The idea of putting together an anthology of cricket writing occurred to my brother while a few of us were enjoying the summer game at the Oval in April 2024. I had already compiled a book of 100 author interviews (100 Ways to Write a Book) during Covid, so I had a fair number of contact details of fellow authors to draw upon. This said, the majority of these resided in the US and would, I’m sure, be about as familiar with cricket as they were with the mating rituals of the duck-billed platypus.
Despite this, with some assistance from the Crime Writers’ Association, we were able to garner 30 contributions from authors, journalists, and those who had never been published before. The result, thanks to the generous contributions of all our writers, is a truly eclectic and memorable collection of short stories, reminiscences, history pieces, and poetry.
We had wonderful pieces by seasoned writers like Ben MacIntyre, Judith Cutler, Jonathan Margolis, and Pete Langman, as well as equally notable contributions from unpublished newbies, including, among others, Jessica Davis, Sarah Traynor, and Robert Deighton. In terms of genre, the book covers a lot of ground: everything from science fiction in which Laura E. Goodin introduces us to a world suffering from the dire effects of global warming that has turned the Ashes into the Splashes, to a true yet hilarious account by Ben Macintyre of Adolf Hitler’s view of the game.
The History of Cricket
There are fascinating insights into the history of cricket including Pete Langman’s look at the history of Chiswick Park; David Pearl’s account of the Farjeon family – arguably, one of the most literary and musical families in the UK to have enjoyed very close associations with the game; and Robert Deighton’s fascinating and affectionate portrait of his late father John Deighton who famously got Bradman out on 99, and would undoubtedly have bowled for England had it not been for the war. Among the poems are a touching tribute to the late Graham Thorpe by Ann Parker and a devastatingly moving piece dedicated to her late father by Jessica Davis.
Journalists also get a look-in. The Times cricket correspondent, Geoffrey Dean offered us his fascinating interview with Henry Olonga from his home in Australia, and Financial Times columnist, Jonathan Margolis, while not an ardent cricket aficionado, confesses to his love for the poetry of the summer game’s language, and how he loves to work against a backdrop of the Test Match commentary.
Test Match Special
Even cricket commentators make contributions. Test Match Special’s Isabelle Duncan very kindly gave us a piece she’d written and delivered as an after-dinner speech about the two test players, Betty Wilson and Jack Hobbs. And Daniel Norcross was so taken with the collection when I sent the manuscript to him that he immediately offered to write the Foreword and then invited my brother and me to the Oval to talk about the genesis of the project during the tea break in the commentary box. Here are Daniel’s closing lines to his thoughtful and insightful Foreword:
‘In this beautifully curated anthology, authors and writers who might never normally do so are given free rein to train their gaze on this most full-bodied of sporting muses. What results is a reminder that truly nothing in life cannot be improved with a generous dollop of cricket.’
The book, The Faintest of Tickles, was self-published in 2025 in paperback, hardback and ebook, with all author royalties going to Surrey County Cricket Club’s charity foundation. You can order a copy online here.
Following-on: a second anthology of cricket
A second edition entitled Following-on is now in the pipeline. To date, we have received interest from the following writers: Pete Langman, Graham Minett, Andrew Cracknell, L. C. Tyler, Laura E. Goodin, Vaseem Khan, Martin Edwards, Judith Cutler, Dave Woods
Lucian Camp, Daniel Lightman KC, Gulu Ezekiel, Qamar Ahmed, Graham Brack, Ann Parker, Graham Minett, Mark Mower, and Jessica Davis. The royalties for this edition will once again be donated to cricket-related charity – either the Surrey CC charity foundation or Chance to Shine.
Please note that this second anthology of ours won’t utilise images generated by AI, since there is a great deal of concern in the publishing world about AI plundering the work of artists without compensating them. Instead, I shall be illustrating the pieces myself with a little assistance from the artist and former England player Jack Russell, who has very generously provided the high-resolution files for many of his fabulous paintings.
Donating Royalties
Once again, we will be donating all author royalties to a cricket-based charity that has yet to be decided upon.
Should anyone reading this like to contribute a piece of writing, either previously published or unpublished, or know someone who would, please don’t hesitate to contact me at alex@apearl.co.uk We aim to go to print in 2027, so there’s plenty of time.
(c) Alex Pearl
Following-on, a second edition of cricket writing, will go to print in 2027. If interested in contributing, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Read more from Alex Pearl on Writing.ie here.
