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Pushing the Boundaries: Cricket in the Eighties: Playing Home and Away
Derek Pringle is finally ready to tell his story of cricket in the 80s.
First chosen by England whilst still at university in 1982, Derek featured in the national side for the next 11 years. He played 30 Tests, 44 One Day Internationals, and appeared in 2 World Cups.
Inside the dressing room, and out on the pitch, Derek witnessed at first hand an era of English cricket populated by characters such as Botham, Gooch, Lamb, and Gower. An era so far removed from today's rather anodyne sporting environment. And it wasn't just at international level that the sport lived life to the full. He was an integral part of Essex's all conquering side that won the County Championship 6 times as well as numerous one day trophies.
Full of insight and experience here is the story of one of English cricket's most tumultuous periods told by someone who was there.
First chosen by England whilst still at university in 1982, Derek featured in the national side for the next 11 years. He played 30 Tests, 44 One Day Internationals, and appeared in 2 World Cups.
Inside the dressing room, and out on the pitch, Derek witnessed at first hand an era of English cricket populated by characters such as Botham, Gooch, Lamb, and Gower. An era so far removed from today's rather anodyne sporting environment. And it wasn't just at international level that the sport lived life to the full. He was an integral part of Essex's all conquering side that won the County Championship 6 times as well as numerous one day trophies.
Full of insight and experience here is the story of one of English cricket's most tumultuous periods told by someone who was there.
- GenresBiography
400 pages, Paperback
First published November 8, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
November 16, 2018
Sports fans always lust after the inside information that is generally denied them. What really happened then? What was so and so really like? What did you do off the pitch?
No wonder that insider accounts that intend to lift the lid are so eagerly anticipated and avidly read. Journeyman baseball pitcher Jim Bouton was probably the first to tell a warts and all tale of life in the Major Leagues around fifty years ago and was castigated for doing so, but his bravery and originality paved the way for many others to follow.
Cricket has already been well served by another journeyman - Middlesex and Durham bowler Simon Hughes who produced a wonderfully self-deprecating account of county cricket in the 80s and how it felt to stare down the barrel of the gun as you ran in to bowl to the like of Viv Richards and Ian Botham.
Derek Pringle has it all going for him. No journeyman he, having played thirty test match and forty-four ODIs for his country. He also had the benefit of a Cambridge education and spent many years after retirement as a cricket correspondent in the broadsheet press. He is an accomplished wordsmith.
He also broke the mould. Tall and ungainly, he still became an extra in Chariots of Fire and enjoyed obscure musical tastes. In other words he was his own man and tried to maintain his individuality whilst still fulfilling a key role in a team sport.
He too has now produced his recollections of life spent as a cricketer throughout the 80s and has attempted to provide a realistic account of life as a professional cricketer in those times that now seem so far away so greatly has the game changed in the meantime.
Hughes produced his account in 1997, not too long after his retirement however Pringle has waited for much longer before providing his memories and that might well be a key difference between the two books as Hughes's account seemed so fresh and topical.
Pringle's tale has rightly been described by Michael Atherton as an "engaging romp in which cricket only plays a walk-on part". This book probably more accurately demonstrates his individuality, varied interests and polymathy as cricket seems in many places throughout the book to be relegated to the background.
We read rather a lot - and perhaps too much for some people - of high jinks off the pitch and of our hero enjoying and relishing quite a few of the seven deadly sins. I won't spoil things by recounting some of his tales as some of them are indeed hilarious.
When Pringle gets back to the cricket it seems that in some cases his memory is not as sharp as perhaps it was and there are a few too many match reports without too much deep thought or analysis but sometimes he switches on and provides quite brilliantly insightful profiles of the likes of Ian Botham, Derek Randall, David Gower, Graham Gooch and Keith Fletcher and his respect for the like of former team mate JK Lever is obvious and admirable.
There are also illuminating accounts of how best to obtain reverse swing as well as the dark arts of ball tampering and sledging.
