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The Authors XI: A Season of English Cricket from Hackney to Hambledon
An insightful examination of modern cricket by a historic team made up of cricket-obsessed writers.
Cricket has perhaps held more writers in its thrall than any other sport: many excellent books have been written about it, and many great authors have played it. The Authors Cricket Club used to play regularly against teams made up of Publishers and Actors. They last played in 1912, and include among their alumni such greats as PG Wodehouse, who played six times for them at Lord's, Arthur Conan Doyle and JM Barrie, whose own team the Allahakbarries is perhaps the most famous example of a literary team in history. A hundred years on from their last match, a team of modern-day authors has been assembled to continue this fine literary and sporting tradition in a nationwide tour in search of the perfect day's cricket. The Authors XI is the story of their season.
Writers have long sought to pin down what is so special about this wonderful game, and the Authors XI are set to join them. Over the course of a summer they played over a dozen matches, each one carefully chosen for capturing an aspect of cricket, in some of England's most spectacular and historic grounds, against a wide range of opponents. In the book, each player contributes a chapter about one of their fixtures, using a match report as a starting point for an essay on cricket and its appeal, both historically and today.
The team includes Alex Preston, who once worked as a trader in the City and writes a chapter on the role of money in the game as the team play a side of bankers, James Holland, a historian who contributes a chapter looking at the spirit of cricket as the authors take on Tim Rice's Heartaches on a ground that James built himself, and Downton Abbey and The Line of Beauty actor Dan Stevens, who writes about actors, showmanship and the Hollywood Cricket Club. Further chapters from other team members examine issues such as history, class and empire.
Cricket has perhaps held more writers in its thrall than any other sport: many excellent books have been written about it, and many great authors have played it. The Authors Cricket Club used to play regularly against teams made up of Publishers and Actors. They last played in 1912, and include among their alumni such greats as PG Wodehouse, who played six times for them at Lord's, Arthur Conan Doyle and JM Barrie, whose own team the Allahakbarries is perhaps the most famous example of a literary team in history. A hundred years on from their last match, a team of modern-day authors has been assembled to continue this fine literary and sporting tradition in a nationwide tour in search of the perfect day's cricket. The Authors XI is the story of their season.
Writers have long sought to pin down what is so special about this wonderful game, and the Authors XI are set to join them. Over the course of a summer they played over a dozen matches, each one carefully chosen for capturing an aspect of cricket, in some of England's most spectacular and historic grounds, against a wide range of opponents. In the book, each player contributes a chapter about one of their fixtures, using a match report as a starting point for an essay on cricket and its appeal, both historically and today.
The team includes Alex Preston, who once worked as a trader in the City and writes a chapter on the role of money in the game as the team play a side of bankers, James Holland, a historian who contributes a chapter looking at the spirit of cricket as the authors take on Tim Rice's Heartaches on a ground that James built himself, and Downton Abbey and The Line of Beauty actor Dan Stevens, who writes about actors, showmanship and the Hollywood Cricket Club. Further chapters from other team members examine issues such as history, class and empire.
- GenresSportsNonfiction
240 pages, Hardcover
First published July 2, 2013
5 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
Charlie Campbell
25 books1 followerLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name
For other authors of this name, see:
Charlie Campbell - Cricket, Literary Review
Charlie H. Campbell - Theology
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name
For other authors of this name, see:
Charlie Campbell - Cricket, Literary Review
Charlie H. Campbell - Theology
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 3, 2017
A delightful read as many of these specialised cricket books are and one that I will revisit at a later date. Can be read as one or each chapter in isolation.
January 17, 2016
This, bought for me as a gift, was an unexpected pleasure. The concept revolves around a group of modern authors and cricket fans deciding to re-activate the Victorian tradition of playing games of cricket as a team of a single profession. The book is a pleasant tale of their first recent (2012?) summer with this fresh team.
I was surprised with the quality of writing, and the entertainment to be gained from it. Each chapter is written by a different member of the team, describing a game on the tour, and linking to a particular relevant subject (class, history, gender, statistics, a cricketer's kit, etc.), but the standard was pretty consistently high. Two or three chapters stood out as particularly amusing (I may look into more stuff by these authors) but none were a slog - despite me only having a middle-sized love of the game.
A little gem which would make an enjoyable read for fans of the game and admirers of sporting literature in general.
I was surprised with the quality of writing, and the entertainment to be gained from it. Each chapter is written by a different member of the team, describing a game on the tour, and linking to a particular relevant subject (class, history, gender, statistics, a cricketer's kit, etc.), but the standard was pretty consistently high. Two or three chapters stood out as particularly amusing (I may look into more stuff by these authors) but none were a slog - despite me only having a middle-sized love of the game.
A little gem which would make an enjoyable read for fans of the game and admirers of sporting literature in general.
June 29, 2013
As someone who is only vaguely familiar with the very basics of cricket, I was surprised at how much I liked this beautiful love letter to the sport. Each chapter details a match and the writer's musing on a topic relating to cricket. Stand out chapters for me were James Holland's "Field of Dreams", Matthew Parker's "Empire State of Mind", Tom Holland's "Youth and Age", Kamila Shamsie's "The Women's XI" and my absolute favorite was Nicholas Hogg's "Cricket and Home". (And, of course, as a fan of the show, I greatly enjoyed Dan Stevens's "Edwardian Cricket and Downton Abbey").
June 9, 2017
Delightful book on the 2012 season - contributions by many of the players in the form of match reports with reflections on aspects of cricket. Had me considering a comeback at 60!
July 17, 2024
Although now 12 years old and possibly in need of an update or a second volume, this is a jolly little book that glimpses into the world of a cross-section of cricket-obsessed writers who, in 2012, resurrected the Author’s Cricket Club, first founded by, among others, P G Wodehouse and Arthur Conan Doyle.
They take turns in reporting on their team’s exploits against a variety of opposition the length and breadth of the country alongside their own individual vignettes on cricket related matters, such as Nets, Women in cricket and broadcasting. It is a nice read, easily picked up and dipped into, that reveals as much about the individual authors as it does about their cricketing prowess.
My cricket club has an annual fixture against the Authors XI which, much to my annoyance, I am yet to play in.
They take turns in reporting on their team’s exploits against a variety of opposition the length and breadth of the country alongside their own individual vignettes on cricket related matters, such as Nets, Women in cricket and broadcasting. It is a nice read, easily picked up and dipped into, that reveals as much about the individual authors as it does about their cricketing prowess.
My cricket club has an annual fixture against the Authors XI which, much to my annoyance, I am yet to play in.
August 15, 2025
The different perspectives and styles of the authors make this work. You need cricket knowledge, this most certainly is not a beginner book, but it is fun taking in this team’s season through so many talented writers!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews