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An evening Taylor-made for cricket fans in Norfolk!

Norfolk Cricket Society is delighted to invite cricket enthusiasts to a special evening with former England international cricketer James Taylor on Thursday 26th March. This unique event offers a rare opportunity to hear first-hand from one of England’s most talented modern batsmen as he reflects on his cricketing journey, the highs and challenges of professional sport, and the heart condition that brought his playing career to an unexpected early end.

James Taylor

James Taylor was widely regarded as one of the most technically gifted batsmen of his generation. His professional career began with Leicestershire, where his exceptional batting talent became clear from a young age. He later moved to Nottinghamshire, where he continued to develop into one of the most reliable and stylish batsmen on the county circuit. His consistent performances earned him international recognition, and he made his ODI debut for England in 2011 and Test debut versus South Africa in 2012.

Across his international appearances in Test cricket (7) and One Day Internationals (27), he earned a reputation as a player who combined grit with elegance at the crease. However, in April 2016, at the age of just 26 and at the peak of his career, he was forced to retire from professional cricket after being diagnosed with a serious heart condition.  

Former Horsford CC & Norfolk CCC batter Will Jefferson and James Taylor

During the evening, James will speak openly about receiving this diagnosis, the difficult decision to step away from the sport he loved, and how he adapted to life after professional cricket. His story is not only about cricketing success but also about resilience, perspective, and the importance of health and wellbeing.

There will also be a question-and-answer session, giving audience members the chance to put their own questions directly to James. Whether you want to ask about his experiences playing international cricket, or how he navigated such a sudden career change, this is a rare opportunity to engage with a former England player.

The event starts at 7pm at Horsford Cricket Club. Entrance for non-members is £7, cash payable on the door.

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Simon Hughes – analysed!

A veritable man for all seasons kept an appreciative audience royally entertained as Norfolk Cricket Society’s first guest speaker of 2026 on Thursday 26 February.

Since making his first-class debut in 1980, Simon Hughes has been a hardy perennial of the cricketing world at home and abroad, collecting multiple honours on and off the field as a fast-medium bowler for Middlesex and Durham, as an award-winning author and journalist, and as “The Analyst” on Channel 4’s innovative Test match coverage, before reprising the role on his Inside Cricket podcast with Simon Mann.

He told a packed room at Manor Park about blissful summers spent at Canterbury in the 1970s, watching the all-conquering Kent side, full of top internationals, before embarking on his own professional career at Lord’s.

Hughes entered a Middlesex dressing room full of star names and diverse characters, including captain Mike Brearley, Mike Gatting, Roland Butcher, Philippe Edmonds and Wayne Daniel, and in later years Phil Tufnell and Angus Fraser.

He described his first experience of bowling to Geoffrey Boycott, dismissing him only to hear the call of “no-ball”, and the ordeal of facing the blistering pace of West Indians such as Malcolm Marshall and Sylvester Clarke as a quaking tail-end batsman.

Hughes won a string of trophies in 12 seasons with Middlesex under Brearley and Gatting, including four County Championship titles, and enjoyed a benefit year in 1991 before spending his final two seasons on the county circuit with Durham on their entry into first-class cricket.

This involved playing, as well as drinking and dining with the one and only Ian Botham, an exhilarating, exhausting and expensive business.

Hughes rated Boycott, Botham and Shane Warne as three prime examples of the unshakeable self-belief needed to succeed in cricket at the highest level. Hughes and Warne never faced each other on the field, but the great leg-spinner often discussed his game with The Analyst during his broadcasting days, notably in the unforgettable 2005 Ashes series.

The disappearance of live Test cricket from terrestrial TV after the 2005 Ashes was a cause of deep regret for Hughes, who regarded it as a lost opportunity to build on the fresh public interest generated by the series and promote the game, with only a third of the population able to access today’s satellite coverage.

He believes the current standard of TV cricket commentary is the worst for years with notable exceptions such as Michael Atherton, Nasser Hussain and the man he regards as the best of the broadcasters, New Zealander Ian Smith.

Hughes responded to an audience question about reverse swing bowling with a scientific explanation of the art, which he said had been around long before Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram perfected it in the early 1990s, but was not known by the name. He once spent a day investigating the phenomenon of swing bowling in a wind tunnel at Bath University’s aerodynamics department and produced a detailed report of his findings.

It was an evening that went with a swing in every sense.

Words by David Cuffley

Photos by Adam Pryke

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Look Hughes talking! The Analyst is our first guest speaker of 2026

Norfolk Cricket Society is delighted to announce that our guest speaker on Thursday 26 February 2026 will be the renowned broadcaster, author and former cricketer Simon Hughes.

