Life Beyond the Airing Cupboard

Life Beyond the Airing Cupboard

by Susanna Kendall (Illustrator), John Barclay (Author)

Synopsis

'A charming book,' Mike Atherton writes in his foreword. 'In the chapters on his playing days there is something of a lost world that intrigued me. This was a time when county cricket was allowed to be itself, to meander along without the apparent need to justify itself to the bean-counters. A kind of joy and schoolboy fun infuses most of these pages. But there is a serious tone, too. John's account of his demons is less in-your-face than Marcus Trescothick's but all the more moving for that. All the emotions we go through in life are here: the adolescent worries and fears; the hopes and dreams of youth; the joy and discovery of young love, both imagined and real, and the pain and utter despair of losing the person you have loved. What emerges from the book is that cricket is important, but only as a medium for development of the human spirit.'

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 240
Edition: 1st Edition
Publisher: Fairfield Books
Published: 12 Nov 2008

ISBN 10: 0956070205
ISBN 13: 9780956070203

Media Reviews
MCC and Cricket Society Book of the Year for 2009. 'A lovely read, self-deprecating and full of gentle humour.' - Simon Barnes, The Times. 'As complete a portrayal of a life spent in cricket as has been written in recent years, told by a man with considerable talent as an author.' - All Out Cricket. 'An entertaining and revelatory read.' - The Independent. 'These moving reflections on cricket and life glow with a winning generosity of spirit, soaring above petty rivalries to approach, at times, the level of spiritual meditation.' - Paul Coupar, The Wisden Cricketer. 'Like all good books about sport, it is about more than that; it is about life, love and loss, too.' - Mike Atherton
Author Bio
John Barclay was born in 1954 in Bonn, West Germany, the son of a diplomat. A highly successful schoolboy cricketer at Eton, he first played for Sussex at the age of 16. Two years later he joined the Sussex staff as a promising all-rounder, going on to captain the county from 1981 to 1986 when he retired. Since then, he has remained in the game as Director of Cricket and Coaching for the Arundel Castle Cricket Foundation, encouraging young people from less advantaged backgrounds to play and enjoy the game. To date, more than 200,000 youngsters have benefited from the scheme. He has written three books: `The Appeal of the Championship', Life Beyond The Airing Cupboard' and `Lost in the Long Grass'. `Life Beyond the Airing Cupboard' won the MCC and Cricket Society Book of the Year award. In 2009/10 he served as President of MCC.