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[Slipless In Settle: A Slow Turn Around Northern Cricket] [By: Pearson, Harry] [April, 2012]
Slipless in Settles own low-grade playing career, and whole heap of pastry-based snacks.
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First published June 25, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 31, 2012
I'm still undecided as to whether the excruciating Stuart Maconie style pun of the title is the best or the worst thing about this book. Regardless, this is a fascinating and funny account of Northern club cricket, although some of Pearson's anecdotes and quotes seem rather too good to be true. Elderly working-class Northern women only say things like "He was as black as the ace of spades, but...he was a proper gentleman, and a hard worker, you make no mistake about that" in kitchen sink dramas and Alan Bennett monologues, whilst you can see the punchline about Pearson's flatulent team-mate (Well knock me down with a feather, he was a wicket-keeper!) coming a mile away. His description of a typical David Gower dismissal is priceless though, as he hits the nail on the head regarding the North/South divide on what cricket is all about.
June 27, 2022
I read this chiefly because of the author rather than the subject matter, and this was a cricket version of his football-themed Far Corner , although he stayed entirely in the weekend leagues rather than the County game. It was exactly what you would expect from Pearson, with wry observations, amusing descriptions of the action and surroundings and both serious and funny tangents to mix it up a bit.
Most of his travels around Durham, Yorkshire and Lancashire are by public transport which adds to the material and atmosphere of the region, although an early passage reveals that games of cricket do involve a lot of dull periods. With the exception of Blackpool, it was harder to gauge the atmosphere of the grounds compared to his football equivalent, and the towns he traveled through gave a better sense of setting. Like a Bill Bryson travel book, a reader could be forgiven for thinking that conversations are taken from other trips or embellished - there are few trips I make by train that feature overheard conversation worth repeating. To an extent it doesn't matter though, as it livens up the accounts.
Pearson did his research for this too, recounting concise histories of leagues along with their notable players and stories, and I was surprised to learn that all teams in some leagues had to field a professional, many of whom had Test experience. This prevented the humour getting a bit too much but he still has an excellent turn of phrase, and there was a masterful segue when a young female scorer prompted memories of a fairly comical former work colleague. I could also well imagine the laughter of his wife when he came across his old notebooks and an incredibly earnest writing style, which would be a bit like finding a young Graham Norton taking an old Eurovision incredibly seriously and tallying up performances across many metrics in his youth.
But despite my enjoyment of the content, there was one incredibly frustrating aspect of the prose, in which he would switch tenses endlessly during each match. Sometimes this would make a modicum of sense, with cricket actions strictly in the past tense and then saying "the bowler's name is ...", but body shapes were both past and present and there was little consistency to it - and it was definitely distracting.
I don't think cricket lends itself to comedic writing as easily as football as there is generally less chaos, and so I was pleasantly surprised that Pearson's style translated to a different sport, even if the humour came from the more peripheral aspects of the games. Nonetheless, this book is probably best consumed a chapter or two at a time to appreciate the humour but also prevent the familiar match descriptions becoming a bit repetitive.
Most of his travels around Durham, Yorkshire and Lancashire are by public transport which adds to the material and atmosphere of the region, although an early passage reveals that games of cricket do involve a lot of dull periods. With the exception of Blackpool, it was harder to gauge the atmosphere of the grounds compared to his football equivalent, and the towns he traveled through gave a better sense of setting. Like a Bill Bryson travel book, a reader could be forgiven for thinking that conversations are taken from other trips or embellished - there are few trips I make by train that feature overheard conversation worth repeating. To an extent it doesn't matter though, as it livens up the accounts.
Pearson did his research for this too, recounting concise histories of leagues along with their notable players and stories, and I was surprised to learn that all teams in some leagues had to field a professional, many of whom had Test experience. This prevented the humour getting a bit too much but he still has an excellent turn of phrase, and there was a masterful segue when a young female scorer prompted memories of a fairly comical former work colleague. I could also well imagine the laughter of his wife when he came across his old notebooks and an incredibly earnest writing style, which would be a bit like finding a young Graham Norton taking an old Eurovision incredibly seriously and tallying up performances across many metrics in his youth.
