Mike Cowdrey's Books

Times on the Ashes

Covering Sport’s Greatest Rivalry from 1877 to the Present Day

By: Richard Whitehead,Mike Atherton

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Times on the Ashes

Covering Sport’s Greatest Rivalry from 1877 to the Present Day

By: Richard Whitehead,Mike Atherton

The Times newspaper has been covering the Ashes since the great cricketing rivalry between England and Australia began. From the day — May 14, 1877 — that a report was published of a game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground that was later recognised as the first Test match, to its slick, modern-day coverage with a team of writers, stunning colour photographs and instant online analysis, the paper has been there every step of the way. This book showcases some of the best Ashes coverage from the pages of The Times over almost 140 years and includes many of the most memorable matches, moments and players. It includes the sensational Bodyline series in 1932-33 that nearly split the Empire and the epic drama of the unforgettable Tests of 2005 when England finally won back the Ashes to the acclaim of the whole nation. The ruthless record-breaking exploits of Don Bradman are featured along with many other great individual contributions, including Jim Laker’s 19 wickets at Old Trafford in 1956 and Ian Botham’s Australia’s staggering solo performances in 1981. There are chapters recalling memorable innings by the likes of Len Hutton, David Gower, Colin Cowdrey, Walter Hammond and Kevin Pietersen for England and from Greg Chappell, Ricky Ponting, Stan McCabe, Allan Border and Charles Macartney for Australia. The great bowlers are covered in full, too, from Dennis Lillee and Shane Warne to Alec Bedser and James Anderson and many more besides. All these great cricketers were fortunate to have their Ashes exploits recorded by some of the most celebrated names in cricket writing, including Times cricket correspondents John Woodcock, Mike Atherton, Christopher Martin-Jenkins and Alan Lee plus a host of other distinguished journalists who have written about cricket for The Times. With a foreword by Mike Atherton, the former England captain who is now the award-winning Times cricket correspondent, The Times on the Ashes is a unique record of a remarkable and enduring sporting rivalry.

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Page Count

622

Publisher

The History Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

075096393X

ISBN 13

9780750963930

Anyone But England

Cricket and the National Malaise

By: Mike Marqusee

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Anyone But England

Cricket and the National Malaise

By: Mike Marqusee

Anyone But England is a timely and entertaining exploration of the bonds which the English cricket to the English nation as both face apparently inexorable decline. Mike Marqusee, an American who has lived in England for twenty years, turns the amused gaze of an outsider on to the idiosyncrasies of the English at play, delving into the interminable wrangles over coloured clothing, covered pitches and commercial sponsorship. Yet Marqusee also displays the knowledgeability and passion of a dedicated cricket follower who has watched matches on four continents. His elegant and concise accounts of the origins of the game, its romance with the British Empire, and its traumatic adjustment to the modern market lift the lid on the paradoxes and hypocrisies that have made cricket what it is: democratic and elitist, national and international, ancient and modern. In a revealing scrutiny of the long saga of South Africa's exclusion from world cricket, Marqusee charts England's collusion with apartheid. Spectacularly failing the Tebbit test on every point, his eye-opening account of Pakistan's controversial 'ball-tampering' tour of England will provoke intense debate amongst cricket fans about the role of both the media and racism in the modern game. From the phoney war over the omission of Gower from the England side to England's women cricketers receiving the World Cup outside the Lord's pavilion from which they are banned, Anyone But England goes where no cricket book has gone before. In so doing it sheds new light not only on cricket but also on what it means to be part of a nation for whom the game is well and truly up.

