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Chasing Shadows: The Life and Death of Peter Roebuck
Complex, prickly and fiercely independent, Peter Roebuck became known as a first class cricketer in England, rose to fame internationally as a writer and broadcaster and ultimately divided his time between Australia and South Africa.
His long-standing feud with one of the biggest names in the sport was as infamous as it was rancorous. He engendered a widespread and loyal following for fearlessly wading into controversies – match-fixing, corruption, rotten governments – that left him exposed and vulnerable. At the end, he was accused of sexual assault and the nature of his death was horrific.
In this uncompromising investigation that spans multiple continents, and features unflinching testimonies from the likes of Steve Waugh, Rahul Dravid, Mike Atherton, Gideon Haigh, Ian Chappell, Jonathan Agnew and members of the Roebuck family, the authors have pieced together the fragments of an often brilliant yet uneasy life – and reveal how it all unravelled.
'In many ways, he was at his happiest talking about and writing about the game. It was the rest of life he didn't quite master.' The Times
Tim Lane is a broadcaster and columnist with extensive experience in the electronic and print media. He worked alongside Peter Roebuck at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation for twelve years.
Elliot Cartledge is a writer and editor from Melbourne, Australia who has written extensively about sport, music and travel across the globe. This is his third sports book.
His long-standing feud with one of the biggest names in the sport was as infamous as it was rancorous. He engendered a widespread and loyal following for fearlessly wading into controversies – match-fixing, corruption, rotten governments – that left him exposed and vulnerable. At the end, he was accused of sexual assault and the nature of his death was horrific.
In this uncompromising investigation that spans multiple continents, and features unflinching testimonies from the likes of Steve Waugh, Rahul Dravid, Mike Atherton, Gideon Haigh, Ian Chappell, Jonathan Agnew and members of the Roebuck family, the authors have pieced together the fragments of an often brilliant yet uneasy life – and reveal how it all unravelled.
'In many ways, he was at his happiest talking about and writing about the game. It was the rest of life he didn't quite master.' The Times
Tim Lane is a broadcaster and columnist with extensive experience in the electronic and print media. He worked alongside Peter Roebuck at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation for twelve years.
Elliot Cartledge is a writer and editor from Melbourne, Australia who has written extensively about sport, music and travel across the globe. This is his third sports book.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 8, 2016
To thousands of cricket lovers around the world, Peter Roebuck was known and admired as one of the game's most erudite and informed commentators and observers; a fierce critic of incompetent officials and fearless crusader against corruption; and, formerly, as a professional cricketer of skill and achievement whom many astute judges declare was desperately unlucky never to have played Test cricket for England. But after Roebuck pleaded guilty in 1991 to a charge of common assault against three young African men in his care, darker rumours began to swirl around his life: was there a sinister aspect to his nature; was his passionate commitment to underprivileged youngsters a front for predatory appetites? Or was Roebuck, as he often claimed, a victim of a set-up, framed and discredited by his many powerful enemies in the world of cricket and politics? All these questions came exploding once more into the limelight in November 2011 when, while covering the Australian tour of South Africa, Roebuck was charged with the sexual assault of a young Zimbabwean man - a charge to which he responded by committing suicide by jumping from his hotel window.
With care and sensitivity for the reputation of a dead man now unable to speak for himself - and yet with an unflinching preparedness to follow the evidence, even if it led to the realisation of unpalatable truths - Tim Lane and Elliot Cartledge try to unravel the enigmatic Gordian Knot that was Roebuck's life: the controversial public figure who shunned human fellowship and personal intimacy; the accomplished cricketer and commentator who was assailed by crippling self-doubt and insecurity; the compassionate and generous humanitarian who professed admiration for, and practiced, disciplinary regimes many would consider abusive and inhuman. Regardless of whatever verdict the reader ultimately reaches about Roebuck's guilt or innocence, this is a meticulously researched and investigated book that reveals the terrible tragedy of a complex and tormented life, brilliantly accomplished in some respects, yet piteously deficient in others. Heart-rending in its profoundly human brokenness that never at any stage rationalises or makes excuses, this is a compelling and moving portrait of a tormented soul who remains disturbingly opaque, even in death.