When Pringle focuses his attention fully on the why and how of the game he is nothing less than fascinating and illuminating but perhaps given who he is he ranges far and wide and sometimes it work and in my opinion, sometimes it doesn't.
The book is over 400 pages long and might well have been a nightmare to edit however what is a more than decent book of that length could well have been a far better one if it had been more tightly edited and cut by around 100 pages.
I learned a lot about Pringle's hobbies and social excursions but I would have preferred a bit more about his cricketing prowess as well as his background and upbringing which was glossed over and almost ignored.
I enjoyed it - he is too good a writer for me not to have done so - but it could have been an even better book if it had been more focused but perhaps that might also be an epitaph for his cricketing career although if so he might not have enjoyed himself and relished it so much.
No wonder that insider accounts that intend to lift the lid are so eagerly anticipated and avidly read. Journeyman baseball pitcher Jim Bouton was probably the first to tell a warts and all tale of life in the Major Leagues around fifty years ago and was castigated for doing so, but his bravery and originality paved the way for many others to follow.
Cricket has already been well served by another journeyman - Middlesex and Durham bowler Simon Hughes who produced a wonderfully self-deprecating account of county cricket in the 80s and how it felt to stare down the barrel of the gun as you ran in to bowl to the like of Viv Richards and Ian Botham.
Derek Pringle has it all going for him. No journeyman he, having played thirty test match and forty-four ODIs for his country. He also had the benefit of a Cambridge education and spent many years after retirement as a cricket correspondent in the broadsheet press. He is an accomplished wordsmith.
He also broke the mould. Tall and ungainly, he still became an extra in Chariots of Fire and enjoyed obscure musical tastes. In other words he was his own man and tried to maintain his individuality whilst still fulfilling a key role in a team sport.
He too has now produced his recollections of life spent as a cricketer throughout the 80s and has attempted to provide a realistic account of life as a professional cricketer in those times that now seem so far away so greatly has the game changed in the meantime.
Hughes produced his account in 1997, not too long after his retirement however Pringle has waited for much longer before providing his memories and that might well be a key difference between the two books as Hughes's account seemed so fresh and topical.
Pringle's tale has rightly been described by Michael Atherton as an "engaging romp in which cricket only plays a walk-on part". This book probably more accurately demonstrates his individuality, varied interests and polymathy as cricket seems in many places throughout the book to be relegated to the background.
We read rather a lot - and perhaps too much for some people - of high jinks off the pitch and of our hero enjoying and relishing quite a few of the seven deadly sins. I won't spoil things by recounting some of his tales as some of them are indeed hilarious.
When Pringle gets back to the cricket it seems that in some cases his memory is not as sharp as perhaps it was and there are a few too many match reports without too much deep thought or analysis but sometimes he switches on and provides quite brilliantly insightful profiles of the likes of Ian Botham, Derek Randall, David Gower, Graham Gooch and Keith Fletcher and his respect for the like of former team mate JK Lever is obvious and admirable.
There are also illuminating accounts of how best to obtain reverse swing as well as the dark arts of ball tampering and sledging.
When Pringle focuses his attention fully on the why and how of the game he is nothing less than fascinating and illuminating but perhaps given who he is he ranges far and wide and sometimes it work and in my opinion, sometimes it doesn't.
The book is over 400 pages long and might well have been a nightmare to edit however what is a more than decent book of that length could well have been a far better one if it had been more tightly edited and cut by around 100 pages.
I learned a lot about Pringle's hobbies and social excursions but I would have preferred a bit more about his cricketing prowess as well as his background and upbringing which was glossed over and almost ignored.
I enjoyed it - he is too good a writer for me not to have done so - but it could have been an even better book if it had been more focused but perhaps that might also be an epitaph for his cricketing career although if so he might not have enjoyed himself and relished it so much.
February 2, 2019
Great fun, gives you the stories behind the matches I watched growing up. Takes you back to when The John Player Sunday league was top dog!
