How many of us who are not Warwickshire members, historians of the game or 150-year-old know much about R.E.S Wyatt? I would imagine not very many could tell you anything about the former England captain.
I am ashamed to say I couldn’t tell you much other than he has a stand named after him at Edgbaston. It, of course, makes you assume that he was a person of not.
When we think of the 1930s and cricket, we think of Donald
Bradman, Len Hutton, Harold Larwood and many more. This period is something I
would like to study more, with it nearly 100 years since there is a big project
in there somewhere.
Bob Wyatt was the England vice-captain to Douglas Jardine
and eventually replaced him as captain. Wyatt played 40 times for England and
was captain of both Warwickshire and Worcestershire on either side of the Second
World War.
I mention Wyatt because, at the start of the year, I started
to buy old cricket books to broaden my history on the subject and see the
different ways that cricket is and was written.
So I was interested to see there was a book by Wyatt. Published
in 1936, Ins And Outs of Cricket isn’t an autobiography; it is more of a
manual about the game. Wyatt gives his opinions on picking a side and how
batsmen and bowlers go about their crafts.
I’m about to read it, and |I will do so with interest; there
are many topics covered, such as bodyline and the spirit of cricket, although they
are in separate parts of the book.
The one part I am looking forward to is the short player
portraits of every county side. As someone that wants to know more about the
game in this period, it is a good starting point.
I will go in with an open mind and let you know how I get on
with it. It may be time for someone to write a fascinating biography about
Wyatt.
No comments:
Post a Comment