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Pushing the Boundaries: Cricket in the Eighties

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Pushing the Boundaries: Cricket in the Eighties

By: Derek Pringle
Narrated by: Stuart Nurse
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About this listen

 The inside story of one of English cricket most tumultuous periods.

The Eighties was a colourful period in English cricket. As a member of the most successful team in Essex's history and an England side capable of extraordinary highs and lows, Derek Pringle was lucky enough to be in the thick of it. Now, with the perspective of more than twenty years as a journalist, he lays bare the realities of life as a professional cricketer in a decade when the game was dominated by a cast of unforgettable characters, whose exploits became front-page news.

Picked for the Test side while still an ear stud-wearing student at Cambridge, he was as surprised as anybody to find himself playing alongside the likes of David Gower, Allan Lamb and Phil Edmonds. He also had to contend with being hailed as the new Ian Botham, even though the old one was still going strong - and playing in the same team.

For England, it was a time of mixed fortunes, as Ashes victories alternated with humiliation by a dominant West Indies. The chop-and-change policy of the selectors - culminating in the summer of four captains in 1988 - made cricket such an insecure profession that some players chose to go on rebel tours of South Africa, while others relished every opportunity the game provided - on and off the field.

The hard slog of domestic cricket, meanwhile, had never seen so much talent, with counties boasting overseas players like Viv Richards, Malcolm Marshall and Javed Miandad. A coach-free zone, it was left in the hands of canny old pros such as Keith Fletcher and John Lever, who guided Essex to multiple Championship and one-day successes.

But cricket was changing, and not necessarily for the better. By the end of the decade, as the new coaching culture established itself, it became clear that the days of the maverick cricketer were numbered. Few players ended the Eighties wealthy, but as Derek Pringle's eye-opening memoir reveals, all left rich in experience, with enough stories to last a lifetime.

(P)2018 Hodder & Stoughton Limited Cricket Sports

Critic reviews

Pringle's tale is both a love letter to the greatest player of his generation, Sir Ian Botham and an engaging romp in which cricket only plays a walk-on part. That despite the author's playing record that included 30 Tests, 44 ODIs, six County Championships with Essex and a World Cup final, a CV that most would be proud to take to the grave.
A fascinating and hilarious read. Like Chris Lewis, Andrew Flintoff, Ben Stokes and many more [Pringle] was originally hailed as the new Botham, before winding up as a very junior version. In his storytelling though, he might just have the edge on the great man.
Anecdotes are funny, original and astounding, often all three...He [Pringle] has delivered with interest on his promise to avoid a bog-standard, self-serving work; if he pushed boundaries in his career he has flattened them completely with this honest addition to cricket literature.
As Pringle spent the decade as [Ian] Botham's understudy ... it makes for a fascinating and hilarious read.
Former England Test bowler's eye-popping and hilarious account of cricket in the 80s is as doused as a sherry trifle.
A feast of anecdotes
All stars
Most relevant
I listened to this one every day on my way to work. Its absolutely a must for any cricket lover who was around in the 80s

Brilliantly written and a great insight.

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Very good book. Derek Pringle walks through the times of the eighties in cricket. Fascinating

Derek Pringle Maverick

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Entertaining funny and incisive account of English crickets truly bizarre decade that was the eighties

Tells the background and stories of 80s cricket

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A very enjoyable and fascinating memoir, full of great stories and insightful detail. Pringle nimbly treads a fine line between his insider knowledge of behind-the-scenes antics and the detailed analysis of key moments in the matches. Whenever the book looks like slipping into another anecdote about the staggering amount of drinking on tour, Pringle takes us to an intriguing bit of TCCB politics or provides, sometimes in just a few words, another fine character sketch to bring the players to life: lengthy insights into the likes of Botham, Richards or Gower, or a simple telling detail like the condition of Chris Tavare’s pyjamas; the book is packed with vivid detail. Stuart Nurse’s well-paced and engaging narration neatly balances the humour and enjoyable impressions of the players (Gooch, Border, etc) whilst deftly managing to make complete sense of the occasionally rather complex technical detail. A really enjoyable listen.

Fascinating memoir, excellent narration

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Surprisingly revealing and enjoyable book for someone who always appeared very guarded. Would highly recommend.

Surprising

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