All anecdotes told with warmth and gentle affection.
All anecdotes told with warmth and gentle affection.
August 19, 2024
Unexpectedly brilliant read, about life in the cricket world in the 80s, which was mostly drowned in alcohol it seems, and in between playing for county and country in the most punishing schedules possible.
February 15, 2021
Entertaining and nostalgic though it is, I have several issues with this book -
1. The author doesn't endear himself with seeking to redress every imbalance or cricketing injustice committed against him - he comes across as petty-minded
2. Was there any need for a full chapter on Ian Botham ? So much has already been written about him, it just seemed like an attempt to capture some reflected glory
3. Parts are just over-written. Yes, you went to Cambridge. Yes, you know a lot of long words. How about just using the simpler ones when the occasion calls for them ?
4. The structure is clunky. It jumps around, for reasons that make little sense. The chapter on Tours at the end seems like an afterthought. A cohesive narrative could have brought all these themes together, but there isn't one
There's a good book in here, and excellent source material, but it needed a more modest author and a professional edit
1. The author doesn't endear himself with seeking to redress every imbalance or cricketing injustice committed against him - he comes across as petty-minded
2. Was there any need for a full chapter on Ian Botham ? So much has already been written about him, it just seemed like an attempt to capture some reflected glory
3. Parts are just over-written. Yes, you went to Cambridge. Yes, you know a lot of long words. How about just using the simpler ones when the occasion calls for them ?
4. The structure is clunky. It jumps around, for reasons that make little sense. The chapter on Tours at the end seems like an afterthought. A cohesive narrative could have brought all these themes together, but there isn't one
There's a good book in here, and excellent source material, but it needed a more modest author and a professional edit
June 24, 2020
Despite my Dad’s opinion of him, always liked Derek Pringle. Not the classiest, flashiest or most important cricketer England ever produced but as part of the struggling 80s team he could do a job when asked. This book is much like the player. It doesn’t look that good, has occasional good moments, in the main it plods through anecdotes and reports without flair but too often leaves you disappointed after showing some promise.
The book is about a time before cricket got itself fit, when beers and women were as important (and sometimes recorded in more detail) as runs and wickets. It is about the 80s (well, up to the 1992 World Cup) and there is little about Pringle’s youth in Kenya. Even his father’s early death in a car accident warrants only a couple of sentences and I wanted to know more about this part of his life. We get tales of Cambridge, a surprise call up to the national team as an undergraduate and his attempts to prove himself to those who thought he was only handed his chance by virtue of his public school background. He never excels at the top level but match reports don’t matter much in this book. Anecdotes from tours (mainly drunken) are more important but not new. There is the obligatory chapter “my nights out with Botham” in which we learn that Beefy could drink all night, still perform brilliantly and is deep down a really nice guy, which we’ve heard a million times in other better cricket autobiographies.
This book is very easy to read, has some interesting moments and Derek comes across as much more fun than I’d ever imagined. As a log of a time when cricketers were not afraid of going out when on tour and mingling with the press (the breakdown of the relationship between cricketers and journalists is one Pringle mourns most) and before fitness became so important, it’s fine. But don’t expect to learn anything new.
The book is about a time before cricket got itself fit, when beers and women were as important (and sometimes recorded in more detail) as runs and wickets. It is about the 80s (well, up to the 1992 World Cup) and there is little about Pringle’s youth in Kenya. Even his father’s early death in a car accident warrants only a couple of sentences and I wanted to know more about this part of his life. We get tales of Cambridge, a surprise call up to the national team as an undergraduate and his attempts to prove himself to those who thought he was only handed his chance by virtue of his public school background. He never excels at the top level but match reports don’t matter much in this book. Anecdotes from tours (mainly drunken) are more important but not new. There is the obligatory chapter “my nights out with Botham” in which we learn that Beefy could drink all night, still perform brilliantly and is deep down a really nice guy, which we’ve heard a million times in other better cricket autobiographies.
