An undoubted little treasure! Anyone who has enjoyed the sound of willow on leather, whether as a player or spectator, will find reason to be amused by this gently humorous collection of explanations of the remarkably wide range of expressions used in describing this much loved British game. Mr Edworthy deploys his considerable writing ability to good effect and it will be a determinedly grumpy reader who isn’t provoked into a series of chuckles as the pages are devoured.

So this was helpful as a way to learn about and follow cricket, but what makes this book brilliant is the illustrations. Clever, black and white drawings told their own story, and it was highly entertaining. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

NO SPOILERS:
Not really possible to spoil the plot, is it?

I’m a qualified cricket umpire so was pleased to receive this review copy of Badger’s Cricket Compendium: A Humourous Illustrated Treasury of Phrase & Foible. It’s just the thing to browse when rain sets in or stumps is early because the batting order has crumbled.

It covers technical terms, commentating terms and urban phrases. It’s informative and witty; a good stocking filler for any cricket fan, especially those new to the real beautiful game.