PLEASE NOTE, THIS EVENT STARTS AT 6.45PM

Simon represented Middlesex for 12 seasons – winning four Championship titles – before later joining Durham during the formative years of their rise in first-class cricket. In total he played 205 first class matches, taking 466 wickets.  

Following retirement from professional cricket, Simon moved seamlessly into broadcasting and writing. He worked on Channel 4’s ground-breaking cricket coverage from 1999 to 2005 – becoming known as The Analyst for which he won a BAFTA and a Royal Television Society award – before moving on to Cricket on 5 and commentating alongside Geoffrey Boycott. He has continued to work in TV and radio, and his podcast The Analyst Inside Cricket, is one of the most popular independent sports shows in the UK.

Simon is also an accomplished author, having written several acclaimed cricket books that blend memoir, history and sharp observation. In 1997 he won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year for the autobiographical ‘A Lot of Hard Yakka.’

Guests attending the Norfolk Cricket Society event can look forward to an evening rich in anecdote, insight and reflection. Simon is known as an engaging speaker who combines humour with thoughtful commentary, drawing on years of experience as both a player and observer of the game. From tales of county and international cricket to broader reflections on how the sport has changed — and what has remained timeless — his talk promises to appeal to serious students of cricket and casual fans alike.

Entrance for non-members is £7, cash payable on the door.

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Richard Whitehead – Victory in Australia

On Thursday 27 November 2025 our speaker was Richard Whitehead, whose topic was the Ashes tour of 1954/55. He has just published a book on this tour, entitled Victory in Australia. The Remarkable Story of England’s Greatest Ashes Triumph 1954-55. He was accompanied by David Woodhouse, the author of Who Only Cricket Know: Hutton’s Men in the West Indies 1953/54. They did not present a formal question-and-answer session but rather a conversation, led by Richard with David chipping in at appropriate times. This format worked extremely well.

The subject was presented in a well-structured fashion. Richard began by discussing the issue of the captaincy, describing how the MCC hierarchy were keen to replace Len Hutton, then England’s skipper but a professional, with David Sheppard, an amateur with impeccable credentials. However, their plan failed to come to fruition and Hutton remained in post. Richard then described how the omission of Fred Trueman from the touring squad was greeted with hostility from some sources and pointed out that the largely forgotten Jim McConnon was selected as an off-spinner ahead of Jim Laker.

Richard then dealt with the Tests in order. He pointed out that Hutton made a very poor decision by going into the first Test with no spinner and putting the Australians into bat: the hosts totalled 601 for eight before declaring and won by an innings and 154 runs. He then described how the quick bowling of Frank Tyson (famously) and Brian Statham, and the batting of the young amateurs, Peter May and Colin Cowdrey, enabled the tourists to turn the series around and win by a margin of three Tests to one. Richard justified his choice of subtitle for his book, providing evidence that this was indeed ‘England’s Greatest Ashes Triumph’.

Hutton came in for more criticism for his handling of Alec Bedser. The latter had been England’s finest bowler since the War and was expecting to play in the second Test. He only learned of his omission when he read the team-sheet posted in the dressing room immediately before the match. Richard justifiably described this as a very poor piece of man-management by Hutton, whose somewhat eccentric behaviour during the tour clearly indicated that he felt under considerable pressure.

Tailoring his presentation to his location, Richard discussed the involvement in the tour of Bill Edrich, a ‘bad boy’ whose fighting, if not his drinking, qualities apparently endeared himself to Hutton.

Richard Whitehead and David Woodhouse

Questions were then taken. It is an indication of the interest generated that these were many in number and detailed in nature. Richard answered these questions in a most knowledgeable fashion, and it was apparent that he had researched this tour in a most exhaustive and praiseworthy fashion. David’s book was a multi-award-winner and, if there’s any justice, Richard’s work will be similarly lauded.

All-in-all this was one of the most memorable evenings that the Norfolk Cricket Society has hosted for many a long year.

Words by Stephen Musk

Photos by Pete Golland

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Victory in Australia – an epic Ashes series retold

Norfolk Cricket Society is looking forward to welcoming Richard Whitehead as our guest speaker on Thursday 27th November. Richard will be joining us to discuss his new book ‘Victory in Australia: The Remarkable Story of England’s Greatest Ashes Triumph 1954‑55’  

PLEASE NOTE, THIS EVENT STARTS AT 7PM

Richard Whitehead

‘Victory in Australia’ is the definitive account of the epic 1954-55 Ashes, a series which marked a watershed moment in the history of English cricket. Under the leadership of Len Hutton, one of the finest group of players to represent England won a series in Australia for the first time in more than 20 years.

It is a feat that has been repeated only four times in more than 70 years since. But Hutton’s men had to overcome the additional obstacle of losing heavily in the first Test – only one England team has managed to win an overseas Ashes series after such a monumental setback.