With care and sensitivity for the reputation of a dead man now unable to speak for himself - and yet with an unflinching preparedness to follow the evidence, even if it led to the realisation of unpalatable truths - Tim Lane and Elliot Cartledge try to unravel the enigmatic Gordian Knot that was Roebuck's life: the controversial public figure who shunned human fellowship and personal intimacy; the accomplished cricketer and commentator who was assailed by crippling self-doubt and insecurity; the compassionate and generous humanitarian who professed admiration for, and practiced, disciplinary regimes many would consider abusive and inhuman. Regardless of whatever verdict the reader ultimately reaches about Roebuck's guilt or innocence, this is a meticulously researched and investigated book that reveals the terrible tragedy of a complex and tormented life, brilliantly accomplished in some respects, yet piteously deficient in others. Heart-rending in its profoundly human brokenness that never at any stage rationalises or makes excuses, this is a compelling and moving portrait of a tormented soul who remains disturbingly opaque, even in death.
April 18, 2016
What to make of a man's life when that man is careful to shield many aspects of it from his acquaintances? For Peter Roebuck, it seems from this book, had very few people he could truly call friend. Lane and Cartledge have tried - by talking to people who knew him, and by looking closely at the parts of his life where they could manage to find information - to discover what might have led him to throw himself from the window of the Southern Sun Hotel in Capetown in 2011.
The book looks at his upbringing, and especially at his time at Somerset, where he was a successful player almost in spite of himself, but is possibly best remembered there as the man who got rid of Viv Richards and Joel Garner, which precipitated the departure of Ian Botham. Before heading into murkier territory, his work as a journalist and life in Australia and South Africa are noted.
There is no doubt that Roebuck was an intense and odd character. Much has been made of his sexuality, and while Lane and Cartledge have discovered that Roebuck did have at least one important heterosexual relationship, there can be no definitive answers on Roebuck's orientation. However, what seems more important in his makeup is his character. He certainly had strong opinions on what made character, being firmly of the belief that cricket took a major part. This belief led him down a strange path.
The authors paint a picture of a man who, whilst obviously very intelligent, had little social sense. Roebuck seemed to have no innate knowledge of, nor does it seem he was inclined to learn, the social graces and give-and-take that make for solid bonds with other people. Some of those interviewed for the book speculate that Roebuck felt a need to be the leader, the one who people looked up to. This could go some way to explaining both what happened at Somerset, where he acquiesced in getting rid of the players that could challenge his leadership, and in the way he ran his "houses" in South Africa, where he dispensed advice and discipline.
His journalism too, as he progressed in his career, seemed to become more dogmatic and fixed on certain themes, sometimes from an angle that may seem strange to the reader. He no doubt was correct in singling out the corruption in Zimbabwean cricket, but his crusade took little note of the enmities and casualties that he left in his path.
All of which is to bring us closer to the moment of his death. Roebuck has a well-developed sense of persecution, and felt that there were forces out to get him. Initially he felt it was Botham and his supporters, but then even the Zimbabwean government seemed to enter his frame. Lane and Cartledge point out that while these theories occupied Roebuck 99% of the time, for Botham anyway 1% of his time, if at all, was given over to thinking about Roebuck. For a highly intelligent, rational man, this was odd behaviour.
Roebuck certainly thought it was Botham and his cronies who were behind the assault charge and conviction in 2001, which shattered him and haunted him for the rest of his life. However, as the authors point out, this is hard to sustain for several reasons. Firstly, it is clear that he did strike the boys, nevermind the issue of consent, and Secondly it is hard to believe that a man who got a First in Law at Cambridge could fail to understand that pleading guilty to a charge means admitting that it occurred. Yet another occasion where an intelligent man in other ways failed completely to grasp his situation in a social sense.