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Page Count

428

Publisher

Verso Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

1789606993

ISBN 13

9781789606997

The Art of Captaincy

What Sport Teaches Us About Leadership

By: Mike Brearley

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The Art of Captaincy

What Sport Teaches Us About Leadership

By: Mike Brearley

The best book on captaincy, written by an expert' - Mike Atherton Mike Brearley is one of the most successful cricket captains of all time, and, in 1981, he captained the England team to the momentous Ashes series victory against Australia. In The Art of Captaincy, his study on leadership and motivation, he draws directly on his experience of man-managing a team, which included a pugnacious Ian Botham and Geoffrey Boycott, to explain what it takes to be a leader on and off the field. Giving an insight into both his tactical understanding of the game, as well as how to get a group of individuals playing as a team in order to get the best out of them, The Art of Captaincy is a classic handbook on how to generate, nurture and inspire success. With a foreword by former England player and BBC commentator Ed Smith, to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of its first publication, and an afterword by director Sam Mendes, The Art of Captaincy remains urgently relevant for cricket fans and business leaders alike. Covering the ability to use intuition, resourcefulness, clear-headedness and the importance of empathy as a means of achieving shared goals, Brearley's seminal account of captaincy is both the ultimate blueprint for creating a winning mind set, but also shows how the lessons in the sporting arena can be applied to any walk of personal and professional life.

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Page Count

417

Publisher

Pan Macmillan

Published Date

ISBN 10

1447294343

ISBN 13

9781447294344

Deadlines

By: Mike Curtis

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Deadlines

By: Mike Curtis

A book about life and death, stories and skies An engaging memoir of being a local news reporter in an era before mobile phones and social media. Also the story of one crew of a WW2 Bomber and the night it was shot down. Colin Curtis failed to return from his third mission in 1942. His Wellington bomber was shot down over the North Sea. The aircraft and the six man crew have never been found. There was no search, no inquiry, no inquest, no funeral and no grave. A photograph of the 22 year old wartime pilot, who was training to be a teacher, helped inspire a life-long love of aviation in the nephew he never met. Over the years, Mike Curtis unpicked the short life of his uncle, his brief time in the RAF and his final few hours alive. The project prompted him to revisit his own youth as a young reporter in newspapers and BBC local radio, living a life that war denied to his father’s brother. As well as the trawl of local news in places like Lincolnshire, Cornwall and Oxford, Mike Curtis witnessed air crashes, flew in fast jets and was on both sides of the fence at Greenham Common. This is an evocative memoir of a time when typewriters clattered in smoky newsrooms and razor blades were used to edit radio interviews. It is an affectionate look back at local journalism with national exclusives, protests and tragedies to report, mishaps to manage and deadlines to be met. Snapshots of stories about family, famous airfields and airshows, Cold War jets, comedians, entertainers, footballers, musicians, Royalty, press magnates, pilots, politicians, heroic seamen, ghosts, racehorse trainers and exotic dancers share the pages with poignant tales of young lives shaped by war, among them the crews of Bomber Command who were shot out of the night sky by deadly lines of machine gun fire.

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Page Count

336

Publisher

Troubador Publishing Ltd

Published Date

ISBN 10

1788033388

ISBN 13

9781788033381

Spirit of Cricket

Reflections on Play and Life

By: Mike Brearley

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Spirit of Cricket

Reflections on Play and Life

By: Mike Brearley

If someone were to say 'it's not tennis', or 'not football' of shabby behaviour in any walk of life, he or she would not be understood. If they said 'it's not cricket', they probably would be (though less reliably than a century ago). Is there some special spirit of cricket? The laws of cricket, like the laws of the land, aim at a sort of justice or balancing between different factions. The purpose behind cricket's laws, and behind changes in them, is often to calibrate the balance in the game between batsmen and bowlers, between attack and defence, between safety and risk. Cricketing lawmakers are interested in the overall appeal of the game to players and spectators alike. In Spirit of Cricket, Mike Brearley alternates between issues and examples within the game - from 'Mankading' and the 'Sandpaper' affair to sledging, mental disintegration and racism - as well as broader issues such as the spirit and letter of the law. Brearley examines the issue of how far what purports to be justice (in law or in spirit) may or may not be the expression of the powerful within the activity or within society. He also contrasts cheating and corruption, and reflects on the nature of penalties in regard to each. He discusses the significance of the notion of the spirit of the game for umpires, groundsmen, administrators, media and spectators - and, of course, for players. Intelligent and insightful, Spirit of Cricket points to qualities in cricket that enhance our development as people - including a sense of fair play, the embracing of striving both for our team and for ourselves and the important values of playfulness in life and professional sport.

