The Best Loved Game
Encyclopedia
The Best Loved Game is a book written by Geoffrey Moorhouse
. It was written during the summer of 1978 (and it was first published the following year). This book describes the English
cricket season of that year. It is worth mentioning that 1978 was an extraordinary time for the cricket
world. The arrival of Kerry Packer
about a year ago had threatened to change the whole nature of the game. Lured by the money and the media-coverage guaranteed by the media-mogul, some of the top players of world cricket had signed contracts with Packer, thus making themselves unavailable from official international cricket. With the problems being unprecedented, the cricketing world was completely unprepared for this. There were all kinds of confusions and even the high court got involved in the dispute. For a brief period, the future of the royal game looked very uncertain. At that time, Moorhouse, a very distinguished writer, who loved the game immensely, decided to chronicle the cricketing events of the summer. He, like many others at the time, thought that the game would soon change forever. "It seemed important to record an English season while the matter was still in balance, lest the shape and nature of our cricket should presently be spoiled.”
of cricket, with the traditional three-day fixture between the MCC
and the County
champions of previous season (in this case, Middlesex
). He visits the Mecca
three more times, during the course of the season, (in June for the test match against Pakistan, in July, for the Oldest Fixture, between Eton
and Harrow School
, and finally in early September for the Gillette Cup
final). But he does not confine himself to big grounds and big matches only. He goes to Oxfordshire
to cover a village championship game, he goes to Lichfield for a minor county game. In short, he wants to cover cricket, as a part of English
summer, and in this, he succeeds greatly.
was the undisputed king of cricket writing. His style influenced more than one generation of cricket writers. Moorhouse was no exception. Of course, he had a few things in common with the great Cardus
: they both came from North-West England, Cardus
from Manchester
, Moorhouse from Bolton
, both spent a considerable amount of their professional career at Manchester Guardian, and most importantly, both greatly loved the game of cricket
. The greatest thing about this book is that Moorhouse covers the matches as a cricket writer, not as a cricket
reporter, and the difference can be enormous. Following the style of the great man, Moorhouse cares less about the statistics (although the scorecards are provided in details at the end of every match report). Instead, in the spirit of Cardus
, he gives characters to the players, describes the scenario, talks about the past heroes of Cricket, and even talks about his own emotions. He starts “The Roses Match
” recollecting his family connection with the Red Roses. Wherever he goes, he tries to fathom the sprit of the particular match. Thus, this book describes the sprit of the game more than anything else.
An important point to make here is that while the Packer affair had a lot to do with the writing of the book, the writer isn’t interested about the merits or demerits of Packer’s intentions. While he starts the introduction of the book with “This book owes something to Mr. Kerry Packer
, without whom it might not have been written”, he also mentions in the same page “I do not wish to argue here the rights and wrongs of the Packer affair, much less to recount its already wearisome history.” .
So, while the name Packer appears many times in the book, the only serious comment that the writer makes about the whole affair (and he is right in his comment) is ”In one respect, and in only one I think, he (Packer) has done a service to the game by forcing us all to face the fact cricketers have been abysmally ill-paid.” . So, as a whole “The Best Loved Game” is not about any controversial issue, it is simply about cricket being part of the English
summer.
Interestingly, all the buzz about the Packer affair, which looked such a menace in 78, died down within a year or so, as the richest man in Australia and ICC managed to reach an agreement. Yet, the changes introduced by Packer have not only lasted for a considerable time, in fact, these have continued to produce more changes to the game. Cricket
is now fully internationalized, and at the same time fully commercialized. International stars are now richly paid (and so are the commentators), thanks mainly to the backings and blessings of satellite TV channels. In a sense, Packer was a bit too ahead of his time.
still remains the most prestigious cricketing event, the general public nowadays are more interested in the shorter versions of the game, One Day Internationals and (in more recent times), the 20-20s. Instead of white shirts, the cricketers now wear multicolored dresses. Day night cricket, introduced by Packer in Australia
, is now common everywhere. Yet despite all these changes, there is no doubt that the great game of cricket has its origin in the villages of England
. For all the new introductions to the game (like 3rd umpire, TV replay, powerplay etc.) cricket still remains a very simple game. There are many who love the game simply because of its simplicity. For such people, ‘The Best Loved Game” can be a wonderful reading.
Geoffrey Moorhouse
Geoffrey Moorhouse, FRGS, FRSL, D.Litt was an English journalist and author. He was born Geoffrey Heald in Bolton and took his stepfather's surname. He attended Bury Grammar School. He began writing as a journalist on the Bolton Evening News...
. It was written during the summer of 1978 (and it was first published the following year). This book describes the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
cricket season of that year. It is worth mentioning that 1978 was an extraordinary time for the cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
world. The arrival of Kerry Packer
Kerry Packer
Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer, AC was an Australian media tycoon. The son of Sir Frank Packer and Gretel Bullmore, the Packer family company owned controlling interest in both the Nine television network and leading Australian publishing company Australian Consolidated Press, which were later...
about a year ago had threatened to change the whole nature of the game. Lured by the money and the media-coverage guaranteed by the media-mogul, some of the top players of world cricket had signed contracts with Packer, thus making themselves unavailable from official international cricket. With the problems being unprecedented, the cricketing world was completely unprepared for this. There were all kinds of confusions and even the high court got involved in the dispute. For a brief period, the future of the royal game looked very uncertain. At that time, Moorhouse, a very distinguished writer, who loved the game immensely, decided to chronicle the cricketing events of the summer. He, like many others at the time, thought that the game would soon change forever. "It seemed important to record an English season while the matter was still in balance, lest the shape and nature of our cricket should presently be spoiled.”