Despite his anguish at the assault conviction, it doesn't seem to have stopped him from believing that corporal punishment was part of the educative process: as he himself admitted he had "very right wing ideas" about education. It is very hard to get to the bottom of why Roebuck felt it necessary to cane his charges. Testimony from many of them suggests that they themselves chose that punishment, rather than be punished by household chores. Henk Lindeque, one of those who brought the earlier charge of assault, claimed that Roebuck wanted to see the welts, which was where sexual issues come into it. Roebuck claimed he only wanted to see the welts to ensure he wasn't caning the boys too hard.
The picture of Roebuck built up by the authors leaves the reader thinking that it is just possible that Roebuck was looking dispassionately at his handiwork to gauge whether he was going over the top. The tragedy really is that he seems to have had little awareness of how this might seem to Lindeque and to anyone else who heard about it.
Which brings us to his death. Itai Gondo, the man who made the claim of sexual assault that led to Roebuck's death, has been notoriously hard to find, but did make himself available to the authors for interview via Skype. Just as the reader is being led to think that perhaps Roebuck's paranoia might have a grain of truth, and that Gondo's accusations were part of a Zimbabwean government plot, Gondo's testimony sways the mind again, and it seems that indeed Roebuck may have made an inappropriate advance. And yet, Gondo seems to have done very well for himself since the incident, and how did that happen?
There are so many unanswered questions about Roebuck's death that it is hard to know where to start. The authors, I think, put to bed the theory that Roebuck was thrown from the window, and expose the incredibly shoddy police work that surrounded not only the moments of Roebuck's demise, but the subsequent handling of forensic evidence and inquest.
Whatever the truth of Gondo's accusations, it seems clear that Roebuck sensed that the hell that was his 2001 brush with assault charges was going to happen all over again, and that he couldn't cope with it. He had always been a moody depressive man, prone to extreme reactions to stressful situations, and it's possible he took what he thought was the rational route to end the pain.
What we do know by the end of the book is that it didn't have to be that way - Roebuck had people around him that, if he had let them, would have provided him a supportive network of friends, and perhaps even a partner. It's terribly sad that his life ended the way it did, although it is notable that many of the people interviewed for the book felt that Roebuck had been on the path to suicide for some time, if not all his life.
Lane and Cartledge have approached this difficult story with perseverence, candour and some heart. It is more than a book about cricket, and more than a book about the death of someone famous. Worth reading.
Check out my other reviews at http://aviewoverthebell.blogspot.com.au/
The book looks at his upbringing, and especially at his time at Somerset, where he was a successful player almost in spite of himself, but is possibly best remembered there as the man who got rid of Viv Richards and Joel Garner, which precipitated the departure of Ian Botham. Before heading into murkier territory, his work as a journalist and life in Australia and South Africa are noted.
There is no doubt that Roebuck was an intense and odd character. Much has been made of his sexuality, and while Lane and Cartledge have discovered that Roebuck did have at least one important heterosexual relationship, there can be no definitive answers on Roebuck's orientation. However, what seems more important in his makeup is his character. He certainly had strong opinions on what made character, being firmly of the belief that cricket took a major part. This belief led him down a strange path.
The authors paint a picture of a man who, whilst obviously very intelligent, had little social sense. Roebuck seemed to have no innate knowledge of, nor does it seem he was inclined to learn, the social graces and give-and-take that make for solid bonds with other people. Some of those interviewed for the book speculate that Roebuck felt a need to be the leader, the one who people looked up to. This could go some way to explaining both what happened at Somerset, where he acquiesced in getting rid of the players that could challenge his leadership, and in the way he ran his "houses" in South Africa, where he dispensed advice and discipline.
His journalism too, as he progressed in his career, seemed to become more dogmatic and fixed on certain themes, sometimes from an angle that may seem strange to the reader. He no doubt was correct in singling out the corruption in Zimbabwean cricket, but his crusade took little note of the enmities and casualties that he left in his path.
All of which is to bring us closer to the moment of his death. Roebuck has a well-developed sense of persecution, and felt that there were forces out to get him. Initially he felt it was Botham and his supporters, but then even the Zimbabwean government seemed to enter his frame. Lane and Cartledge point out that while these theories occupied Roebuck 99% of the time, for Botham anyway 1% of his time, if at all, was given over to thinking about Roebuck. For a highly intelligent, rational man, this was odd behaviour.
