Hampshire’s First Eleven
Members will be aware from last January’s meeting that Alan Edwards, the Newsletter editor, has been working on a book to celebrate the anniversary of Hampshire’s inaugural first-class match as a newly established county club in 1864. That book has now been published. It covers the lead up to that first match, comprehensive biographies of the eleven who took the field, the match itself and subsequent developments. The book ‘Hampshire’s First Eleven’ is available from the shop at the Ageas Bowl, or can be obtained direct from Alan who can be contacted at alan.edwards60@ntlworld.com. The book is of 62 pages and a limited edition of 150 copies. It will therefore become a collector’s piece in the years ahead. The price is £7.50 (£10 inc p & p). Cheques should be made out to Hampshire Cricket Heritage, who funded the venture.
Hampshire Cricket Miscellany
Alan has also written a companion to his ‘Hampshire Cricket On This Day’, entitled ‘Hampshire Cricket Miscellany’. It is another history/biographical//trivia/stats account of Hampshire’s history. It includes unusual stories, biographies of all the major players in the County’s history, as well as featuring Hampshire’s trophy winning seasons in all competitions and recalling all the grounds on which Hampshire played. Two sections of the book cover limited-overs and T20 competitions and form a de facto history of Hampshire’s progress in those formats. There is also a section on women’s cricket and two entries on cricket for people with disabilities. There is much else besides. The book is 162 pages and is available from Waterstones. At the time of writing the book has yet to be stocked in the Ageas Bowl shop. The cover price is £9.99.
Hampshire Cricket on this Day
‘Hampshire Cricket on this Day’ is Alan’s third book. It is one of a series of similar books on Counties published by Pitch Publishing. It tells the history and includes facts, figures and biographies of famous players in diary form over a calendar year. It covers the period from the first references to Hampshire in the 18th Century to David Balcombe’s record bowling figures at the Ageas Bowl in April 2012. It is a pocket-sized hardback with 202 pages of narrative and photographs priced £9.99. It is available at the Hampshire Club Shop, bookshops and is available from Waterstones.