The Cricket Society/MCC Book of the Year

2024 Winner: Simon Wilde – The Tour: The Story of the England Cricket Team Overseas 1877-2022

The competition run by The Cricket Society since 1970 and in partnership with the MCC since 2009, is for cricketing books nominated by Members and is highly regarded by writers and publishers.  It carries a prize of £3000, which is presented at an awards evening each spring in the Long Room at Lord's.

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Past Winners

2023 Nicholas Brookes - An Island's Eleven

2022 - David Woodhouse - Who Only Cricket Know

2021 - Ashley Gray - The Unforgiven Mercenaries or Missionaries?

2020 Joint Winners - Duncan Hamilton - 'The Great Romantic' & Christopher Sandford - 'The Final Innings'

2019 - Steve Smith’s Men: Behind Australian Cricket’s Fall by Geoff Lemon 

2018 - Connie: The Marvellous Life of Learie Constantine by Harry Pearson 

2017 - A Beautiful Game; My Love Affair with Cricket by Mark Nicholas 

2016 - Fire in Babylon by Simon Lister

2015 - Field of Shadows : The English Cricket Tour of Nazi Germany 1937 by Dan Waddell

2014 - The Great Tamasha : Cricket, Corruption and The Turbulent Rise of Modern India by James Astill

2013 - On Warne by Gideon Haigh

2012 - Fred Trueman, the authorised biography by Chris Waters

2011 - Slipless in Settle by Harry Pearson

2010 - Didcot and the Demon by Anthony Gibson

2009 - Life Beyond the Airing Cupboard by John Barclay

[Recording practice changed with the 2009 Award which was for books published in 2008]

2007 - George Lohmann - Pioneer Professional  by Keith Booth

2006 - Cricket's Burning Passion, Ivo Bligh and the Story of the Ashes by Scyld Berry and Rupert Peploe 

2005 - Red Shirts and Roses by Eric Midwinter

2004 - Jim: The Life of E.W. Swanton by David Rayvern Allen

2003 - The Ross Gregory Story by David Frith

2002 - A Corner of a Foreign Field:  The Indian History of a British Sport by Ramachandra Guha

2001 - At the Heart of English Cricket: The Life and Memories of Geoffrey Howard by Stephen Chalke

2000 - Mystery Spinner: The Story of Jack Iverson by Gideon Haigh

1999 - The Social History of English Cricket by Sir Derek Birley

1998 - W.G.Grace : A Life by Simon Rae

Past Winners (continued)

1998 - The Chronicle of W.G. by J R Webber

1997 - The Glory Days of Cricket: The Extraordinary Story of Broadhalfpenny Down by Ashley Mote

1996 - Bradman: An Australian Hero by Charles Williams

1995 - David Gower: A Man Out of Time by Rob Steen

1994 - Arlott: The Authorised Biography by David Rayvern Allen

1993 - Beyond Bat and Ball by David Foot

1992 - England Expects: A Biography of Ken Barrington by Mark Peel

1991 - Herbert Sutcliffe: Cricket Maestro by Alan Hill

1990 - History of Indian Cricket by Mihir Bose

1989  - A La Recherche du Cricket Perdu by Simon Barnes

1988 - The Players: A Social History of the Professional Cricketer by Ric Sissons

1987 - Pageant of Cricket by David Frith

1986 - Hedley Verity: A Portrait of a Cricketer by Alan Hill

1985 - The Art of Captaincy by Mike Brearley

1984 - C.B.: The Life of Charles Burgess Fry by Clive Ellis

1983 - Australian Cricket: The Game and the Players by Jack Pollard

1982 - Phoenix from the Ashes by Mike Brearley

1981 - P.G.H.Fender: A Biography by Richard Streeton

1980 - Barclay's World of Cricket by E W Swanton and John Woodcock

1979 - The Best Loved Game by Geoffrey Moorhouse

1978 - Sir Donald Bradman: A Biography by Irving Rosenwater

1977 - Spinner's Yarn by Ian Peebles

1976 - On Top Down Under: Australia's Cricket Captains by Ray Robinson

1975 - Learie Constantine by Gerald Howat

1974 - The Story of Warwickshire Cricket - 1882-1972 by Leslie Duckworth

1973 - Sort of a Cricket Person by E W Swanton

1972 - Thanks to Cricket by J M Kilburn

1971 - Nottinghamshire Cricketers 1821-1914 by Peter Wynne-Thomas

1970 - My Dear Victorious Stod: A Biography of A.E. Stoddart by David Frith

All paintings and Illustrations featured are reproduced by kind permission of Christina Pierce - Cricket Artist. www.christinapierce.com
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