The Skipper's Bookshelf - Part 1

As predicted, last night's biblical downpourings led to a washout at the Houses of Dring, so we have still not bowled a ball in peevishness, let alone anger. Still, thanks to an early inspection of the cricket lake we at least avoided the standing about in the rain element that usually accompanies cancelled cricket matches.

I thought I'd use this blog to plug a few cricket books that I've enjoyed over the past few years. First up is the book that made me realise that all my hard-won knowledge about the behaviour of cricket balls is fundamentally wrong. The book in question is "Cricket: the Bowler's Art" by Brian Wilkins, a leg-spinner who happens to be an honorary research fellow at the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. What gives this book its unique value is the combination of Dr Wilkins's obvious enthusiasm for the game and his rigorous scientific analysis. Unwilling, like any good scientist, to take anything on trust, he uses a wind tunnel to determine exactly what causes balls to deviate in the air. No type of bowling goes uninvestigated and there are fascinating digressions on everything from the evolution of bowling techniques to the forces that act upon cannonballs.

This really is a wonderful book and I'd recommend that all bowlers and captains (except those we play against, obviously) should give it a look. Unforunately it appears to be out of print at present, although I picked up a copy for a couple of quid on ebay.