Guest Review: All Wickets Great and Small by John Fuller

Nowt stops for cricket in Yorkshire. Passion runs deep, beyond those in whites, to the groundsmen, tea ladies, scorers and umpires who embody the game. All Wickets Great and Small is a romp across the landscape of amateur cricket in Yorkshire during the summer of 2015. Author John Fuller looks at the key issues affecting the grassroots game: the struggles to attract players, funding shortages, natural disasters and the social dynamics that can threaten a captain's eleven on a Saturday. What shape is the grassroots game in and can it still survive and thrive? From vicars and imams socking sixes in Dewsbury to heritage clubs hitting social media out of the park, this is the story of sleeves-rolled-up cricket at its best in the county that locals call 'God's own'.

Review: This book is a testimony to club cricket at grass roots level in Yorkshire. The author, sports journalist John Fuller, decided to make a pilgrimage to various club grounds in a number of regions of Yorkshire over the course of one summer to identify what makes cricket in Yorkshire tick at grass roots level.

His love of the game shines through, as does his affection for the various grounds visited and the characters at the heart of the clubs who give so much of their free time to ensure the clubs can continue to survive and flourish. However, the book is not just about cricket. There are observations about the public transport system and the Royal Mail, among other things, all infused with the author's wry humour.

Having played cricket at a number of the grounds mentioned, I found the book a very interesting and humorous read.

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