The Cricket Society is a charitable organisation founded in 1945 as the Society of Cricket Statisticians at

Great Scotland Yard Great Scotland Yard is a street in the St. James's district of Westminster, London, connecting Northumberland Avenue and Whitehall. By the 16th century, this 'yard', which was then an open space for the Palace of Whitehall, was fronted by buil ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. It has grown steadily to be the largest body of its kind in the cricket world. The Cricket Society now has more than 2000 members in the United Kingdom and the cricket playing countries of the world. Its current President is John Barclay.

Activities

The Wetherall Awards began in 1967 and presently continue in four separate categories: *Leading all-rounder in English first-class game *Leading Young All-Rounder in the English First-Class Game *Leading all-rounder in

Schools cricket Cricket, and hence English amateur cricket, probably began in England during the medieval period but the earliest known reference concerns the game being played c.1550 by children on a plot of land at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford, Surrey ...

*Leading all-rounder at

Repton School Repton School is a 13–18 Mixed-sex education, co-educational, Independent school (United Kingdom), independent, Day school, day and boarding school in the English Public school (United Kingdom), public school tradition, in Repton, Derbyshire, ...

The Cricket Society instigated an Annual Book of the Year Award in 1970 that now, in association with the MCC, hosts an Awards Evening in the

Long Room Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and ...

Lord's Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and ...

each spring. Throughout the winter months, The Society holds monthly meetings, featuring famous names from cricket, for members and guests at the

Royal Overseas League The Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL) is a not-for-profit members' organisation with international headquarters in its clubhouse in central London, England. Founded by Sir Evelyn Wrench in 1910 as the Over-Seas Club, it was given a Royal Charter ...

in Park Place, London SW1. Through its charitable trust, it raises money to coach underprivileged children in the skills of

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

. They link up with various organisations such as the

Arundel Castle Arundel Castle is a restored and remodelled medieval castle in Arundel, West Sussex, England. It was established during the reign of Edward the Confessor and completed by Roger de Montgomery. The castle was damaged in the English Civil War a ...

Cricket Foundation to achieve these aims. The Society has a cricket team which plays at a number of venues each season. It also holds monthly meetings for the members in London (as detailed above), Bath,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

and

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

at which invited speakers address the audience. These activities are held to maintain an interest in cricket and both inform and entertain its members and guests through the off-season. The Cricket Society publishes a journal, bi-annually and a regular news bulletin, 8 times per year, for its subscribed membership. The Society commissioned

E.W. Padwick Eric William Padwick (23 January 1923 – 29 March 2010) was a professional bibliographer who compiled the definitive bibliography of cricket literature. He was also Deputy Librarian of the Guildhall Library. The Cricket Society commissioned ...

to compile a comprehensive bibliography of cricket literature under the title ''A Bibliography of Cricket''. The first edition, published in 1977 by the

Library Association The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, since 2017 branded CILIP: The library and information association (pronounced ), is a professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge management, knowle ...

had 8,294 entries. A revised edition, published in 1984, extended this to over 10,000 entries (). A second volume, published in 1991 as ''Padwick's Bibliography of Cricket, Volume 2'', was compiled by Stephen Eley and Peter Griffiths and covers works published between 1980 and 1990 ().

The Cricket Society/MCC Book of the Year

The Cricket Society began naming a book of the year in 1970. Since 2009 the award has been made in partnership with MCC. It carries a prize of £3000, which is presented at an awards evening each spring in the Long Room at

. * 1970: ''"My Dear Victorious Stod": A Biography of A. E. Stoddart'' by

David Frith David Edward John Frith (born 16 March 1937) is a cricket writer and historian. Cricinfo describes him as "an author, historian, and founding editor of ''Wisden Cricket Monthly''". Life and career David Frith was born in Gloucester Place in Lo ...

* 1971: ''Nottinghamshire Cricketers 1821–1914'' by

Peter Wynne-Thomas Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

* 1972: ''Thanks to Cricket'' by J. M. Kilburn * 1973: ''Sort of a Cricket Person'' by E. W. Swanton * 1974: ''The Story of Warwickshire Cricket 1882–1972'' by Leslie Duckworth * 1975: ''

Learie Constantine Learie Nicholas Constantine, Baron Constantine, (21 September 19011 July 1971) was a West Indian cricketer, lawyer and politician who served as Trinidad and Tobago's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and became the UK's first black pe ...

'' by Gerald Howat * 1976: ''On Top Down Under: Australia's Cricket Captains'' by Ray Robinson * 1977: ''Spinner's Yarn'' by

Ian Peebles Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name (Yohanan, ') and corresponding to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in Sc ...

* 1978: ''Sir

Donald Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has bee ...

