Half-Time: The Glorious Summer of 1934

(Paperback)

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Description

Set against the backdrop of depression-era politics, 1934 was an annus mirabilis for English sport. Within just a few days of each other, Hedley Verity, Henry Cotton and Fred Perry all triumphed in their field. To a sporting audience still groaning through the quagmire left by the Great Depression, greedy for inspiring distractions, these heroic efforts made for a heady spectacle. Englands Ashes Test victory at Lords (later known as Veritys match) saw Australia seeking revenge after the Bodyline series of 193233, but Verity bowled England to a famous innings victory, taking 15 wickets 14 in one day! That same day, Cotton set out on the first qualifying round of the British Open. He went on to set a new Open record with a game so sparkling the Daily Express called it the best round of golf ever played. And within a fortnight, Perry had beaten Australias Jack Crawford in the Wimbledon final. England had an extraordinary national hat-trick. Together, these three contests and these three singular life stories weave a vivid portrait of an England that has faded from view. Half-Time celebrates a time of intense and rapid social and cultural change, a time that was both the last hurrah of the ancien regime and the stirring of something new. And moving through it, famous actors on a grand stage, are three very English heroes.

Reviews

This is an astonishingly good book * Country Life *
Superb * The Oldie *
Winder more than delivers on the mission statement of his publisher, Wisden Sports Writing, to produce books that transcend individual sports and say something about life * Daily Telegraph *
A splendidly evocative book * The Financial Times *
A splendid account of a faded England, told through three national heroes at a fascinating moment of change between the wars * All Out Cricket *

Author Bio

Robert Winder was Literary Editor of the Independent and Deputy Editor of Granta. He is the author of several books including Hell for Leather: A Modern Cricket Journey and Bloody Foreigners: The Story of Immigration to Britain, and a team member of the Gaieties Cricket Club, whose chairman was the late Harold Pinter. His most recent book is The Little Wonder: The remarkable history of Wisden.