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Page Count

261

Publisher

Constable

Published Date

ISBN 10

1472133951

ISBN 13

9781472133953

Glorious Summers and Discontents

Looking back on the ups and downs from a dramatic decade

By: Mike Atherton

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Glorious Summers and Discontents

Looking back on the ups and downs from a dramatic decade

By: Mike Atherton

In this fascinating book, Mike Atherton selects the best pieces he has written over the last decade. Renowned as a shrewd and resolute captain of England, Atherton moved effortlessly into the commentary box and Fleet Street, proving himself every bit as capable with the pen as with the bat. It has been a dramatic period, seeing the rise of Twenty20 cricket and the IPL, as well as the revival of England's prospects, breaking a long era of Australian dominance in the Ashes. There has also been controversy, too, with terrorist attacks, Zimbabwe and allegations of Pakistani spot-fixing all distracting fans from the essence of the game. Through it all, Atherton comments with the true insight of one who has been there, the humane understanding of someone who has genuine empathy for the issues involved and, above all, his opinions are based on a deep love for the game and sport in general. His writing has become essential reading for all sports fans. This book shows exactly why that is the case.

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Page Count

438

Publisher

Simon and Schuster

Published Date

ISBN 10

0857203509

ISBN 13

9780857203502

On Cricket

By: Mike Brearley

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On Cricket

By: Mike Brearley

A treasure of recollections and reactions, talking heroes, controversies and big themes' i paper 'Brearley is at his best in these quirky, delightful essays when he is exploring the human qualities of humbler players . . . Brearley's admiration for his friends' decency, craftsmanship and modesty seems to recall a golden age of country cricket' The Times 'Brearley has a knack for paying respect to the past without denigrating the present and for calmly considering the future' Mail on Sunday Mike Brearley was arguably one of England's finest cricket captains; not just for his outstanding record leading his country but also for the way he orchestrated, during the 1981 Ashes series, one of the most extraordinary reversals in sporting history. In this collection of sparkling essays, Brearley reflects on the game he has come to know so well. He ranges from the personal - the influence of his Yorkshire father and the idols of his youth - to controversial aspects of the professional game, including cheating, corruption, and innovation, the latter often being on a borderline between genius and rebellion. Brearley also evaluates his heroes (amongst them Viv Richards, Bishan Bedi and Dennis Lillee), the game changers, the outstanding wicketkeepers, the 'Indian-ness' of four generations of Indian batsmen and the important commentators (including Harold Pinter, John Arlott and Ian Chappell). The Ashes, the most sustained love-hate relationship in the history of sport and key to Brearley's test-playing career, are raked over. Central to the book is an important section on race and cricket, and the legacy of C. L. R. James. Insightful and humorous, On Cricket is an intelligent exposition of the game's idiosyncratic culture and its enduring appeal.

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421

Publisher

Constable

Published Date

ISBN 10

1472129458

ISBN 13

9781472129451

Turning Over the Pebbles

A Life in Cricket and in the Mind

By: Mike Brearley

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Turning Over the Pebbles

A Life in Cricket and in the Mind

By: Mike Brearley

If you carry on like this, you'll do nothing but play football and cricket all your life.' These were the exasperated words of Mike Brearley's mother, as he once again trod mud into the family home after a long day playing outdoors. They were also an unwitting but half-accurate prediction, for Brearley would become one of the most successful sportsmen of his generation by playing cricket for Cambridge, Middlesex and then becoming one of England's finest captains. But for Brearley, cricket wasn't just a physical activity, it was also an intellectual game, offering the chance to bring closer together body and mind. When his cricketing career came to end - during his playing days he had had a hiatus as a philosophy lecturer - he eschewed sporting commentary for a career as a psychoanalyst. In Turning Over the Pebbles, which he calls a 'memoir of the mind', Brearley reviews his life with its attendant emotions, tensions and moves. It is also a book of his second thoughts and reassessments, allowing him to understand more fully things that were obscure to him earlier. After all, he says, 'captaining ourselves, like captaining a team, requires a willingness to allow thoughts and feelings their space'. Deeply thoughtful, erudite and elegantly framed, this book seamlessly blends all aspects of Brearley's life into a single integrated narrative. With wide-ranging meditations on sport, philosophy, literature, religion, leadership, psychoanalysis, music and more, Brearley delves into his private passions and candidly examines the various shifts, conflicts and triumphs of his extraordinary life and career, both on and off the field.