: A Biography'' by

Irving Rosenwater Irving Rosenwater (11 September 1932 – 30 January 2006) was an English cricket researcher and author whose best-known work was '' Sir Donald Bradman - A Biography'' (1978). Born in the East End of London to jewish parents of Polish origi ...

* 1979: '' The Best Loved Game'' by

Geoffrey Moorhouse Geoffrey Moorhouse, FRGS, FRSL, D.Litt. (29 November 1931 – 26 November 2009) 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 ...

* 1980: ''Barclay's World of Cricket'' by E. W. Swanton and John Woodcock * 1981: '' P. G. H. Fender: A Biography'' by

Richard Streeton Richard Marsh Streeton (4 November 1930 – 30 June 2006) was an English sports journalist, concentrating on cricket. Streeton's father was a manager for HMV and the BBC. Streeton was educated at King's School, Canterbury, before leading a ...

* 1982: ''Phoenix from the Ashes'' by

Mike Brearley John Michael Brearley (born 28 April 1942) is a retired English first-class cricketer who captained Cambridge University, Middlesex, and England. He captained the international side in 31 of his 39 Test matches, winning 18 and losing only 4. ...

* 1983: ''Australian Cricket: The Game and the Players'' by

Jack Pollard Jack Ernest Pollard OAM (31 July 1926 – 25 May 2002) was an Australian sports journalist, writer and cricket historian. Early life Born in Sydney on 31 July 1926, Pollard began his journalism career in 1943 as a copy boy at Sydney's ''Daily ...

* 1984: ''C.B.: The Life of Charles Burgess Fry'' by Clive Ellis * 1985: ''The Art of Captaincy'' by Mike Brearley * 1986: ''

Hedley Verity Hedley Verity (18 May 1905 – 31 July 1943) was a professional cricketer who played for Yorkshire and England between 1930 and 1939. A slow left-arm orthodox bowler, he took 1,956 wickets in first-class cricket at an average of 14.90 ...

: A Portrait of a Cricketer'' by Alan Hill * 1987: ''Pageant of Cricket'' by David Frith * 1988: ''The Players: A Social History of the Professional Cricketer'' by Ric Sissons * 1989: ''A La Recherche du Cricket Perdu'' by

Simon Barnes Simon Barnes is an English journalist. He was Chief Sports Writer of ''The Times'' until 2014, and wrote a wildlife opinion column in the Saturday edition of the same newspaper. He has written three novels. The son of Edward Barnes, a co-cre ...

* 1990: ''History of Indian Cricket'' by

Mihir Bose Mihir Bose (born 12 January 1947) is a British Indian journalist and author. He writes a weekly "Big Sports Interview" for the ''London Evening Standard'', and also writes and broadcasts on sport and social and historical issues for several ou ...

* 1991: ''

Herbert Sutcliffe Herbert Sutcliffe (24 November 1894 – 22 January 1978) was an English professional cricketer who represented Yorkshire and England as an opening batsman. Apart from one match in 1945, his first-class career spanned the period between the tw ...

: Cricket Maestro'' by Alan Hill * 1992: ''England Expects: A Biography of

Ken Barrington Kenneth Frank Barrington (24 November 193014 March 1981), was an English international cricketer who played for the England cricket team and Surrey County Cricket Club in the 1950s and 1960s. He was a right-handed batsman and occasional leg-sp ...

'' by Mark Peel * 1993: ''Beyond Bat & Ball'' by

David Foot David K. Foot is a Canadian economist and demographer. Foot did his undergraduate work at the University of Western Australia and his graduate work in economics at Harvard University, where he was supervised by Martin Feldstein. Following his ...

* 1994: '' Arlott: The Authorised Biography'' by

David Rayvern Allen David Leonard Rayvern Allen (5 February 1938 – 9 October 2014)Michael Dow"David Rayvern Allen obituary" ''The Guardian'', 26 October 2014 was a cricket writer and historian, as well as a radio producer and presenter, a speaker and a musician. Hi ...

* 1995: ''

David Gower David Ivon Gower (born 1 April 1957) is an English cricket commentator and former cricketer who was captain of the England cricket team during the 1980s. Described as one of the most stylish left-handed batsmen of his era, Gower played 117 Te ...

: A Man Out of Time'' by Rob Steen * 1996: ''Bradman: An Australian Hero'' by Charles Williams * 1997: ''The Glory Days of Cricket: The Extraordinary Story of

Broadhalfpenny Down Broadhalfpenny Down (pronounced /ˌbrɔ:dˈheɪpniː/; '' brawd-HAYP-nee'') is a historic cricket ground in Hambledon, Hampshire. It is known as the "Cradle of Cricket" because it was the home venue in the 18th century of the Hambledon Club, b ...