Roebuck certainly thought it was Botham and his cronies who were behind the assault charge and conviction in 2001, which shattered him and haunted him for the rest of his life. However, as the authors point out, this is hard to sustain for several reasons. Firstly, it is clear that he did strike the boys, nevermind the issue of consent, and Secondly it is hard to believe that a man who got a First in Law at Cambridge could fail to understand that pleading guilty to a charge means admitting that it occurred. Yet another occasion where an intelligent man in other ways failed completely to grasp his situation in a social sense.
Despite his anguish at the assault conviction, it doesn't seem to have stopped him from believing that corporal punishment was part of the educative process: as he himself admitted he had "very right wing ideas" about education. It is very hard to get to the bottom of why Roebuck felt it necessary to cane his charges. Testimony from many of them suggests that they themselves chose that punishment, rather than be punished by household chores. Henk Lindeque, one of those who brought the earlier charge of assault, claimed that Roebuck wanted to see the welts, which was where sexual issues come into it. Roebuck claimed he only wanted to see the welts to ensure he wasn't caning the boys too hard.
The picture of Roebuck built up by the authors leaves the reader thinking that it is just possible that Roebuck was looking dispassionately at his handiwork to gauge whether he was going over the top. The tragedy really is that he seems to have had little awareness of how this might seem to Lindeque and to anyone else who heard about it.
Which brings us to his death. Itai Gondo, the man who made the claim of sexual assault that led to Roebuck's death, has been notoriously hard to find, but did make himself available to the authors for interview via Skype. Just as the reader is being led to think that perhaps Roebuck's paranoia might have a grain of truth, and that Gondo's accusations were part of a Zimbabwean government plot, Gondo's testimony sways the mind again, and it seems that indeed Roebuck may have made an inappropriate advance. And yet, Gondo seems to have done very well for himself since the incident, and how did that happen?
There are so many unanswered questions about Roebuck's death that it is hard to know where to start. The authors, I think, put to bed the theory that Roebuck was thrown from the window, and expose the incredibly shoddy police work that surrounded not only the moments of Roebuck's demise, but the subsequent handling of forensic evidence and inquest.
Whatever the truth of Gondo's accusations, it seems clear that Roebuck sensed that the hell that was his 2001 brush with assault charges was going to happen all over again, and that he couldn't cope with it. He had always been a moody depressive man, prone to extreme reactions to stressful situations, and it's possible he took what he thought was the rational route to end the pain.
What we do know by the end of the book is that it didn't have to be that way - Roebuck had people around him that, if he had let them, would have provided him a supportive network of friends, and perhaps even a partner. It's terribly sad that his life ended the way it did, although it is notable that many of the people interviewed for the book felt that Roebuck had been on the path to suicide for some time, if not all his life.
Lane and Cartledge have approached this difficult story with perseverence, candour and some heart. It is more than a book about cricket, and more than a book about the death of someone famous. Worth reading.
Check out my other reviews at http://aviewoverthebell.blogspot.com.au/
January 27, 2016
A compelling read which ultimately leaves the reader where they started but armed with more information. The research has been exhaustive and fair to all points of view. There has been no judgment to colour the evidence of all parties but where reservation exists, it has been explained. Lane and Cartledge have captured the essence of this complicated, compassionate, brilliant man but exposed his vulnerability in fairness to telling the full story. One senses the truth is obvious but if it where, it would be a rare moment in Roebuck's mysteriously shrouded life.
February 5, 2021
Very good read and analysis of a very complicated man. I think Peter was the best cricket writer of all time yet this book will let you judge just how dark, his dark side was.
March 7, 2025
It’s a small subset of readers - even among cricket lovers who read - that is likely to seek this book out. Which is a pity, as it is a great example of how to conduct an investigation into the private life of a deceased public figure with class and dignity, more so when the death is in highly controversial circumstances.
