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Stars on Sunday: The History of Cricket's John Player League
Stars on The History of Cricket's John Player League is a rich and colourful account of the ground-breaking domestic limited-overs competition.
In this enthralling book, players and fans recall a time when sport on Sunday afternoons meant county cricket, whether attending a fixture in person or as part of the huge TV audience guided by the comforting tones of John Arlott and Jim Laker.
Inside you will
How the pioneering matches played by the International Cavaliers in the 1960s created the template for the leagueHow the John Player League hooked a generation of fans into the county game, with TV coverage that allowed new fans to quickly get to know the players and adopt new favouritesAnalysis of John Player’s use of sports sponsorship in the face of advertising restrictions on tobaccoLively accounts of the key matches and performances across every season from 1969 to 1986, when packed crowds and large TV audiences avidly followed the league with thrilling last-ball victories and nail-biting races for the titleThe mighty teams of different eras – from the early successes of Lancashire and Kent to the dominance of Essex in the 1980sWhether reliving favourite cricketing memories or learning about the league that was a forerunner of the formats that dominate today's game, this book is a must-read for cricket fans of all ages.
In this enthralling book, players and fans recall a time when sport on Sunday afternoons meant county cricket, whether attending a fixture in person or as part of the huge TV audience guided by the comforting tones of John Arlott and Jim Laker.
Inside you will
How the pioneering matches played by the International Cavaliers in the 1960s created the template for the leagueHow the John Player League hooked a generation of fans into the county game, with TV coverage that allowed new fans to quickly get to know the players and adopt new favouritesAnalysis of John Player’s use of sports sponsorship in the face of advertising restrictions on tobaccoLively accounts of the key matches and performances across every season from 1969 to 1986, when packed crowds and large TV audiences avidly followed the league with thrilling last-ball victories and nail-biting races for the titleThe mighty teams of different eras – from the early successes of Lancashire and Kent to the dominance of Essex in the 1980sWhether reliving favourite cricketing memories or learning about the league that was a forerunner of the formats that dominate today's game, this book is a must-read for cricket fans of all ages.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 30, 2026
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June 29, 2026
The four stars are for capturing such a vital and memorable period of county cricket in a single volume. The writing is clunky and repetitive in its relentless relaying of match scores but in doing so did remind me of some fine matches and inform me of other individual achievements
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review