thought provoking and revealing, involving contributions from former English and Australian test cricketers.
Southampton City Council
