Archive: December, 2010

Johnson Watch feature dropped

We are sad to announce that the Johnson Watch feature is being dropped after just one instalment.

The main reason for this is that the protagonist failed to hold up his side of the bargain. He didn’t bowl badly while hinting that he could bowl brilliantly at some point soon. He just bowled badly.

Johnson says he needs to get his head straight. Not sure what means. Probably something about needing to bowl straight.

Johnson, like Steve Harmison, is a prime example of a bowler whose performance range is too large. He sometimes hits the heights, but he sometimes hits square leg.

We told you that the tattooed arm should be ‘the doing arm’.

WG Grace Ate My Pedalo | book review

You, King Cricket reader, will love WG Grace Ate My Pedalo. We are pretty much certain of that.

You may all be very different, but you all have one thing in common – this website. Alan Tyers’ book is not a million miles away from what you might expect to see here.

It is basically a spoof 1896 issue of The Wisden Cricketer, but better than that sounds. Imagine what the Victorians might think of modern cricket – that’s basically the vibe.

Favourite sections are many and include an advertisement for the ‘Indian Territories Pre-eminent League’; 24 hours in the life of the Reverend ML Hayden (“Pray to God for a bit, but this degenerates into a sledging contest”); and a delightfully demented work of sporting fiction about vampires at Lord’s – part bloodsucker drama, part Victorian cricket story.

WG Grace Ate My Pedalo also features our favourite ever use of the word ‘harlot’. Buy it from Amazon. It is, frankly, mint.