Customer Reviews
Funny and wince makingly embarrassing! - By: Mr. LGD Williams, 09 Nov 2009 
A truly entertaining book to read for all people whose range of cricketing excuses outweighs their ability. There are plenty of incidents to laugh at both because it is nice to know that a) you are not the only one who thinks that it is normal to have the tele on with no sound to listen to TMS. b) you are not the only person for whom the only consistent feature of ones' bowling / batting is its inconsistency & c) that all of this equips one with the judgement & skill needed to manage the England team.
A pleasure to read & guaranteed to hit any cricket lover for six if received as a present!!
A hit for six! - By: D. W. Miller, 02 Sep 2009 
A really entertaining & amusing book about the trials & tribulations of a VERY amateur cricket team where each player has an exaggerated sense of his own ability & value to the side. If you love cricket & even if you don't, the descriptions of the matches & the events that surround them are quite hilarious. My father was a rather good cricketerin a pretty decent side & I can remember travelling with them as "official scorer" & the characters I met each weekend are not so far different from some of thosein this book. So a big thank you to the author for reminding me of some of the happiest days of my life.
am I Marcus Berkmann? - By: J. Lieberman, 06 Jul 2009 I thought only I was so cricket-obssessed that it has taken over my life. When I read Rain Men, this was the book I wished I had written & indeed could have written. For the cricket lover this book will strike a cord so loudly that you will wonder how the author could have read your mind so accurately. If you are 45-55 years old & love cricket-I promise you that you will belly laugh your way through this book & be devastated, as I was, when you come to the end. I laughed out loud so much while reading this that my kids threatened to have me taken away. However, if you have never yearned to play Test cricket, if you have never practised your square cutin front of the mirror, if you have never dreamed of winning the Ashes- don't bother with this book- it would be wasted on you. By far & away the most entertaining book I have ever read.
An effortless drive to the boundary... - By: Andrew Morse, 30 Mar 2009 Quite simply the funniest laugh out loud book about cricket that I've ever read. It's also beautifully writtenin a conversational style that only a few can manage. He may not be much of a cricketer (by his own admission) but this is as sweet as a perfectly timed cover drive.
Checkout the sequel Zimmer Men too; it's just as good.
Absolutely hilarious! And true to life! - By: Dr. J. L. D. Pearse, 08 Oct 2007 I came to this book after reading Harry Thompson's "When Penguins Stopped Play", encouraged by the commentsin some reviews of that book (which I enjoyed) that this one would be so much better. And it is! I think one needs to be a player/ex-player (at not too high a level)/scorer/umpire/cricket "widow" to get the most of out it. But for thosein any of those categories, be warned that you will encounter very strange looks from anyonein your vicinity where you are reading it as you will find yourself snorting out loud with laughter on almost every page.
Winter days thinking about cricket, pre-season indoor nets, TV or radio commentaries on England Test failures, the talents (or otherwise) of members of your own side, the awesome-looking opposition, the bad umpiring decisions (deliberate or just plain daft), players crying off late or getting lost en route, over-indulgent lunches & teas, the captain's task of trying to keep every player happy - we have all experienced them but Marcus Berkmann brings them (and more) vividly & colourfully to lifein a journey through the year of a cricketer. Plus memories of "little Harry Pilling", the boring Chris Tavare & others who will be well known to the real cricket lover. It's all there, & so well written. Get it & enjoy it - but be prepared to split your sides with laughter!