But despite my enjoyment of the content, there was one incredibly frustrating aspect of the prose, in which he would switch tenses endlessly during each match. Sometimes this would make a modicum of sense, with cricket actions strictly in the past tense and then saying "the bowler's name is ...", but body shapes were both past and present and there was little consistency to it - and it was definitely distracting.
I don't think cricket lends itself to comedic writing as easily as football as there is generally less chaos, and so I was pleasantly surprised that Pearson's style translated to a different sport, even if the humour came from the more peripheral aspects of the games. Nonetheless, this book is probably best consumed a chapter or two at a time to appreciate the humour but also prevent the familiar match descriptions becoming a bit repetitive.
June 28, 2025
In a word Nostalgic, this is Harry Pearson's take on the history of the Northern Cricket Leagues of England, as it was cricket season I wanted to read something about Cricket and I was generally pleased.
The writing style I found a little similar to Laurie Lee, at times perhaps trying a little too hard to get extra words in and at a fast pace of Rob Twigger. But also this is part travelogue through the North and its Histories, I was also reminded a little of Will Self and his Psychogeography's and felt like it was being narrative by the cricket commentator Kevin Howells, not a bad thing.
There is plenty of Northern Wit in this, its part of its charm but a little of its downfall (it was almost a 3 out 5 but I felt generous) - If you are not a Northern (I'm not) then you could feel a little lost (but perhaps that is the point), it also presumes some knowledge of Histories and Geographies even I didn't know.
But onto the positives, its generally well written and researched and I enjoyed learning the Histories of the game and the Leagues (that probably rivalled the County Circuit) and the makeup of the North. I think it ended on a nice note, this is a story of time now long ago and I'm glad I've read about it. I'd like to go back to Settle to see a game.
The writing style I found a little similar to Laurie Lee, at times perhaps trying a little too hard to get extra words in and at a fast pace of Rob Twigger. But also this is part travelogue through the North and its Histories, I was also reminded a little of Will Self and his Psychogeography's and felt like it was being narrative by the cricket commentator Kevin Howells, not a bad thing.
There is plenty of Northern Wit in this, its part of its charm but a little of its downfall (it was almost a 3 out 5 but I felt generous) - If you are not a Northern (I'm not) then you could feel a little lost (but perhaps that is the point), it also presumes some knowledge of Histories and Geographies even I didn't know.
But onto the positives, its generally well written and researched and I enjoyed learning the Histories of the game and the Leagues (that probably rivalled the County Circuit) and the makeup of the North. I think it ended on a nice note, this is a story of time now long ago and I'm glad I've read about it. I'd like to go back to Settle to see a game.
April 3, 2020
Not as humorous as I expected from the reviews. But an interesting take on the cricket world. Very enjoyable.
March 16, 2021
Started off well, but got very samey very quickly. Plus missing an Ashington game due to rain is disappointing....
June 28, 2022
Lovely history of cricket in Lancashire and the north of England.
Blowers meets Bill Bryson
Blowers meets Bill Bryson
September 12, 2022
Entertainingly written with some great yarns from the northern cricket leagues.
Characters from a bygone age of bat and ball rivalries.
Characters from a bygone age of bat and ball rivalries.
November 7, 2013
Pearson travels around the Northern Cricket Leagues, encompassing Cumbria, Lancashire, Yorkshire and Northumbria, picking his way around club cricket and seeing how it survives in an era when virtually year-round Test and ODI matches make it hard to attract the star players, as they once did. The book describes the matches he viewed, along with brief pen-pictures of the grounds, their history, and the people he meets along the way.
Famous names loom large over proceedings: Learie Constantine, the Three W's, Viv Richards - these great pro's played alongside butchers, train divers, mill workers and the like, every Saturday throughout the summer. These days, the pros tend to be fringe players, who can wangle a work permit somehow.
