New book on Somerset cricketers looks destined to be a sell out

The new season has bought the usual clutch of new cricket books, but this year there is one that will be of particular interest to all Somerset supporters.

Local author Eddie Lawrence has just published a book that contains the career details of every single cricketer to have played for Somerset since they became a first class county in 1891.

At the last count 540 players have donned the Somerset colours during their long history, and their playing records are all listed in this book, along with the photographs of all but a handful of them.

Mr Lawrence, who lives at Langford Budville near Wellington, is no stranger to the Somerset cricket scene, having already published several books including the Photographic History of Somerset CCC, One Hundred Greats of Somerset CCC, Fifty Classic Matches, and is currently working on a similar entitled Somerset CCC Fifty Classic One Day Matches.

However this is the first book of it's kind to be published by any first class county that contains both the playing and a photographic record, and looks set to become something of a collectors item.

The hardback A4 sized book runs to over 250 pages and is handsomely bound in the maroon colours of the county, and sports a dustjacket designed by well known local artist Mike Tarr depicting some of the Somerset greats.

But it is not just the greats who appear within the pages. Of course the feats of Bill Alley , Ian Botham, Harold Gimblett and Viv Richards are documented within, but the book also contains the records and pictures of those lesser known players.

Wyndham Thomas who played in 1928 and Arthur Ricketts who in played in 1936 both have a claim to fame in the record books. They are the only two players who on their single solitary appearance for the county neither batted, bowled nor took a catch.

In more recent years Richard Sladdin also played just once for the county, and he neither batted nor bowled but he did take a catch!

The book, which is the culmination of many long hours spent researching and trying to locate photographs of every player has caused something of a headache for the author.

He told me: "It's been pretty hard work but a most enjoyable experience gathering all of the information and pictures together. One of the most difficult photographs to obtain was that of R.C.Peters who played just once in 1946. Peters was a policeman and eventually the Chief Constable Of Avon and Somerset Police Force came to my rescue with a photograph!"

The book, that has been published in a limited edition of 500 copies, each of which will be numbered and signed by the author, has already sold nearly 400 copies and looks destined to be a sell out.

All of the proceeds from the sale of the publication, which costs £30, will go towards improving the facilities within the Somerset Cricket Museum, and anyone wishing to purchase a copy, or any subscriber who is able to collect their book should make contact with the curator Tony Stedall, telephone number 01823 275893.