Bush to Buckingham Palace: Crazy adventures of fun-loving test cricketer
by Rick Darling
2022, Ryan Publishing, Melbourne
RRP $39.95
Also available as an eBook.
Contact the publisher, Ryan Publishing, here.
The Footy Almanac reported on the launch of Rick Darling’s book back in December. Publisher Graeme Ryan kindly forwarded us a copy for review, a task willingly taken on by Almanac editor and keen cricket fan Ian Hauser.
The first thing that came to my mind as I read Rick Darling’s recollection was the old phrase, ‘you can take the boy out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the boy’. Bush to Buckingham Palace is made up of a series of chronological anecdotes that recall people and incidents from Rick’s first class career. It’s a case of a country kid who played to his strength (cricket) and, at a very early age, found himself sharing a state dressing room with his idols (Chappelli, TJ, Splinter et al), graduating to the Test and ODI teams during the era of the great split before finding himself at a garden party at Buckingham Palace. It’s as if he’s continually asking himself, ‘How good is this’? But the really good thing is that he knew when his time in that setting was up and he went back home to get on with his life. Well played, Rick!
The other thing that hit me was just how much times have changed for elite sportspeople in a generation and a half. Fancy getting the princely sum of $20 a game for representing your state in the best provincial cricket competition in the world! Is it any wonder that Chappelli, never a shrinking violet, led what was, essentially, a players revolt against the old guard administrators of the game? As for coaching? What coaching? Support staff? Unheard of. Medical backup? Take a cement pill, kid. Now imagine what a dasher like Rick would fetch in the mad player market that is the international T20 circus of the 2020s!
Perhaps something of a balance to those shortcomings manifests itself in the role of the media then and now. Then, it was a case of players and journos working together, establishing relationships and adhering to the unwritten understanding that ‘what happens on tour stays on tour’. And they probably got away with heaps on top of the relatively tame stories Rick shares here. Now, it’s a controlled agenda from on high and robotic responses. On top of that, in the era of so-called ‘social media’ (an oxymoron if ever there was one!) it’s a very different story. It’s not hard to imagine that a comparatively unsophisticated kid like the young Rick would be easy pickings for the wolves with smart phones and dumb sensitivities.
I enjoyed reading Rick’s adventures which are told with enthusiasm and a charming honesty, often at his own expense. The cast of personnel ranges from his family and the locals at Waikerie to the world of state and international cricket, a close encounter with Michael Jackson and, ultimately, the Palace. The style is very much ‘country boy’, direct, unabashed, unsophisticated, undemanding. If you’re looking for a biography of Rick, this isn’t it; it’s not meant to be.
Well done to Rick for heeding the call to put his tales together because they get lost far too easily as time passes; and well done to Graeme Ryan and his crew for making them available to us.
Now do yourself a favour, get hold of a copy, crack a coldie, sit back and enjoy the yarns.
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About Ian Hauser
A relaxed, Noosa-based retiree with a (very) modest sporting CV. A loyal Queenslander, especially when it comes to cricket and rugby league. Enjoys travel, coffee and cake, reading, and has been known to appreciate a glass or three of wine. One of Footy Almanac's online editors who enjoys the occasional editing opportunity to assist aspiring writers.
He can also be heard relating some of these stories in this recent interview with Graham Cornes.
Rick’s honesty and enthusiasm that you mentioned Ian is apparent.
https://www.fiveaa.com.au/show/conversations-with-cornesy/conversations-with-cornesy-rick-darling/
I agree with many elements of your review IJH. I enjoyed the read. I particularly liked the bush cricket stuff and the characters involved. I am familiar with the drive-to-the-next-town-for-the-away-game scenario. I also found the book open and honest and I could relate to his motivation for getting the stories down on paper.
A enjoyable read – Warwick Maxwell told in his style uncomplicated no crap