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Page Count

288

Publisher

Constable

Published Date

ISBN 10

1408715953

ISBN 13

9781408715956

Not Dark Yet

A very funny book about a very serious game

By: Mike Harfield

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Not Dark Yet

A very funny book about a very serious game

By: Mike Harfield

Spiced with humour, the tales of epic encounters at Clifton Hampden are told alongside more modest affairs at Lords, Headingley and OldTrafford.

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Page Count

111

Publisher

Loose Chippings

Published Date

ISBN 10

0955421780

ISBN 13

9780955421785

Bob Willis: A Cricketer and a Gentleman

The Sunday Times Bestseller

By: Bob Willis,Mike Dickson

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Bob Willis: A Cricketer and a Gentleman

The Sunday Times Bestseller

By: Bob Willis,Mike Dickson

SHORTLISTED FOR THE TELEGRAPH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS CRICKET BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021 'Verdict on Willis book: a treat' - Express 'The book is a gem' - Mike Atherton 'It's a lovely book, containing previously unseen musings from the great man' - David Lloyd 'enjoyable and eye-opening... a delight to read' - The Telegraph 'A warm, polished recollection.' - The Guardian 'It's such a great read' - Piers Morgan 'Willis book will bowl you over' - Sunday Mirror & The People A biography celebrating the life of the legendary cricketer Bob Willis, with tributes from key figures in sports and media and a foreword by Sir Ian Botham. Following his passing in 2019, tributes to Bob came flooding in in every major news outlet and from every major figure in the industry - and outside of it. His career spanned decades, from his days as a cricketer for England to his time as a pundit on Sky TV. This autobiography includes never-before-seen writing from Bob alongside contributions from key figures as well as a detailed account of the great England victory over Australia at Headingly in 1981. The book, edited by Bob's brother David, combines a new biography, written by Daily Mail sportswriter Mike Dickson, with a celebration of a truly legendary man. Tributes from some of his many friends in the world of cricket and beyond are accompanied by reflections on highlights from an eventful life, drawing on autobiographical and personal material by Bob himself, contemporary press reports and the accounts of team-mates and opponents.

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Page Count

359

Publisher

Hodder & Stoughton

Published Date

ISBN 10

1529341353

ISBN 13

9781529341355

Foul Play

The Dark Arts of Cheating in Sport

By: Mike Rowbottom

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Foul Play

The Dark Arts of Cheating in Sport

By: Mike Rowbottom

Foul Play' offers an inside track on the dark arts employed in sport to gain an unfair advantage - on the football or rugby field, on the tennis or squash court, on the athletics track and the golf course, even on the bowling green or the Subbuteo table.

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Page Count

226

Publisher

A&C Black

Published Date

ISBN 10

1408155796

ISBN 13

9781408155790

Spirit On The Water

XI Extraordinary Cricket Tours

By: Mike Harfield

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Spirit On The Water

XI Extraordinary Cricket Tours

By: Mike Harfield

Spirit On The Water takes you on a voyage of eleven very different cricket tours. The tours include Taverners jaunts to the Balearics, an Aborigine team visiting England in 1868, Australia trying to win in India, Sydney Barnes in South Africa, Wally Hammond Down Under and more. The lively conversational style which made Mike Harfield's previous book, Not Dark Yet, so popular appears again, along with a cornucopia of cricket. Most of the time it is the cricket which lives in the memory; occasionally contemporary events intervene. Always the journey is entertaining. Surrey and England batsman Mark Butcher gets us into the mood in his excellent Foreword and then it's off on the first tour.

