{"product_id":"9781399407847-bill-edrich-the-many-lives-of-englands-cricket-great","title":"Bill Edrich","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Many Lives of England's Cricket Great FINANCIAL TIMES – BEST BOOKS OF 2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRecord-breaking England cricketer, wartime RAF hero, Tottenham Hotspur footballer, and husband to five wives. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003ethis is the story of the many lives of one of cricketing’s greatest characters.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDEREK HODGSON CRICKET BOOK OF THE YEAR – THE CRICKET MEDIA CLUB AWARDS\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘Brilliant’\u003c\/b\u003e –\u003ci\u003e Daily Express\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘A must-read’\u003c\/b\u003e –\u003ci\u003e Financial Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘A wonderful book’\u003c\/b\u003e – Henry Blofeld\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘Exquisite’ \u003c\/b\u003e– \u003ci\u003eThe Sun\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCRICKET LEGEND. WAR HERO. FOOTBALLER. WILD MAN.\u003c\/i\u003e BILL EDRICH'S STORY IS ONE OF CRICKET VICTORIES, EXPLOSIVE CONTROVERSIES, WARTIME GLORY AND A LIFE LIVED TO THE FULLEST.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e571 first-class matches from 1934 to 1958. 36,965 runs. 29th on all-time lists. 86 centuries. 479 wickets. Bill Edrich was one of the biggest cricket stars of his time along with Denis Compton and Len Hutton. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1940 and played football for Norwich City and Tottenham Hotspur during the 1930s.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the first biography for 30 years, award-winning writer Leo McKinstry recounts Edrich's audacity both as a cricketer and an RAF pilot. Edrich’s flying prowess brought him a promotion to Squadron Leader and won him the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) after his part in a courageous daylight raid over Cologne in August 1941.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe same action-filled intensity applied to his turbulent private life. A man of keen amorous enthusiasms, he was married five times but rarely allowed his ardour to be inhibited by any wedding vows. Equally unrestrained was his fondness for alcohol and partying, though this trait brought him into conflict with both the cricket and the judicial authorities. After one particularly exuberant display of intoxication during a home Test match, he even lost his place in the England team, only to return for the famous Ashes triumph of 1953.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA history of cricket victories, explosive controversies, wartime glory and a life lived to the fullest, this compelling biography reveals the story of one of cricketing’s greatest characters.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR \u003ci\u003eTHE SUNDAY TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 2025 CRICKET BOOK OF THE YEAR\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41601071972449,"sku":"9781399407847","price":19.52,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/stand_36042041_b6a28a11-0f46-421f-bcaa-23cb15e452a4.jpg?v=1757580719","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9781399407847-bill-edrich-the-many-lives-of-englands-cricket-great","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}