The writing is brisk, assessing quality of play alongside catering options, dispensing history and legend alike, and generally creating an atmosphere of gentle appreciation for the summer game. It is well-researched, and well-written, but perhaps without the wit and verve that have come to be the hallmark of similar tomes by other authors.
Famous names loom large over proceedings: Learie Constantine, the Three W's, Viv Richards - these great pro's played alongside butchers, train divers, mill workers and the like, every Saturday throughout the summer. These days, the pros tend to be fringe players, who can wangle a work permit somehow.
The writing is brisk, assessing quality of play alongside catering options, dispensing history and legend alike, and generally creating an atmosphere of gentle appreciation for the summer game. It is well-researched, and well-written, but perhaps without the wit and verve that have come to be the hallmark of similar tomes by other authors.
Currently reading
May 11, 2015I haven't finished this one yet but it's already at least a 4 star read. I'm not a fan of S Maconnie; I find his style and reasons given for the books he writes somewhat contrived, so like another reviewer I feared the worst when seeing the title and was half expecting the content to mirror a Maconnie styled book but thankfully here the writing is light and humorous without being preachy or manufactured. It seems Pearson has a genuine fans passion for the arcane history of his sport and pulls off coming across as an eccentric devotee rather than an anorak whilst still managing to attend to all the essential minutiae involved with league cricket. The small details so often delved into could quickly have become tiresome if recounted with less affection and throwaway wit than the author delivers, and it's amazing how I managed to restrain myself for so long in this review to slip a couple of cricketing terms in.
August 15, 2012
The funniest book I've ever read. A great comic writer turns his eye on league cricket in the North of England. If you have no knowledge of the subject, you may get something out of it, but the joy comes when backed up with an affection for cricket and the northern character. Beautifully balanced between report of the games, the spectators, the history of the leagues and the great players of the game who made money as professionals in the league. A genuine pleasure to read, to the extent that I held back from reading it too quickly to keep the experience fresh for as long as possible. I love comic writing but rarely laugh out loud when reading. I laughed out loud at least every chapter and would occasionally find myself laughing hysterically, even when walking down the street remembering the odd line. A gem, a book to treasure.
March 10, 2012
Brilliant for it's title alone but a delightful book and marvellous companion piece to The Far Corner his superb travel through North East football. This is the perfect anti-dote to the shenanigans of first class cricket and the events of the summer just past. A fascinating social history of Norhern club cricket written with real warmth and genuine humour.
April 5, 2014
Fantastic book for anyone who loves real cricket - even better when you find the town you grew up in perfectly described and the town you live in now mentioned frequently.
Humorous yet informative . A really good read for your own house but not public transport unless you want everyone thinking you are mad as you are laughing with tears rolling down your face.
Humorous yet informative . A really good read for your own house but not public transport unless you want everyone thinking you are mad as you are laughing with tears rolling down your face.
July 18, 2010
This is Harry Pearson at his best. When he tals about sport and Northern England there is no one who writes better. This is how Harry spent last summer going round local league cricket in the north. His descriptions are superb and his research just makes the book.
June 20, 2012
funny and humourous look at the grounds and characters which make up northern league cricket through its history , culture and the players whether overseas or form lancashire/durham/northumberland, cumbria and of course yorkshire
November 7, 2011
Entertaining look at league cricket in England - it's like reading a travelogue of high-school football in the southern United States.
June 28, 2012
Really good basic cricket writing
July 13, 2012
Nice. In a good way.
September 24, 2012
As recommended, I hugely enjoyed this. Low on sentimentality, very observant and very very funny.
Why not a 5? One chapter too many - I think he'd said it all well before the end.
Why not a 5? One chapter too many - I think he'd said it all well before the end.
April 15, 2015
Belter
January 25, 2016
I liked this book. Most cricket books revolve around a sort of rose tinted glasses view of village cricket whereas this shows the more competitive view of the game as played in the north of England.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews