da wazamba： David Green’s tales of county cricket, which he played and then covered, are well-written and loads of fun
da esoccer bet： Paul Edwards09-Nov-2013″You’re a virgin! Excellent!” said David Green, and his eyes widened in anticipation of six hours’ innocent fun.Already a word of explanation is necessary. The former Lancashire and Gloucestershire opening batsman was speaking in the Old Trafford press box sometime in late August 2004. He was addressing this writer, who, after years of writing about cricket in comparative obscurity, had decided to make an honest woman of his craft and try his hand working for a national newspaper. To his astonishment the ; the account of the brief duel between a hungover Alan Brown of Kent and the similarly handicapped Green is quite hilarious. This is not a sober book, thank god.Yet it is far, far more than a retelling of drunken escapades. For one thing there is detailed technical analysis – Milton is much to the fore here, too – as Green explains the development of his method and considers the technical accomplishments of the cricketers of his time. And for all that the author disparages his own writing when compared with that of, say, John Woodcock, there are more than a few telling phrases. For example, a conversation about the late Brian Statham, whose accuracy was unparalleled, ends with the following: “Rather than Geoff Boycott’s ‘corridor of uncertainty’ Brian aimed at a hairline crack.”Even the title of the book is evocative, since the phrase “handful of confetti” celebrates those “whole hearted fellows… who rush up as if they are aiming for the pace of Larwood or Trueman but only manage to propel the pill some 20, 30 or even 40 miles per hour slower than England’s two greatest fast bowlers. That title, Green eventually decided, was better than another contender, . Those readers who are intrigued as to why the latter was considered at all will need to buy this most entertaining of cricket books. Is it repetitious at times? Certainly. Are some of the tales rather scandalous? Oh, to be sure, they are. But is it also a lot of fun and one of the most informative reads likely to appear on bookshop shelves frequently dominated by the dull autobiographies of Test cricketers? The answer to that is yes, as well. Nice one, Greeny, and thanks for changing my nappies.A Handful of Confetti
David Green
TME Publishing
165 pages
Available through mail order (£12.99, including P&P). Please email: [email protected] to order a copy