Last-Wicket Stand: Searching for Redemption, Revival and a Reason to Persevere in English County Cricket

by Richard Clarke

Last Wicket Stand is an honest account of one man's search for meaning, purpose and reinvention, both for himself and the sport he loves. At the start of the 2020 season, English county cricket faced radical change. The Hundred was coming, introducing new 'franchises' playing a new format in the hope of attracting much-needed new audiences. Its inception was controversial. Advocates argued only drastic action could halt the decline of cricket in the UK. Opponents feared it would undermine the very fabric of the much-loved county game. One devoted Essex fan set out to document the last summer before the big change. He toured the country in 2019 chronicling this often-ignored sport, from the gentle lullaby of the County Championship to the bawdy singalong of T20 Finals Day. Richard Clarke was in his 50th year, at a personal crossroads and fearing his best days may be long gone. Change vs tradition, growth vs security, money vs meaning - these perennial struggles lie at the heart of this absorbing and revealing journey of redemption.

288 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2020

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Richard Clarke is well known to county cricket devotees by his Twitter alias @The_Grumbler. He started as a sports journalist on regional and national newspapers, then in 2002 became Arsenal FC's first website editor. Richard led content strategy at the club until 2015 when he moved to the USA to work in Major League Soccer. On returning to England, he founded a sports digital consultancy working widely in South East Asia and the Middle East.

Reviews

[Emmie Clarke]

Best book I have ever read.
Also I havent read it,
also this is my dad's book.
5 Stars