'' by

Ashley Mote Ashley Mote (25 January 1936 – 30 March 2020) was a former Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for South East England from 2004 to 2009. Elected representing the UK Independence Party, he became a non-inscrit one month into his term after ...

* 1998: ''The Chronicle of W. G.'' by J. R. Webber; ''

W. G. Grace William Gilbert Grace (18 July 1848 – 23 October 1915) was an English amateur cricketer who was important in the development of the sport and is widely considered one of its greatest players. He played first-class cricket for a record-equal ...

: A Life'' by

Simon Rae Simon Rae is a British poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates ...

(shared) * 1999: ''The Social History of English Cricket'' by

Derek Birley Sir Derek Birley (31 May 1926 – 14 May 2002) was a distinguished English educationalist and a prize-winning writer on the social history of sport, particularly cricket. Life and career Born in a mining community in West Yorkshire, Birley attend ...

* 2000: ''Mystery Spinner: The Story of

Jack Iverson John Brian Iverson (27 July 1915 – 23 October 1973), was an Australian cricketer who played in five Test cricket, Test matches from 1950 to 1951. He was known for his unique "bent finger" grip, with which he briefly perplexed batsmen across ...

'' by

Gideon Haigh Gideon Clifford Jeffrey Davidson Haigh (born 29 December 1965) is an English-born Australian journalist and non-fiction author who writes about sport (especially cricket), business and crime in Australia. He was born in London, was raised in Ge ...

* 2001: ''At the Heart of English Cricket: The Life and Memories of Geoffrey Howard'' by Stephen Chalke * 2002: ''A Corner of a Foreign Field: The Indian History of a British Sport'' by

Ramachandra Guha Ramachandra "Ram" Guha (born 29 April 1958) is an Indian historian, environmentalist, writer and public intellectual whose research interests include social, political, contemporary, environmental and cricket history, and the field of economics. ...

* 2003: ''The Ross Gregory Story'' by David Frith * 2004: ''Jim: The Life of E. W. Swanton'' by David Rayvern Allen * 2005: ''Red Shirts and Roses'' by

Eric Midwinter Eric Clare Midwinter OBE, (born February 1932) is an English author, broadcaster and academic. He is a consumer advocate, a social policy analyst, a historian of the sport of cricket and an expert on British comedy. Life and career Eric Midw ...

* 2006: ''Cricket's Burning Passion:

Ivo Bligh Ivo is a masculine given name, in use in various European languages. The name used in western European languages originates as a Normannic name recorded since the High Middle Ages, and the French name Yves is a variant of it. The unrelated So ...

and the Story of the Ashes'' by

Scyld Berry Anthony Scyld Ivens Berry, known as Scyld Berry (pronounced "Shild", born 28 April 1954) is an English journalist and cricket correspondent of the ''Daily Telegraph''. He was editor of ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'' from 2008 until 2011. He was ...

and Rupert Peploe * 2007: ''

George Lohmann George Alfred Lohmann (2 June 1865 – 1 December 1901) was an English cricketer, regarded as one of the greatest bowlers of all time. Statistically, he holds the lowest lifetime Test bowling average among bowlers with more than fifteen wicke ...

: Pioneer Professional'' by

Keith Booth Keith Eugene Booth (born October 9, 1974) is an American basketball coach and former National Basketball Association (NBA) player. Booth played college basketball at the University of Maryland from 1993 to 1997. He was an assistant coach at his a ...

* 2008: No award with this date. Before 2008 the award was for books published in the year of the award; after 2008 the award was for books published the previous year. * 2009: ''Life Beyond the Airing Cupboard'' by John Barclay * 2010: ''Of Didcot and the Demon: The Cricketing Times of

Alan Gibson Norman Alan Stewart Gibson (28 May 1923 – 10 April 1997) was an English journalist, writer and radio broadcaster, best known for his work in connection with cricket, though he also sometimes covered football and rugby union. At various times ...

'' by Anthony Gibson * 2011: ''Slipless in Settle'' by Harry Pearson * 2012: ''

Fred Trueman Frederick Sewards Trueman, (6 February 1931 – 1 July 2006) was an English cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and the England cricket team. He had professional status and later became an author and broadcaster. Acknowled ...

: The Authorised Biography'' by Chris Waters * 2013: ''On Warne'' by Gideon Haigh * 2014: ''The Great Tamasha: Cricket, Corruption and the Turbulent Rise of Modern India'' by James Astill * 2015: ''Field of Shadows: The English Cricket Tour of Nazi Germany 1937'' by Dan Waddell * 2016: ''Fire in Babylon'' by

Simon Lister Simon Lister (born London, 1969) is an English author. His first book, ''Supercat'', the authorised biography of the former West Indies captain, Clive Lloyd, was published by Stephen Chalke in 2007. The book was shortlisted for the 2008 British ...

