New from ACS
A few of our latest titles
Exciting news for all cricket enthusiasts and history buffs! We’ve recently unveiled a series of new publications on the rich and fascinating world of cricket. From meticulously researched player biographies to comprehensive statistical analyses and captivating historical narratives, these books promise to offer fresh insights and deepen our understanding of the sport’s illustrious past. Whether you’re a seasoned analyst or a passionate fan, there’s something in these new releases for everyone.
In The Dream That Died: Gwilym Rowland and Welsh Cricket, Andrew Hignell tells the story of Gwilym Evans Rowland, a Manchester-born businessman who tried to raise cricket’s profile in Wales by creating a team which played home internationals against Scotland and Ireland and appeared at Lord’s. Gwilym ruffled feathers at Glamorgan CCC, but paid for matches played by the Wales team and the all-amateur Welsh Cygnets, and a visit by the United Berlin team in 1930. But during 1931/32 his business conglomerate collapsed and went into liquidation, and he ended as a penniless man in Anglesey whose body was found in a ditch in 1938.
Cricket’s Revolution: Its Sudden Leap into Modernity is Eric Midwinter’s analysis of the transformation of cricket from a folk game played in various versions in isolated localities to a singular and recognisable national sport, with agreed laws and an undisputed central authority. This switch, over thirty years in the early 19th century, was a part of the equally abrupt emergence of a nation turning to the rationalisation of society and away from the arbitrary confusion of the 18th century. Against this background, Midwinter explores the development of the unified format of cricket’s laws, controls, clubs, competitions, records and statistics.
The 16th edition of the Overseas First-Class Annual is now on sale; covering all first-class cricket worldwide in 2023/24, it includes 559 full scorecards, and brief narratives plus league tables for each country’s first-class tournaments.
The latest issue of The Cricket Statistician, edited by Jonathan Northall, is sent to members in their quarterly mailings, but extra copies and previous issues are available in the shop.
Les Jackson and Cliff Gladwin: Masters of their Craft is John Shawcroft’s account of the Derbyshire fast bowlers who formed the most dangerous new-ball attack in the County Championship throughout most of the 1950s. Jackson and Gladwin came from mining villages, and their physiques were developed by years at the coalface, but they received little recognition from England’s Test selectors: Jackson appeared in only two Tests, 12 years apart, which Fred Trueman put down to snobbery, while Gladwin played eight Tests and toured South Africa, but operated in Alec Bedser’s shadow.