This book is very easy to read, has some interesting moments and Derek comes across as much more fun than I’d ever imagined. As a log of a time when cricketers were not afraid of going out when on tour and mingling with the press (the breakdown of the relationship between cricketers and journalists is one Pringle mourns most) and before fitness became so important, it’s fine. But don’t expect to learn anything new.
March 3, 2019
Derek Pringle was a good cricketer. A very good cricketer. But during the turbulent 80s he was never quite good enough to be a regular in the England team. This is his warts n’ all story of that era. An era of big characters (Beefy, Lamby, Gatt) and big defeats (the West Indies were rampant). It’s a wonderfully indiscreet ramble through the last days of the maverick cricketers in the not quite professional game. But what a fantastic time it must have been to play. Pringle is an accomplished writer, and this is a rollicking good read. One is left in awe at the amount of alcohol consumed. And the ability to perform the next day. The stories are compelling. Eric Clapton losing a (Beefy) bet and performing in a Worcestershire pub; an Indian ‘businessman’ breaking up the stand at a home Test to sell rocks which could be thrown at the England fielders; Arkle, dressed as a hooker, getting into the back of some Aussie punter’s car. And so it goes on. But it’s not just England. Pringle was part of the great Essex side of the 1980s, another team full of characters. Do they exist today? Pringle suspects that professionalism has stifled personality. And is glad that he played when he did. The book does indeed push the boundaries. And is all the better for it. Thoroughly recommended.
June 23, 2020
I should think I've read over 500 cricket books in my lifetime and this is up with the very best. Full of indiscretions, humour and self-deprecation.
Watching England's Test team in the 1980's was pretty tortuous at times. This book goes a long way to explaining why. Late alcohol filled nights every night of a Test match seemed to be quite normal behaviour for most of the team, including Pringle. And if you can believe the rodomontade of this would-be lothario it appears that his Todger saw more action than his cricket bat ever did.
An average of only 15 in 50 Test innings, and only one half century, suggest Mr Pringle was a very lucky boy to be selected 30 times for England. His bowling was no great shakes either, each wicket costing just shy of 36. But to be fair he had to compete with a very decent Australian side and an excellent West Indies one.
Two spelling mistakes spotted.
Highly recommended.
Watching England's Test team in the 1980's was pretty tortuous at times. This book goes a long way to explaining why. Late alcohol filled nights every night of a Test match seemed to be quite normal behaviour for most of the team, including Pringle. And if you can believe the rodomontade of this would-be lothario it appears that his Todger saw more action than his cricket bat ever did.
An average of only 15 in 50 Test innings, and only one half century, suggest Mr Pringle was a very lucky boy to be selected 30 times for England. His bowling was no great shakes either, each wicket costing just shy of 36. But to be fair he had to compete with a very decent Australian side and an excellent West Indies one.
Two spelling mistakes spotted.
Highly recommended.
September 23, 2025
I was recommended this book by a good friend of mine and went ahead and read this on that recommendation. I wasn't expecting a great book, as Derek Pringle didn't strike me as a particularly interesting or exciting cricketer. While exciting wouldn't be the word I would use to describe the book, it is a real page turner. There are unexpected details of questioning authority, trust in the England camp, drinking (lots of it) around international duty and fond tales from around the county game during the 1980s. Each of these is well told, without unnecessary complication but still with suitable detail to enable you to picture the scene.
Overall I really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to my friend's next recommendation.
Overall I really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to my friend's next recommendation.
January 2, 2024
Highly entertaining and informative; some great anecdotes, all written self-effacingly.
A fascinating insight into cricket as it was played in the carefree 80s, as well as a number of its maverick characters, from Botham to Randall to Gower.
There's quite a bit about Essex CCC, for whom Pringle played, but just as Simon Hughes's books about his days at Middlesex had a wider appeal, so this text shouldn't be any the less readable for non-Essex fans.
