CMJ: A Cricketing Life

by Christopher Martin-Jenkins

Christopher Martin-Jenkins, or CMJ to his many fans as well as listeners of Test Match Special, was perhaps the voice of cricket; an unparalleled authority whose insight and passion for cricket, as well as his style of commentary, captured what it is that makes the sport so special. In his many years as a commentator and journalist - reporting for the BBC, The Times and the Cricketer among others - CMJ covered some of the biggest moments in the sport's history. And in this memoir he looks back on a lifetime spent in service to this most bizarre and beguiling of sports and tells the stories of the players, coaches and fans he met along the way. Recounted with all the warmth and vigour that has endeared CMJ to generations of cricket fans, this memoir relives the moments that defined modern cricket and which shaped his life in turn. It is a must-have book for all devotees of the sport.

439 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2013

Reviews

[Nick Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a difficult one to review. On one hand, CMJ is a witty and good quality writer, his journalistic and broadcasting talent obvious here, and his life makes for a lot of interesting anecdotes told with more than a little intellect and insight. Any chapter of this book would make for an interesting standalone article, and much of this I found insightful.

But yet, it got a bit boring. As with many autobiographies, the childhood and formative years I found more interesting than the name droppy adult years. At times too it felt a bit quaint and old fashioned, and at times the author seemed to be slightly snipey about some of the people he worked with. I like cricket, but even I found 400+ pages of "and we went on this tour to this country, and it was a bit backward in this way, and I struggled to file my copy, and this other journalist/broadcaster I am now damning with faint praise" was a bit much.

[Alan Draycott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grew to like this book. There was nothing particularly new in it, anecdotes about former commentators were amusing but perhaps too much like an after dinner speech. I thought the best chapters were on his own son detailing a father's modest pride in his achievements and the chapter on his faith. These two chapters seemed very fresh and revealing and whilst the rest of the book covers relatively familiar ground very well, these two chapters covered fresh ground and made the the book for me.

[Edward Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't get me wrong, he has some interesting things to say and, in the main, was engaging with a smattering of humour. However there was a distinct lack of fun anecdotes from his 40+ years as a TMS commentator and cricket journalist. To be fair, it is his memoir but there was a lot relating to his childhood, while he seemed keen to mention every Tom, Dick and Harry he'd ever associated with.

[Brian Haining · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've listened to CMJ on TMS for years so was interested to read his memoir

Being a lover of cricket he has enjoyed an enviable life covering many aspects of the game as keen player, broadcaster, journalist and committee member

He has enjoyed positions of influence throughout his career which are documented well

I have listened to him more than read his newspaper reports and was interested to read about his BBC sports reports role and some of the situations he found himself in. I would have preferred a little more of the nuts and bolts of how TMS is put together, how the daily schedule and rota of commentators and summarisers operates and is decided, and whether they generally stay in the same hotels and socialise together

Days spent reporting county cricket for The Telegraph and The Times sounds like a lovely role surrounded by friends doing similar for others newspapers

All in all a very good read that covers a lot detail of both his career and personal life.

My slight concern is his pedantic view on grammar and how he would view this review!

[Eddy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting bits, some of it a bit dull (long lists of famous people he's known), and a bit disjointed. Some anecdotes just finish eg. he describes hearing from his hotel bedroom the cry of a woman being raped somewhere outside but just leaves it at that, doesn't say what he did (if anything). Pronouces somewhat outdated views (and often bemoans modern society), and sometimes comes across as sexist, a bit racist (eg reference to 'drunken 'abbos' who haven't taken on board the benefits of opportunities in Australia) and very classist (some posh Indian lady was described as having been jailed for several months "for alleged tax evasion" but obviously he thinks that Indian courts, like the umpires are perhaps a bit dodgy as clearly she is too nice, posh, and supportive of cricket to be actually guilty. He has a tendency to mention important issues but not go into any real depth, so it seems a bit shallow and consequently rather disappointing.

[Andy Yule · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reasonable autobiography, by someone who was always worth listening to when commentating or commenting on cricket. However, I didn't learn very much of interest from this book, possibly because his natural modesty and disdain for sensationalism.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a 3.5 than a 3. Engaging book from one of the last great Cricket commentators. Refreshing and modest and not ruined with celebrity nonsense.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely book to read from one of the last great cricket commentators. He was known for his detailed prose and ability to paint a picture of words for the listener and he writes just as well, even if the place feels a little slow at times. He represents the true humility of the Test Match Special commentators of days gone by. His loss continues to be felt on TMS. A great book for new fans of cricket.