Praise for Victory in Australia

‘A high peak of post-war English cricket brought to vivid life with so much colourful detail. Richard Whitehead has written a masterpiece.’ – Stephen Chalke, cricket writer.

‘Meticulously researchedby Richard Whitehead, this book brings an epic tour from another age to life. It also serves as a reminder of why we are still so consumed by the Ashes. The portrait of Len Hutton, England’s first professional captain, is riveting.’ – Vic Marks, former England bowler.

 ‘It really is the best cricket book I have ever read’ – Douglas Miller, Association of Cricket Statisticians.

We are also looking forward to welcoming David Woodhouse, author of the award-winning book ‘Who Only Cricket Know: Hutton’s Men in the West Indies 1953/54’ who’ll be in conversation with Richard.

David Woodhouse

The evening will include a Q&A session and the opportunity for book signings, enabling you to engage directly with two authors whose work sets the benchmark for cricket-writing.

Entrance for guests is £7, payable on the door.

Copies of Victory in Australia (RRP £22) will be available to purchase at a special offer price for Norfolk Cricket Society members and guests.

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Huw Turbervill – The Final Test

We welcomed Huw Turbervill as our second guest speaker of 2025/26 on Thursday 30 October. 

In the first part of his excellent talk, Huw talked through his career so far – from the early days in Ipswich on the East Anglian Daily Times, to 15 years at the Telegraph – often working in tandem with the veteran journalist, Scyld Berry – and his current role at The Cricketer magazine.  Huw has been there since 2015 and editor since 2021.  He was particularly illuminating on the diverse challenges of ghostwriting articles for various cricketing personalities. 

Huw is also the author of several cricket books, including The Toughest Tour and The Cricketer’s Anthology of the Ashes. The viewpoint within his latest book, The Final Test: The Uncertain Future of Cricket’s First-Class Game, was apparent as he expressed his passion for county and test cricket.  He was thought-provoking and insightful on the challenges it now faces.

After the break Huw fielded extensive questions from an engaged and appreciative audience. Pushed to predict the result of the upcoming Ashes series, Huw went for a 3-2 home win.   

The overriding sense from Huw was a man steeped in cricket, who remains enchanted by its charms.  

Words by John Carter

Photos by Adam Pryke

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Editor of The Cricketer on his soul-searching journey to discover what the future holds for Test cricket

Norfolk Cricket Society is looking forward to welcoming Huw Turbervill as our second guest speaker of 2025/26 on Thursday 30 October (7.30pm).

Huw, editor of The Cricketer since 2021, is the author of several well-regarded cricket books, including The Toughest Tour and The Cricketer’s Anthology of the Ashes. His latest work, The Final Test: The Uncertain Future of Cricket’s First-Class Game, is both a heartfelt love letter to red-ball cricket and a serious exploration of the challenges it now faces.

In the book, Huw speaks to some of the game’s most influential figures—David Gower, Graham Gooch, Merv Hughes, Reece Topley, and others—to ask whether Test and county cricket can survive the rising dominance of T20 and franchise leagues. He looks at the financial pressures, scheduling conflicts, and changing audience expectations that threaten the long-form game.

At the centre of the book is a deep love for the traditions of cricket—its patience, nuance, and timeless appeal. But Huw also acknowledges the need for adaptation in a fast-moving sporting world. The Final Test is part memoir, part manifesto, and fully a call to protect the heart of the game.

Huw’s talk will offer insights, stories, and strong opinions on the state of cricket today. Whether you’re a long-time county cricket follower or just curious about where the game is heading, this promises to be a fascinating and lively evening.

Entrance for guests is £7, payable on the door.

Copies of The Final Test (RRP £20) will be available to purchase with a special discount for Norfolk Cricket Society members and guests.

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Jarrod Kimber – The Art of Batting

Australian cricket writer Jarrod Kimber was number one in the batting order for Norfolk Cricket Society’s 2025-26 programme of guest speakers at Manor Park on Monday 22 September.

The author, commentator and analyst, born and raised in Melbourne before moving to London in 2008, discussed his new book, The Art of Batting: The Craft of Cricket’s Greatest Run Scorers, which looks at the science, skill and culture behind the greatest Test run scorers of all time.

He ranks his own top 50 in the process. Donald Bradman tops the list, followed by Sachin Tendulkar and two Englishmen in Jack Hobbs and Len Hutton, with Brian Lara completing the top five.

Kimber revealed that Geoffrey Boycott was unimpressed at being number 26 on the list, though Boycott is ranked above Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen, while Denis Compton and Colin Cowdrey are among household names from these shores who do not make the cut.

The 45-year-old Kimber, guest at the September meeting, described his unorthodox path to becoming one of the world’s most highly regarded cricket writers. With no background in newspapers, initially no accreditation and adopting an original, alternative approach to covering the game, he explained that he had not risen through the ranks of the mainstream media, nor followed the Press pack’s traditional way of operating and style of coverage.

Funny, self-deprecating and frank in his views of some of the personalities he has encountered – he was scathing about the game’s administrators – Kimber also displayed a dazzling depth of knowledge of the game, its players, its history and the technique of those at the top.

He explained the rationale behind the ratings, compiled with the help of metrics and analytics, ranking most highly those who had outstanding success at both the start and end of their careers, at home and abroad, though he admitted that in conducting hundreds of in-depth interviews and writing the book, compiling the top 50 list had become almost secondary to the insight gained from speaking to some of the legends of the game.

Kimber rose to prominence as the founder of the cricketwithballs blog, before working as editor of SPIN Magazine and then as a writer for ESPNcricinfo. He has written five books on cricket and was jointly responsible for the award-winning film Death of a Gentleman (2015), which stalked the corridors of power and confronted the methods used by India, England and Australia to take financial control of the international game and condemned the influence of big money on the sport.

Kimber might make a fine stand-up comedian. He described his memorable filmed encounter with Giles Clarke, the former ECB chairman, who had mistaken him for a student when he doorstepped a top-level meeting at which ICC chairman Narayanaswami Srinivasan held sway.

He answered questions from an appreciative audience on subjects including the future of Test cricket, the forthcoming Ashes series, the effect of The Hundred, cricket in the USA and betting in the game. Compere for the evening was author and former Norfolk cricketer John Carter.

Words by David Cuffley

Photos by Adam Pryke

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Jarrod Kimber opening the batting for Norfolk Cricket Society in 2025/26!

Norfolk Cricket Society is pleased to announce that Australian cricket journalist Jarrod Kimber will be joining us as our guest on Monday 22 September (7.30pm) at Horsford Cricket Club in Norwich.

Jarrod has written several books on cricket, he is a regular on talkSport, and also co‑directed and co‑wrote the award-winning 2015 documentary film Death of a Gentleman, an expose of the power-play governance of cricket by the ICC’s so‑called “Big Three”. In July 2024 Jarrod joined The Cricketer magazine as a regular columnist.

Beyond journalism and filmmaking, Jarrod has also worked as an analyst for the St Lucia Stars in the Caribbean Premier League and for the Scotland national team.

Released in July 2025, The Art of Batting: The Craft of Cricket’s Greatest Run Scorers is Jarrod’s latest book. Through interviews with cricketing greats such as David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd, Nasser Hussain, Rahul Dravid, and Brian Lara, The Art of Batting reveals the science, skill, and culture that made the 50 greatest batters of all time.

The book is about the batters who see what mortals don’t: Javed Miandad deliberately making errors to manipulate the field; Sachin Tendulkar digging up a pitch to take on Shane Warne; Shivnarine Chanderpaul relentlessly practising on a beach to master his technique; and Joe Root playing against spin as a result of three random events. Jarrod frames these players as artists who do more than bat—they “see into the future,” mastering the unpredictable with precision.

Andy Zaltzman labels Jarrod Kimber “one of cricket’s most distinctive writers,” and Harsha Bhogle praises the masterful use of analytics and vocabulary. Wright Thompson of ESPNcricinfo declares that Kimber “further cements himself as the world’s best cricket writer” with this work.

Entrance for guests is £7, payable on the door.

Copies of The Art of Batting (RRP £20) will be available to purchase with a special discount for Norfolk Cricket Society members and guests.

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New biography chronicles life of prolific Norfolk batter of the 1930s

David Walker was arguably the best batsman of the 1930s never to play full-time in the First Class game with legendary Norfolk, Middlesex and England cricketer Bill Edrich going as far to say that “With the possible exception of Donald Bradman, David Walker was probably the best batsman in the world!”

David played for Norfolk from 1931 – 1939, topping the averages on seven occasions. In those nine seasons he was often only available for a few games because of studies and work commitments but scored almost 4,000 runs in Championship games – including thirteen centuries and two double centuries – at an average of 63.44.

Tragically, David died in February 1942 when the RAF bomber plane he was flying in was shot down off the Norwegian coast.

David Walker: Norfolk’s Master Batsman – written by Andy Dawson, a previous guest speaker at Norfolk Cricket Society – draws on contemporary accounts, intimate letters and photos from the archive of David’s family, and the testimonies of those who knew him during his brief life.

Reviews

​“redolent of a different time and social structure and vividly brought to life by a writer for whom this was obviously a labour of love.

Martin Chandler, Cricket Web  

​Read the full review here

Copies of David Walker: Norfolk’s Master Batsman can be ordered from ACS Publications