Bill Edrich

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What to expect

Bloomsbury presents Bill Edrich by Leo McKinstry, read by John Sackville.

CRICKET LEGEND. WARTIME HERO. FOOTBALL STAR. WILD MAN.

'A triumph. Leo McKinstry superbly draws together the many strands of a fascinating but flawed figure' – LAWRENCE BOOTH, WISDEN

'Bill Edrich shines through these pages. A wonderful book that needed to be written' – HENRY BLOFELD, OBE

'McKinstry’s biography will fascinate cricket lovers' – THE TIMES

Bill Edrich's story is one of cricket victories, explosive controversies, wartime glory and a life lived to the fullest.

571 first-class matches from 1934 to 1958. 36,965 runs. 29th on all-time lists. 86 centuries. 479 wickets. Bill Edrich was one of the biggest cricket stars of his time along with Denis Compton and Len Hutton. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1940 and played football for Norwich City and Tottenham Hotspur during the 1930s.

In the first biography for 30 years, award-winning writer Leo McKinstry recounts Edrich's audacity both as a cricketer and an RAF pilot. Edrich’s flying prowess brought him a promotion to Squadron Leader and won him the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) after his part in a courageous daylight raid over Cologne in August 1941.

The same action-filled intensity applied to his turbulent private life. A man of keen amorous enthusiasms, he was married five times but rarely allowed his ardour to be inhibited by any wedding vows. Equally unrestrained was his fondness for alcohol and partying, though this trait brought him into conflict with both the cricket and the judicial authorities. After one particularly exuberant display of intoxication during a home Test match, he even lost his place in the England team, only to return for the famous Ashes triumph of 1953.

A history of cricket victories, explosive controversies, wartime glory and a life lived to the fullest, this compelling biography reveals the story of one of cricketing’s greatest characters.

Critics Review

A fascinating story ... Great research, beautifully written and I loved it.
Sir Geoffrey Boycott
Bill Edrich shines through these pages ... a wonderful book that needed to be written.
Henry Blofeld, former 'Test Match Special' commentator
It's Bill Edrich to a T. An excellent book, no doubt about that.
Dickie Bird, English former cricketer and international cricket umpire
What an extraordinary life. What an extraordinary man. In Leo McKinstry, Edrich has the biographer his remarkable story deserves.
Richard Whitehead, former deputy books editor, 'The Times'
A triumph. Leo McKinstry superbly draws together the many strands of a fascinating but flawed figure.
Lawrence Booth, 'Wisden' editor
McKinstry’s biography will fascinate cricket lovers.
The Times
this is a must-get
RAF News
Entertaining. McKinstry is a sporting and political biographer highly attuned to historical atmosphere ... Edrich is proof that greatness in sport and life are very different things.
New Statesman
This meticulously researched biography reveals the man behind the controversy in glorious detail. An exquisite read.
The Sun
An eye-popping biography.
Daily Mail
I was fascinated by this colourful life lived at breakneck speed in colourful times ... it’s a page-turner!
Sunday Express
Brilliant
Daily Express
An entertaining and deftly told account of a popular, but wayward, flawed character.
Country Life
a subtle writer with a deep understanding of the era in which [Edrich] lived
The Telegraph
This portrait of a gifted and not particularly pleasant man adds another feather to his hat.
The Critic
a lively read
The Cricketer
Forget Andrew Flintoff’s tipsy excursion on a pedalo, or Kevin Pietersen’s disloyal text messages. Bill Edrich puts them all in the shade.
Wisden
Written in a pacy style, the author takes us through the highs and lows of a multi-faceted and colourful life of an RAF hero and England cricketing great. An entertaining read.
Aviation News
written in a pacey style ... An entertaining read.
Britain at War
[a] must-read… a well-researched account of a remarkable life.
Financial Times
A lively record of Edrich’s life… ideal Christmas present.
Aeroplane
[one] of the very best cricket books of the year
The Cricketer
Top Book of 2024
The Cricketer
[a] perceptive commentary on how cricket and Edrich’s career and status reflected the social norms of wider society. … McKinstry also handles Edrich’s wartime career and its likely impact on his behaviour and personality with sensitivity … The picture of Edrich that emerges from McKinstry’s well-written and engaging biography is of man of mercurial and exuberant temperament who was indomitable when at the crease.
The Arbuturian

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