Norfolk Cricket Society is looking forward to welcoming Australian cricket writer Barry Nicholls as our first guest speaker of 2026/27 on Wednesday 23 September 2026 (7.30pm).

Barry is a former A-grade district cricketer who has written about the sport for three decades. He was a broadcaster on ABC Radio for nearly 20 years and has also contributed to Wisden Cricketers’ Almanac Australia.

Barry has written several books, with two of his most recent works – ‘Playing to Win: Australia and the 1972 Ashes’ and ‘The Establishment Boys: The Other Side of Kerry Packer’s Cricket Revolution’ being the focus of discussion for our evening.

In ‘Playing to Win‘ Barry tells the story of the inexperienced 1972 Australians. Labelled the worst team ever by the English press, they arrived in England full of swagger under their newly appointed captain, Ian Chappell, who announced they were playing to win. The intriguing Ashes series that followed, and the simmering disquiet about how the game was being administered, transformed Test cricket. Playing to Win evocatively captures the story of that English summer, a series that, thanks to Ian Chappell and his team, shaped the modern game.

Set during Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket revolution, ‘The Establishment Boys’ book tells the story of the Australian Test cricketers plucked from the backwaters of the domestic game to take on full-strength international sides. These men became known as the ‘Establishment Boys’, and they all have important stories to share.

The event starts at 7.30pm at Horsford Cricket Club. Entrance for non-members is £7, cash payable on the door.