Reading this provided me with as clear and balanced a picture as possible of the life of one of my favourite cricket writers, from his formative years to the less-than-savoury events leading to his death. It also left me appreciative of the authors’ sensitivity, not just towards a complex character but also his family, peers and former girlfriend, whose accounts feature prominently in the book. Difficult questions and subject matter are not dodged in the process.
A rare book in that it acts as closure to the public profile of a life less ordinary, and, as it turned out, less peaceful.
Reading this provided me with as clear and balanced a picture as possible of the life of one of my favourite cricket writers, from his formative years to the less-than-savoury events leading to his death. It also left me appreciative of the authors’ sensitivity, not just towards a complex character but also his family, peers and former girlfriend, whose accounts feature prominently in the book. Difficult questions and subject matter are not dodged in the process.
A rare book in that it acts as closure to the public profile of a life less ordinary, and, as it turned out, less peaceful.
May 11, 2024
I was interested in this book being a cricket fan from Somerset, so throughout my life I’ve had Roebuck presented as a baddie who drove our Botham, Richards and Garner. Obviously the reality is more interesting and complicated. Hadn’t appreciated how good his batting record was in First Class Cricket. And his career with Devon too. But then there’s the other stuff, which the book goes into, although the lack of resolution or strong evidence is frustrating, but not the fault of the authors. Glad I read it. That said, it was a little repetitive and could easily have been 20% shorter, which means it should have been. I’m sure a wordsmith like Roebuck would have agreed with that, at least.
July 8, 2019
There wasn't a whole not in this I wasn't aware of at some point in the past (bar one interesting section), however it is an interesting collection of information on the life of one of crickets more interesting characters. Well worth a read to pull it all back together if you recall the man as a player and/or writer, or alternatively just a rather bizarre death.
August 14, 2020
This is an excellent read for cricket fans or non-cricket fans alike. A complex man and well known cricket commentator / journalist takes his own life (or does he?). It is a fantastically researched book. It does help to know who Peter Roebuck was before reading. Enjoyed the read if not the content subject.
March 2, 2016
I was a huge fan of Peter Roebuck's commentary on the ABC - I loved that he came at so many issues from a different viewpoint, he certainly wasn't a cheerleader for the Australian team like so many other commentators. And I would recommend his book It Never Rains as one of the best cricket books I've ever read.
But away from the commentary box and the writing desk ... it's very hard to know. It was hard to know during his life, and even harder now. With no proper enquiry following his death it's impossible to know what really happened. Were the allegations true or fabricated?
I felt this book did a great job in shining a light on as much of Roebuck's life as was possible for someone who lived so privately. It presented evidence from many different sides of the Roebuck story, but ultimately was unable to come to any concrete conclusion regarding the circumstances of his death.
But away from the commentary box and the writing desk ... it's very hard to know. It was hard to know during his life, and even harder now. With no proper enquiry following his death it's impossible to know what really happened. Were the allegations true or fabricated?
I felt this book did a great job in shining a light on as much of Roebuck's life as was possible for someone who lived so privately. It presented evidence from many different sides of the Roebuck story, but ultimately was unable to come to any concrete conclusion regarding the circumstances of his death.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 20, 2016
A really well researched and put together book that explores the life of an incredibly private individual. Roebuck's sad and lonely death - which certainly shocked this reader at the time - prompted questions from both those around him (note that I don't say "close to him", as it is clear that perhaps nobody was at all close to him), as well as the litany of cricket fans around the world.
The premise of the piece is to try and delved beneath the tabloid headlines, rumour and innuendo and understand what demons may have compelled such a life. In this, it is perhaps not successful, albeit this is no fault of the authors, as I suspect that this enigma is one without a simple explanation.
Immensely depressing reading on one man's life.
The premise of the piece is to try and delved beneath the tabloid headlines, rumour and innuendo and understand what demons may have compelled such a life. In this, it is perhaps not successful, albeit this is no fault of the authors, as I suspect that this enigma is one without a simple explanation.
Immensely depressing reading on one man's life.
March 30, 2017
Very interesting read. A complicated and intriguing man. I wish all cricketers were this complex.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews