The Authors XI: A Season of English Cricket from Hackney to Hambledon

by Charlie Campbell

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, Arthur Conan Doyle and JM Barrie. 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.

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. 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.

From Matthew Parker on cricket and empire, and Kamila Shamsie on the women's game, to Tom Holland on cricket and ageing, and Thomas Penn on cricket and history, this is an engaging look at cricket's enduring appeal. Further chapters from other team members examine issues such as class, empire, and sport and the stage.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published July 2, 2013

About the author

Charlie Campbell is an author from Brighton, UK, who is somewhat confused how he wound up as a professional artist when he attended university to study theoretical physics.

His works now include multiple board games, luxury board game upgrade pieces and animated musical trailers, among other things.

Reviews

[Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Nick Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

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").

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!

[John Grinstead · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Patrick Tarbox · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!