I was never a huge Pringle admirer, either as a player or as a journalist, but this book has lifted him much higher up in my estimation.
A fascinating insight into cricket as it was played in the carefree 80s, as well as a number of its maverick characters, from Botham to Randall to Gower.
There's quite a bit about Essex CCC, for whom Pringle played, but just as Simon Hughes's books about his days at Middlesex had a wider appeal, so this text shouldn't be any the less readable for non-Essex fans.
I was never a huge Pringle admirer, either as a player or as a journalist, but this book has lifted him much higher up in my estimation.
September 2, 2020
Purchase Pushing the Boundaries here for just $12!
An excellent look back at the 1980s in English cricket. Great stories of the highs and the lows, and some memorable anecdotes that will make you laugh out loud. A very enjoyable book.
Alicia - The Book Grocer
An excellent look back at the 1980s in English cricket. Great stories of the highs and the lows, and some memorable anecdotes that will make you laugh out loud. A very enjoyable book.
Alicia - The Book Grocer
December 26, 2021
The author, whilst bringing alive his career in cricket and enabling the reader to appreciate how the game can drive sporting ambition, is at pains to explain the many contradictions and frustrations involved. Cricket owes Derek Pringle a debt for compiling this account which pays homage to so many of the stars of his era.
June 21, 2020
Amusing look back to cricket in the eighties and Derek's career with Essex and England.
Thoughtful analysis of some of the biggest names of the period, Botham, Gower, Gooch and Randall.
Made me very reminiscent of my childhood watching these players on television and at Chelmsford.
Enjoyable.
Thoughtful analysis of some of the biggest names of the period, Botham, Gower, Gooch and Randall.
Made me very reminiscent of my childhood watching these players on television and at Chelmsford.
Enjoyable.
January 9, 2021
Well written and engaging. A lot happened in cricket in the 80s and this gives an honest perspective on, as he says, a bizarre and defining decade. Interesting stories of the county circuit and it's characters as well as the international matches. Great memories for someone of my generation
July 15, 2024
Interesting
Interesting visit back to the eighties when cricketers knew how to party rather than play. Strange disjointed approach grouping chapters on county and international duties means a lot of backwards and forwards
Interesting visit back to the eighties when cricketers knew how to party rather than play. Strange disjointed approach grouping chapters on county and international duties means a lot of backwards and forwards
January 21, 2019
An excellent overview of cricket in the Eighties. Thoroughly enjoyed.
September 9, 2019
Amusing in parts with some intriguing revelations.
Seemed a bit padded out though towards the end and declined a bit into mere recounting of matches.
Seemed a bit padded out though towards the end and declined a bit into mere recounting of matches.
May 30, 2020
Needs a hefty edit. Two stars for the sheer Partridge of it all
January 12, 2021
An excellent and informative book told in Pring’s own laconic style.
September 5, 2021
A light easy read. Lots on anecdotes around cricket in the 1980’s , but also some huge gaps in terms of the authors early life and his life after cricket.
February 10, 2019
Deservedly got a lot of good reviews as a fresh insight into cricket in the eighties - the era when Mavericks were allowed to flourish. A less than fully toned, less than 100 per cent performance obsessed Pringle clearly sees himself more cavalier than professional, though his respect for Gooch and less than full respect for Gower makes the narrative a little more complicated than that. So close to becoming a World Cup final man of the match in 1992, Pringle will more likely be remembered as a very pale imitation of Botham and a very good writer.
January 10, 2019
A little repetitive both otherwise a corking study of an era when England weren't the force they are today and where, when it came to county cricket, the only way was Essex.
April 24, 2019
Very easy read about professional cricket in England in the 1980s and start of the 1990s. Some amusing tales and characters. Good bedtime reading.
June 29, 2019
Entertaining read. Provides a good insight into the life of a professional cricketer in the 1980s.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews