Sport’S Great All-Rounders


Book Description

On July 3, 1958, Arthur Milton and MJK Smith opened the batting for England in the third Test against New Zealand at Headingley. Coincidentally, Milton was the last Englishman to play football and cricket for England and Smith the last Englishman to play rugby and cricket for England. However, both before and after that Test in 1958, there have been a number of sportsmen and sportswomen who have represented their country in more than one sport. In this book are listed biographical details of 172 sportsmen and sportswomen, including some of whom are disabled, who have excelled at more than one sport. Some, such as CB Fry and Denis Compton, will be well-known; others, such as Aramugam Vijiaratnam, who represented Singapore in four sports and Ken Hough, who played three different sports for three different countries may be less well-known. But everyone listed has excelled at more than one sport and this book serves to recognize their achievements.




CB Fry: King Of Sport - England's Greatest All Rounder; Captain of Cricket, Star Footballer and World Record Holder


Book Description

Charles Burgess Fry, known as C. B. Fry was an English polymath; an outstanding sportsman, politician, diplomat, academic, teacher, writer, editor and publisher, who is best remembered for his career as a cricketer. Fry's achievements on the sporting field included representing England at both cricket and football, an F.A. Cup Final appearance for Southampton F.C. and equalling the then world record for the long jump. But he was much more than a sportsman. He won a major scholarship to Oxford, where his friends numbered Max Beerbohm, Hilaire Belloc, and F.E. Smith. He wrote several books, including an autobiography and a novel, and he was one of the most successful journalists of his day. He was a friend of many prominent Labour and Liberal politicians, but flirted with Fascism, meeting Hitler in 1934. He tried out for Hollywood, represented India at the League of Nations, and stood for Parliament three times. 'A most incredible man . . . the most variously gifted Englishman of any age . . . the pre-eminent all-rounder, not merely of his own age but, so far as is measurable, of all English history.' John Arlott; 'This is a well-researched, well-rounded picture of one of England's great sporting heroes.' - Jeremy Paxman, Mail on Sunday; 'He has written what should come to be regarded as one of the very best sporting biographies. I could not put it down.' - Michael Kennedy, Sunday Telegraph; 'This is a book that rises to its subject's level in fascination, entertainment and brilliance.' - Tim Rice, Literary Review




Sports Geek


Book Description

Sports revolve around two things: narrative and numbers. You need the narrative, otherwise why would anyone care? Rivalries, emotions, and sports legends all require it. But you also need numbers. Without them, there is no way to know who has won; numbers tell you which team is top of the table, or who is the world champion. Sports Geek offers a tour through sports debates and ideas that is both narrative and numerical. Teams in all sports use data to create extraordinary analyses of how their players perform, to assess tactics and to get an edge over arch rivals; but fans of a sport are rarely presented with challenging and informative data that would help them to further understand it. In Sports Geek Rob Minto brings together an encyclopedic knowledge and love of sports, a rigorous understanding of statistics, and access to cutting edge quantitative analysis and difficult-to-uncover data. He is also a storyteller. Though written with an expert's knowledge, there's nothing academic about Sports Geek; it is packed with captivating anecdotes--success stories and failures, anomalies and surprises--that show why the numbers are so important. Covering almost every imaginable sport, Sports Geek has international appeal; it embraces our global enthusiasm for competitive sports. Accessible, colorful, and filled with fascinating infographics, Sports Geek will arm sports fans with the information they need to have the edge in any debate.




Jacques Kallis and 12 other great SA cricket all-rounders


Book Description

South Africa has produced more great cricket all-rounders than any other country. A century ago there was Jimmy Sinclair, the first man from any country to score a century and take six wickets in an innings in a Test match; and Aubrey Faulkner, still the only man with a Test batting average over 40 and a bowling average under 30. In the 1950s and 1960s, there was Trevor Goddard, opening batsman and the most economical bowler in Test history. And then came the brilliant era of Eddie Barlow, Tiger Lance, Mike Procter and Clive Rice (as well as Tony Greig and Basil D'Oliveira, South Africans who played for England). A great tradition was established for the modern era: Brian McMillan, Shaun Pollock, Lance Klusener and, perhaps the greatest of them all after Sir Garfield Sobers, Jacques Kallis. These are the 13 men who were worth two players in one, capable of winning a place as batsmen or bowlers, adored by the fans, and capable of changing a game with either skill. Now their careers and exploits are examined for the first time in one book - as are those of four players who, but for apartheid, might have been acknowledged as their equals: Taliep Salie, Gesant "Tiny" Abed, Cecil "Cec" Abrahams and Sulaiman "Dik" Abed.




Fantastically Great Women Sports Stars and their Stories


Book Description

Travel to Greece and watch Cynisca, a Spartan princess, become the first ever woman to win at the ancient Olympic Games. Or touch the heavens with Junko Tabei as she carves her path through history and mountain ranges with little applause but a lot of bravery. In this book Kate Pankhurst, descendent of Emmeline Pankhurst, tells the fascinating stories of some of history's most talented female sports stars. From football superstars to trailblazing Olympians, women throughout history have fought for the right to take part, win or lose, in sports across the globe. Whether they were making impassioned pleas for support on the football pitch, or working behind the scenes to set up rival games when the Olympics said 'NO', these women are all sporting heroes. Including diary entries, postcard messages, maps and more, Fantastically Great Women Sports Stars and Their Stories is a celebration of just some of the women whose tenacity and skill have made a mark on the world. A fantastic gift for girls and boys alike! List of women featured: Cynisca, Charlotte 'Lottie' Dod, Alice Milliat, Junko Tabei, Derartu Tulu, Marta Vieira da Silva, Ellie Simmonds and Simone Biles.




BBC Sports Report: A Celebration of the World's Longest-Running Sports Radio Programme


Book Description

SHORTLISTED FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 2023 - SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT BOOK OF THE YEAR THE OFFICIAL DEFINITIVE HISTORY OF BBC SPORTS REPORT 'Opens the doors to one of the great radio institutions.' – Dan Walker 'An absolute joy to read.' – John Inverdale 'That opening tune always quickens the pulse.' – Henry Winter Sports Report is as much a 75-year history of sport as a BBC radio institution and Pat Murphy pays handsome tribute to a programme that is still followed affectionately by millions. For nearly 75 years, one BBC programme has been a constant factor in chronicling the way sport is covered, in all its many facets. It has been a window on the sporting world all over the globe – packed tightly into every Saturday evening for the bulk of the year. First broadcast in 1948, Sports Report is the longest-running radio sporting programme in the world and one of the BBC's hardy perennials. Pat Murphy has been a reporter on the programme since 1981 and here he sifts comprehensively through the experiences of his contemporaries and those who made their mark on Sports Report in earlier decades. He hears from commentators, reporters, producers, presenters and the production teams who regularly achieved the broadcasting miracle of getting a live programme on air, without a script, adapting as the hour of news, reaction and comment unfolded. Drawing on unique access from the BBC Archives Unit, he highlights memorable moments from Sports Report, details the challenges faced in getting live interviews on air from draughty, noisy dressing-room areas and celebrates the feat of just a small production team in the studio who, somehow, get the show up and running every Saturday, with the clock ticking implacably on. --- Waterstones Best Books of 2022 – Sport




The Ultimate Sports Quiz Book


Book Description

Containing over 1500 questions on a wide range of sports, this book provides a comprehensive test of sporting knowledge. Varied and challenging, the questions are divided into eight chapters, including one on numbers (multiple choice) and two on sporting miscellany. While featuring question categories on over 30 physical sports, the book also includes a category on 'mind sports' such as chess and bridge. The questions have a slight modern bias, but earlier eras are not neglected in order to tap into the rich history of competitive sport. Updated to include events from 2012, this second edition brings out some fascinating facts and both sports fans and quizzers should find it entertaining and informative.




Then Came a Cloud


Book Description

This is largely a sporting biography of Kenneth Grant Macleod (1888-1967). Macleod in his day was an outstanding track runner, played county cricket with Lancashire CCC, and international rugby football for Scotland, all before the First World War. The book covers in depth all Macleod's sports performances from his school days. It also provides details of his family background, war-time experiences, subsequent family life and immigration to South Africa in the 1930s. K. G. Macleod was inducted to the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2010. He is considered one of Scotland's greatest ever rugby players and sporting all-rounders.




The Complete Indian Sports Quiz Book


Book Description

Did you know Sachin Tendulkar was the first cricketer in the world to be given out by the third umpire? Did you know that the Khadilkar sisters – Rohini, Vasanthi and Jayashree – dominated the national women’s chess scene in India from 1974 to 1984? Did you know the Indian Women’s Hockey team qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics after 36 years? With more than 2000 questions, fascinating facts about your sports stars and trivia about some of your favourite games, come discover the world of Indian sports with this highly entertaining and informative book for sports fans and quizzers.




Genetic Technology and Sport


Book Description

A world-class collection of writers from the very top of their fields, both from the academic and the sports administration communities This is a subject that is set to provoke much debate in the world of sport, and in bio-ethics more generally This is the first book to analyze the gender specific questions that arise from GM sport