Book Review: The Cricket Captains of England 1877-1979 by Alan Gibson

Alan Gibson was a well-known radio broadcaster, who for many years commentated on Test Match Special. For almost 20 years he wrote on county cricket for The Times and here was where his strength lay.

He was a magnificent wordsmith, perhaps second only to Cardus in that regard, the prose flowing from his pen like liquid gold. There are similarities in style and in this book he quotes stories and opinions of his predecessor on a regular basis, especially regarding players he cannot have seen himself.

This is both a a strength and weakness. Time has taught us that for all of his literary talents - and they are considerable - Cardus embellished or made up stories to suit his needs. Thus the many stories of Emmott Robinson, the craggy old Yorkshire all-rounder, were largely disproved when the cricketer admitted he had never met him.

Yet this does not detract from a volume where the author analyses and critiques the lives and careers of men who captained England, between 1877 and 1979, when this book was first published. These pen pictures are delightfully written in a conversational style that one could imagine replicated if sat with the author in the pub. The earlier part is the strongest, perhaps because the characters were more worthy of investigation, but the book is a joyous read.

This reprint, with valuable notes and updates to the rear, is effectively a companion volume to the updated version by Vic Marks, which I shall soon review and covers the period from 1979 to 2025. Along with sixteen freshly chosen pages of photographs, there is also a valuable statistical section, which confirms the varying levels of ability of those tasked with leading the nation's cricket eleven onto the field. 

Some did it only once or twice, others for longer periods. There certainly seems to have been a  considerable difference between the abilities of Ray Illingworth, Mike Brearley, Douglas Jardine and others. Bob Wyatt was told by Derbyshire's Tommy Mitchell that 'he couldn't captain a box of lead soldiers' and never played for England again. Others appear to have been in the right place at the right time, or born in the correct circumstances...

Flitting through the pages are a Hollywood star, a future bishop and a man who, according to legend, was once offered the throne of Albania. CB Fry seems to have been an extraordinary, if eccentric man and he, with many others, comes to life within the pages of this book. 

My next read is the update from Vic Marks, which I am hopeful will be up to the same standard as this book. 

Because this is simply a joy from the first page to last.

The Cricket Captains of England 1877 - 1979 is written by Alan Gibson and published by Fairfield Books