Theme
The book contains description of 14 fixtures of various kinds. Obviously, the writer starts the book at Lord's, the MeccaMecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
of cricket, with the traditional three-day fixture between the MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
and the County
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
champions of previous season (in this case, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
). He visits the Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
three more times, during the course of the season, (in June for the test match against Pakistan, in July, for the Oldest Fixture, between Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
, and finally in early September for the Gillette Cup
Gillette Cup
The Gillette Cup may refer to the following cricket competitions:* Gillette Cup — an English knock-out one-day competition known as the Gillette Cup from 1963 to 1980, now known as the Friends Provident Cup...
final). But he does not confine himself to big grounds and big matches only. He goes to Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
to cover a village championship game, he goes to Lichfield for a minor county game. In short, he wants to cover cricket, as a part of English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
summer, and in this, he succeeds greatly.
Style
For more than half a century Sir Neville CardusNeville Cardus
Sir John Frederick Neville Cardus CBE was an English writer and critic, best known for his writing on music and cricket. For many years, he wrote for The Manchester Guardian. He was untrained in music, and his style of criticism was subjective, romantic and personal, in contrast with his critical...
was the undisputed king of cricket writing. His style influenced more than one generation of cricket writers. Moorhouse was no exception. Of course, he had a few things in common with the great Cardus
Neville Cardus
Sir John Frederick Neville Cardus CBE was an English writer and critic, best known for his writing on music and cricket. For many years, he wrote for The Manchester Guardian. He was untrained in music, and his style of criticism was subjective, romantic and personal, in contrast with his critical...
: they both came from North-West England, Cardus
Neville Cardus
Sir John Frederick Neville Cardus CBE was an English writer and critic, best known for his writing on music and cricket. For many years, he wrote for The Manchester Guardian. He was untrained in music, and his style of criticism was subjective, romantic and personal, in contrast with his critical...
from Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Moorhouse from Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, both spent a considerable amount of their professional career at Manchester Guardian, and most importantly, both greatly loved the game of cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
. The greatest thing about this book is that Moorhouse covers the matches as a cricket writer, not as a cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
reporter, and the difference can be enormous. Following the style of the great man, Moorhouse cares less about the statistics (although the scorecards are provided in details at the end of every match report). Instead, in the spirit of Cardus
Neville Cardus
Sir John Frederick Neville Cardus CBE was an English writer and critic, best known for his writing on music and cricket. For many years, he wrote for The Manchester Guardian. He was untrained in music, and his style of criticism was subjective, romantic and personal, in contrast with his critical...
, he gives characters to the players, describes the scenario, talks about the past heroes of Cricket, and even talks about his own emotions. He starts “The Roses Match
Roses Match
The Roses Match refers to any game of cricket played between Yorkshire County Cricket Club and Lancashire County Cricket Club. Yorkshire's emblem is the white rose, while Lancashire's is the red rose. The associations go back to the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century...
” recollecting his family connection with the Red Roses. Wherever he goes, he tries to fathom the sprit of the particular match. Thus, this book describes the sprit of the game more than anything else.
An important point to make here is that while the Packer affair had a lot to do with the writing of the book, the writer isn’t interested about the merits or demerits of Packer’s intentions. While he starts the introduction of the book with “This book owes something to Mr. Kerry Packer
Kerry Packer
Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer, AC was an Australian media tycoon. The son of Sir Frank Packer and Gretel Bullmore, the Packer family company owned controlling interest in both the Nine television network and leading Australian publishing company Australian Consolidated Press, which were later...
, without whom it might not have been written”, he also mentions in the same page “I do not wish to argue here the rights and wrongs of the Packer affair, much less to recount its already wearisome history.” .
So, while the name Packer appears many times in the book, the only serious comment that the writer makes about the whole affair (and he is right in his comment) is ”In one respect, and in only one I think, he (Packer) has done a service to the game by forcing us all to face the fact cricketers have been abysmally ill-paid.” . So, as a whole “The Best Loved Game” is not about any controversial issue, it is simply about cricket being part of the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
summer.
Interestingly, all the buzz about the Packer affair, which looked such a menace in 78, died down within a year or so, as the richest man in Australia and ICC managed to reach an agreement. Yet, the changes introduced by Packer have not only lasted for a considerable time, in fact, these have continued to produce more changes to the game. Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
is now fully internationalized, and at the same time fully commercialized. International stars are now richly paid (and so are the commentators), thanks mainly to the backings and blessings of satellite TV channels. In a sense, Packer was a bit too ahead of his time.
The 'Love’ affair
In 1977, test cricket celebrated its 100th anniversary. While test cricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
still remains the most prestigious cricketing event, the general public nowadays are more interested in the shorter versions of the game, One Day Internationals and (in more recent times), the 20-20s. Instead of white shirts, the cricketers now wear multicolored dresses. Day night cricket, introduced by Packer in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, is now common everywhere. Yet despite all these changes, there is no doubt that the great game of cricket has its origin in the villages of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. For all the new introductions to the game (like 3rd umpire, TV replay, powerplay etc.) cricket still remains a very simple game. There are many who love the game simply because of its simplicity. For such people, ‘The Best Loved Game” can be a wonderful reading.