An outstanding cricket biography

By Mike Latham

Every so often a cricket book pops through your door that takes your breath away.

‘Lives in Cricket, Bill Bestwick, Rough Diamond’ is such a book.

It is not lavishly printed or produced- but it has the advantages, often ignored, of a highly readable font and some outstanding images.

And its 216 pages inside a softback cover draw you in with the quality of the research and writing that the author Mick Pope has applied to his task.

Bestwick ranks high stats-wise among Derbyshire’s elite, the bare facts showing 1,452 wickets at an average of just over 21, first played 1898, last played 1925.

Les Jackson (1,670 wickets at 17.11), Cliff Gladwin (1,536 at 17.67) and Tommy Mitchell (1,417 at 20.20) feature alongside Bestwick in the county’s top four career bowlers.

All four had one thing in common, as Pope explains, as they emerged from the mines. ‘All four knew the filth, the danger and the darkness of the pit, but this special quartet also knew the joy of ‘honest toil’ on a long summer day in pursuit of wickets,’ he writes.

Bill Bestwick, Rough Diamond

Born at Heanor, Bestwick was a right arm medium-fast bowler ‘who must rank as one of Derbyshire’s most colourful and controversial characters,’ Pope states.

But he was a flawed genius, and Pope’s thorough examination of this side of his character makes the book compelling reading.

‘His intemperance was as prolific as his wicket-taking and his almost insatiable thirst brought him trouble both on and off the field of play.’

Bestwick was acquitted of a manslaughter charge in 1907 following a violent late-night fight with a fellow collier, a sequence of events, including the subsequent trial that Pope outlines in detail.

He was sacked by Derbyshire in 1909, the county ‘weary of his heavy drinking and unruly behaviour.’

Migrating to South Wales, he played club cricket for Neath, a few games for Glamorgan, before returning to the Derbyshire ranks after the first world war, finally retiring at the age of fifty.

In June 1921 he became the first Derbyshire bowler to take all ten wickets in an innings, ironically against Glamorgan at Cardiff, this after a heavy night on the beer with his old mates from South Wales.

He later turned to umpiring, standing in three Test matches, until his death in 1938.

Pope’s writing style is engaging and flowing, his research impeccable. This is not a dry book of facts, events and statistics, for he manages to interweave all the elements that make up a quality biography.

He does not judge Bestwick but presents the facts in such a way the reader can decide for themselves. He does not claim any false idolatry, nor condemn.

Racecourse Ground, Derby before redevelopment

Having seen cricket at Heanor, Bestwick’s hometown, at the Racecourse Ground at Derby before redevelopment- when it must have looked similar to when in Bestwick’s day, at Nelson- where he was sacked as their professional for behavioural issues, at Neath and other significant places among Bestwick’s journey, like Chesterfield and Glossop made the book come alive to me.

Published by ACS Publications, it costs £16 and is part of their Lives in Cricket series: https://shop.acscricket.com/?product_cat=lives-in-cricket

Nearly 40 years ago Robert Brooke wrote a quite brilliant book that was published by the ACS. ‘John Edward Shilton’s Book- Triumphs & Disasters of a Warwickshire Cricketer.'

John Edward Shilton’s Book- outstanding

A modestly produced 64-page booklet but the quality of research- especially in pre-internet days- is quite remarkable. Up until now, I’d say that was the best cricket biography I’d read. Now, I would say that Mick Pope captures the spirit and quality of Brooke and as technology has moved on in the past 37 years his book reflects that progress.

As a county, Derbyshire has had some outstanding writers, statisticians and historians chronicling its heritage- Mick Pope pays tribute to two of them, John Shawcroft and David Baggett in his acknowledgements.

John Shawcroft’s epic work

If you have not seen it, Shawcroft’s epic publication ‘A Celebration of Derbyshire County Cricket Club’ a 150-year anniversary, published by the club in 2020 is simply superb.

David Baggett’s contribution as a statistician has added so much.

I would also add three people to that list.

The venerable Frank Peach produced a series of outstanding county year books over a long period from the 1960s to the 1980s. They set the standard with meticulous research and engaging text, not least some beautifully-written and sympathetic tributes by Michael Carey, warts and all, to departing players.

Steve Dolman wrote an ACS produced book about another Derbyshire stalwart, Edwin Smith, then followed up with another outstanding book ‘In Their Own Words’ with interviews with some of Derbyshire’s leading players. Steve, exiled in Scotland, is the man behind the highly readable and informative county blog, Peakfan.

It was through Steve's blog that I found about the Bestwick book.

Just as important as the words, in my opinion, are the images. And for many years now Derbyshire are fortunate to have David Griffin following their fortunes as club photographer. 

Finally, a massive well done to the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians, who have contributed so much to the game since its formation, not least in producing this wonderful book.