* 2017: ''A Beautiful Game: My Love Affair with Cricket'' by

Mark Nicholas Mark Charles Jefford Nicholas (born 29 September 1957) is an English cricket commentator and former cricketer and broadcaster. He played for Hampshire from 1978 to 1995, captaining them from 1985 to his retirement. Nicholas was born in Westmi ...

* 2018: ''Connie: The Marvellous Life of Learie Constantine'' by Harry Pearson * 2019: ''Steve Smith's Men: Behind Australian Cricket's Fall'' by Geoff Lemon * 2020: ''The Great Romantic: Cricket and the Golden Age of Neville Cardus'' by Duncan Hamilton; ''The Final Innings: The Cricketers of Summer 1939'' by

Christopher Sandford Christopher Sandford (1902–1983) of Eye Manor, Herefordshire, was a book designer, proprietor of the Golden Cockerel Press, a founding director of the Folio Society, and husband of the wood engraver and pioneer Corn dolly revivalist, Lettice San ...

(shared) * 2021: ''The Unforgiven'' by Ashley Gray

Current officers

* President John Barclay * Vice-President

Chris Lowe Christopher Sean Lowe (born 4 October 1959) is an English musician, singer and songwriter, and co-founder of the synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Neil Tennant in 1981. Biography Lowe attended Arnold School, an independent ...

* Vice-President

Charlotte Edwards Charlotte Marie Edwards (born 17 December 1979) is an English former cricketer and current cricket coach and commentator. She played primarily as a right-handed batter. She appeared in 23 Test matches, 191 One Day Internationals and 95 Twenty2 ...

* Vice-President

Vic Marks Victor James Marks (born 25 June 1955) is an English sports journalist and former professional cricketer. An off spin bowler, Marks played in six Test matches and thirty four One Day Internationals for England. His entire county cricket car ...

* Vice-President

Sir Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English lyricist and author. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ' ...

* Vice-President

Derek Underwood Derek Leslie Underwood (born 8 June 1945) is an English former international cricketer, and a former President of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). Through much of his career, Underwood was regarded as one of the best bowlers in Test cricket ...

Executive committee

* Chairman Nigel Hancock * Vice Chairman Phil Reeves * Secretary Geoffrey Levett * Treasurer Phil Reeves * Membership Secretary Matthew Stevenson * Peter Hardy * Nick Tudball * Derek Barnard * Barry Kitcherside * Rafaelle Nicholson

Presidents since 1945

• 1945-1946 F. A. Mackinnon, The Mackinnon of Mackinnon
• 1947-1959

Hubert Preston Hubert Preston (16 December 1868 – 6 August 1960) was a journalist and writer who was editor of ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'' for eight years from the 1944 edition to the 1951 edition. He contributed to 51 editions of the Almanack, and was the ...

• 1960-1961

H. S. Altham Harry Surtees Altham (30 November 1888 – 11 March 1965) was an English cricketer who became an important figure in the game as an administrator, historian and coach. His ''Wisden'' obituary described him as "among the best known personalities ...

• 1961-1962 Lord Birkett
• 1963-1968

A. A. Thomson Arthur Alexander Thomson, (7 April 1894 at Harrogate, Yorkshire – 2 June 1968 near Lord's in London) was an English writer best known for his books on cricket, for which he used the byline A. A. Thomson. He wrote nearly 60 books in all, inclu ...

• 1969-1973 Lt-Gen Sir Oliver Leese
• 1974-1975 A. M. Crawley
• 1976-1983 E. W. Swanton
• 1983-1998 G. H. G. Doggart
• 1998-2008 C. D. A. Martin-Jenkins
• 2008-onwards J. R. T. Barclay

Chairs since 1945

• 1945-1946 A. Weigall
• 1946-1947 Capt. J. A. Bayliss
• 1947-1953 G. A. Copinger
• 1953-1960 A. R. Whitaker
• 1960-1965 Dr R. W. Cockshut
• 1965-1966 L. E. S. Gutteridge
• 1966-1983 C. C. W. Box-Grainger
• 1983-1992 R. N. Haygarth
• 1992-2003 D. Allsop
• 2003-2008 W. R. Allen
• 2008 I. R. Jackson
• 2008-2012 D. E. Barnard
• 2012 onwards Nigel Hancock

References

External links

The Cricket Society web siteCricket Society cricket team
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cricket Society Cricket historians and writers Clubs and societies in London Sports writing awards