Rating: 5/5
Review:
Brilliant
Rain Men is brilliant. It is genuinely hilariously funny and also
captures the spirit of amateur cricket perfectly.
Now well over 20
years old, this remains one of my favourite books about cricket. It
is the true tale of Berkmann’s amateur cricket team who are
untalented but enthusiastic, with many reflections on aspects of
cricket and the people involved in it and devoted to it. I think you
do need to be of a certain age to fully appreciate many of the
references – the brilliant description of Jim Laker’s commentary
or the question “What is the point of Jack Bannister?” for
example – but anyone who has played or loved the game at any level
will identify with this book and find it extremely entertaining.
This passage from the beginning of Chapter One gives a flavour:
“Non-believers
cannot understand how anyone could allow themselves to fall under the
spell of a game, and such an intrinsically silly one at that. Their
sneers and contempt, not to mention their endless satirical use of
the phrase ‘bowling a maiden over’, can undermine the most robust
of personalities. What they don’t understand is that we know it’s
stupid, but England are 84 for 4, for Christ’s sake. Which,
needless to say, answers all their questions in full.”
The whole thing is a
joy. I laughed out loud very regularly and literally cried with
laughter a few times. It’s also knowledgeable, insightful and
rather touching in places. If you have any interest in cricket, I
can recommend Rain Men very warmly indeed.
(Oh, and if I ever
meet Marcus Berkmann, I shall have just three words to say to him:
Little Harry Pilling.)
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