Our Online Library

A guided tour of the freebies on our website

For lovers of cricket’s rich tapestry—its legends, its records, its forgotten heroes—the ACS Online Library is a treasure trove waiting to be explored. This is more than a collection of documents; it is a gateway into the soul of the game, offering unparalleled coverage of the stories, statistics and scholarship that define cricket’s past and shape its future. Whether you’re a seasoned researcher, a budding historian, or simply a fan with a thirst for cricketing lore, the library offers something for everyone. For example:

• Cricket: A Weekly Record of the Game (1882–1914)
  Digitised in full, this iconic magazine captures the heartbeat of cricket from the early 1880s through to the outbreak of the First World War. Each issue is a time capsule, filled with match reports, player profiles and commentaries that reflect the sport’s evolution and its cultural significance.

• The Cricket Statistician (1973-2022)
  The ACS’s quarterly journal, The Cricket Statistician, is available up to 2022 in digitised form. It’s a masterclass in scholarship, featuring deep dives into obscure records, biographical revelations and statistical debates that challenge conventional wisdom.

• The ACS Cricketers Series
  The ACS Cricketers Series is a digital bookshelf of biographical and statistical gems, meticulously researched and often focused on specific regions, eras or themes—offering readers a deeper appreciation of cricket’s diverse cast. The most recent addition, First-Class on Tour, is an exploration of those who played first-class cricket for British teams abroad, but never appeared at that level within the British Isles.

• Robert Brooke’s biography of John Edward Shilton
  John Edward Shilton’s Book: The Triumphs and Disasters of a Warwickshire Cricketer is a compelling portrait of a forgotten figure whose life mirrored the highs and lows of English county cricket. Published by the ACS in 1984, this 64-page biography blends statistical precision with narrative flair, chronicling Shilton’s journey through the golden age of Warwickshire cricket. Robert Brooke, our founder, was renowned for his meticulous research and evocative storytelling. Here he rescues Shilton from obscurity, offering readers a richly textured account of a sportsman whose career was shaped as much by misfortune as by his talent. For lovers of cricket history and character-driven biography, this is a gem.

• ICC Trophy Competitions: 1979, 1982, 1986

  Published in 1989, this is a vital chronicle of the forerunner of the modern ICC World Cup Qualifiers. Compact and authoritative, it captures the emergence of global competition beyond the Test-playing nations, documenting the rise of Associate cricket with detailed match records, team profiles and tournament narratives.

The ACS doesn’t just preserve history; it actively builds it. Our Research Section includes:

• Peter Wynne-Thomas Research Files
  A monumental collection of 6,890 pages of research compiled by the late Peter Wynne-Thomas, co-author of Who’s Who of Cricketers. These digitised notes, clippings, and photos offer intimate insights into the lives of first-class cricketers, many of whom have never been profiled elsewhere.

• A to Z of Kent Cricketers
  Derek Carlaw’s exhaustive biographical index of every Kent player from 1806 to 1999 is a triumph of dedication and detail.

• Major Feats in Minor Cricket

  We don’t just focus on top-level cricket! This ever-expanding project includes details, and where possible scorecards, of over 500 matches at lower levels of the game in which some unlikely or memorable feat occurred—sides bowled out for 0, “all-stumped” hat-tricks, bowlers taking all ten without conceding a run, and much, much more. It also includes an extensive index that puts these record performances into context against the more familiar first-class records.

• County Cricket: Sundry Extras
  David Jeater’s compilation of more than 1,000 county cricketers who made their mark in public life beyond the boundary—politicians, academics and war heroes among them.

All this is just a small sample of what we have to offer. In an age of fleeting headlines and surface-level “stats,” the ACS stands for depth and rigour. Whether you’re writing a biography, verifying a record, or simply indulging your love for the game, our Online Library is an indispensable companion. And with our powerful new search tool, the product of hours of painstaking indexing,* you can now bring precision and speed to your historical hunt. Dive in, explore, and let the past bowl you over.

And, hey!—while you’re at it, why not become an ACS member?

* Drop us a line, either in the comments below or by responding to the email in which you received this, if you’d be willing to volunteer your help with this important task. The process is easy and intuitive, and requires no technical skill.