Description
Melbourne Books The Grade Cricketer by Sam Perry
The Grade Cricketer is without doubt the most original voice in cricket. Over the past four years this everyman cricketer has successfully captured the rich humour and absurdities of club cricket in just 140 characters or less with some 40000 Twitter followers feasting on his every word.An expert on everything to do with the game (except scoring runs and taking wickets) his observations on amateur sport carry frightening levels of realtalk. He is crickets answer to Socrates a modernday philosopher in whites. But while many have urged him to reveal his identity The Grade Cricketer has been content to share his wisdom through his anonymous Twitter account (often while seated on the toilet at work). Until now. This is unlike any cricket book youve seen before. In fact its the type of autobiography you wish professional cricketers had the confidence to write. Its vulnerable. Its selfdeprecating. Its hilarious. If Tom Wolfe turned his hand to cricket fiction it might look something like this. This onetime junior prodigy is experiencing the lean increasingly existential years of adult cricket. Here he learns quickly that one will need more than just runs and wickets to make it in the alphadominated grade cricket jungle where blokes like Nuggsy Bruiser Deeks and Robbo reign supreme. Through it all The Grade Cricketer lays bare his deepest insecurities his complex relationship with Dad his fleeting romances outside the cricket club his numerous attempts at reinvention and in turn we witness a gentle maturation; a slow realisation that perhaps just maybe there is more to life than hitting 50 not out in third grade and consuming alcohol afterwards.The Grade Cricketer provides a lighthearted looking glass into the rhythms of an adult sporting dressingroom. If youve ever wanted to know why someone you love is intent on spending their weekends on a cricketfield this book will give you those answers.show more