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Page Count

169

Publisher

Loose Chippings

Published Date

ISBN 10

1907991026

ISBN 13

9781907991028

At First Light

A True World War II Story of a Hero, His Bravery, and an Amazing Horse

By: Walt Larimore,Mike Yorkey

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At First Light

A True World War II Story of a Hero, His Bravery, and an Amazing Horse

By: Walt Larimore,Mike Yorkey

What makes 2nd Lieutenant Phil Larimore’s story special is what happened in World War II’s closing days and the people—and horses—he interacted with in this Forrest Gump-like tale that is emotional, heartbreaking, and inspiring. Growing up in the 1930s in Memphis, Tennessee, Phil Larimore is the ultimate Boy Scout—able to read maps, put a compass to good use, and traverse wild swamps and desolate canyons. His other great skill is riding horses. Phil does poorly in school, however, leading his parents send to him to a military academy. After Pearl Harbor, Phil realizes he is destined for war. Three weeks before his eighteenth birthday, he becomes the youngest candidate to ever graduate from Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Fort Benning, Georgia. Landing on the Anzio beachhead in February 1944, Phil is put in charge of an Ammunition Pioneer Platoon in the 3rd Infantry Division. Their job: deliver ammunition to the frontline foxholes—a dangerous assignment involving regular forays into No Man’s Land. As Phil fights his way up the Italian boot, into Southern France and across the Rhine River into Germany, he is caught up in some of the most intense combat ever. But it’s what happens in the final stages of the war and his homecoming that makes Phil’s story incredibly special and heartwarming. An emotional tale of courage, daring, and heroism, At First Light will remind you of the indomitable human spirit that lives in all of us.

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Page Count

349

Publisher

Simon and Schuster

Published Date

ISBN 10

1642939609

ISBN 13

9781642939606

American Indian Horse Masks

By: Mike Cowdrey,Ned Martin

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American Indian Horse Masks

By: Mike Cowdrey,Ned Martin

This is the first comprehensive text on Indian Horse masks, their usage, history, and symbolism. Forty five masks are featured from museums and private collections in this full color, stunningly beautiful coffee table book. Included are many original, historically accurate, drawings and paintings of both masks and decorated horses. There is also a chapter by Winfied Coleman on the Shamanic decoration of horses and warriors for battle.

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Page Count

106

Published Date

ISBN 10

0965994759

ISBN 13

9780965994750

One Week in 1952

By: Mike Cowdrey

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One Week in 1952

By: Mike Cowdrey

The story is set in June 1952 and describes one week of action between Tom, 8 years old, and his Aunt Siobhan, 18 years old, who looks after him while his parents are forced to leave home. An unexpected event enables them to holiday in Kent, where exciting adventures befall them both. Throughout the book there is a surprising comparison between the way of life in the 1950s, much of it based on historical fact, and that of the modern-day world.

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Page Count

269

Publisher

Austin Macauley Publishers

Published Date

ISBN 10

1398458287

ISBN 13

9781398458284

In Search of Midnight

The Mike McGee Handbook of Awesome

By: Mike McGee

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In Search of Midnight

The Mike McGee Handbook of Awesome

By: Mike McGee

A distinctive and incomparable collection from "Mighty" Mike McGee, the class clown of spoken word and poetry slam's geek champion. This debut includes his most notable performance poems, stories, humorous anecdotes and how-to's. This handbook moves between serious love tomes, like "Open Letter to Neil Armstrong" and "Every Day," to his most irreverent and requested works, like "Puddin'" and "Like." A true road-dog, McGee travels with words and camera, many results of which are captured in this collection. The humor contained in these pages are a campfire on a lonely winter night, the poetry – a reason to shout about love.

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SCB Distributors

Published Date

ISBN 10

1938912292

ISBN 13

9781938912290

Book's by Mike Cowdrey

Times on the Ashes

Times on the Ashes

Anyone But England

Anyone But England

The Art of Captaincy

The Art of Captaincy

Deadlines

Deadlines

Spirit of Cricket

Spirit of Cricket

Glorious Summers and Discontents

Glorious Summers and Discontents

On Cricket

On Cricket

Turning Over the Pebbles

Turning Over the Pebbles

Not Dark Yet

Not Dark Yet

Bob Willis: A Cricketer and a Gentleman

Bob Willis: A Cricketer and a Gentleman

Foul Play

Foul Play

Spirit On The Water

Spirit On The Water

At First Light

At First Light

American Indian Horse Masks

American Indian Horse Masks

One Week in 1952

One Week in 1952

In Search of Midnight

In Search of Midnight

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