Peter Argent: Cricket Slips

This cricket clothing faux pas (embarrassment) happened during the final of the 2012 Grand Final of the Senior Country Carnival at University Number one oval on Thursday Feb 9. The batsman in question in Yorke Peninsula an Lower North all rounder Matthew Higgs This guy is the prospective son in law of 1980s Australian batsman-keeper [Read more]

110% Episode 1

Check out Barry Nicholls’ (ABC presenter from WA) new show, 110%.   http://blogs.abc.net.au/grandstand/2012/02/110-with-barry-nicholls-.html   Barry looks forward to contacting quite a few Almanac contributors in the months to come.          

Shadow Batting

  A movement without thought.   A small step forward, a bend of the front knee, weight easing onto the left foot, the left elbow  pointed at the ball- text book style   I’m walking down the hallway in our house.   Then the stroke. A  quick stiffening of the body and then relax.   [Read more]

Cricket Dreaming by Barry Nicholls

  Cricket Dreaming by Barry Nicholls  $25 (+ $5 postage) The experiences, stories and characters of a life in cricket.

The Story of 78 by Barry Nicholls

  The Story of 78 by Barry Nicholls  $25 (+ $5 postage) One of the most thrilling and consequential grand finals in South Australian lore. Sturt and Norwood fight out a classic.

Memoirs of a Mug Punter by John Harms

  Memoirs of a Mug Punter by John Harms  $30 (+ $5 postage) Can a horse syndicate also set a socialist example? Can truth and beauty be found at a country race track? Follow the adventures of Courting Pleasure, and those who had a stake in her.

The Kernahans

The late Harry Kernahan with young Stephen in 1984.

It’s Your Wally Grout by Wally Wright

  It’s Your Wally Grout  by Wally Wright  $25 (+ $5 postage) Wally Wright gives a personal account of the career of his grandfather, the great Australian wicket-keeper. John Harms looks at It’s Your Wally Grout

1964 A Game, A Season, A State by Michael Sexton

  1964 A Game, A Season, A State   by Michael Sexton   $30 (+ $5 postage) Michael Sexton looks at the characters and the times which made for a golden period in South Australian football. Review by Chris Riordan

Australia: Story of a Cricket Country (edited by Christian Ryan)

  Australia: Story of a Cricket Country (edited by Christian Ryan) $75 (special Almanac price) (+ $10 postage) (normal retail price $90) The game, its characters and its place in Australia’s culture: superbly told in words and pictures. An extended version of John Harms’ essay for the book. John Butler reviews Australia Story of a [Read more]

The Australian Game of Football since 1858

  The Australian Game of Football: Various $90 (hardcover) (+ $10 postage) The official AFL publication celebrating football’s 150th anniversary. From the hotly debated origins of the game to modern times, this book encompasses a broad sweep across football’s history.

The Story of the Melbourne Cup

  The Story of the Melbourne Cup: Various $90 (hardcover) (+ $10 postage) The history, the horses and the personalities that have made the Cup the nation’s race. Superb photos and writing covering 1861 until the present day.

Australian Football Clubs in New South Wales by Miles Wilks

  Australian Football Clubs in New South Wales by Miles Wilks   $35 (A4 size)  ($10 postage) A comprehensive look at the contribution of NSW Aussie Rules clubs to the VFL/AFL. Filled with stories and photographs of those who have crossed the border to make their mark in the big leagues. Miles Wilks discusses Australian Football Clubs in NSW

The Stats Revolution by Ted Hopkins

  The Stats Revolution by Ted Hopkins:  $30 (+ $5 postage) Ted Hopkins helped win one of the greatest ever grand finals, then became a poet and writer, and then invented a system of measures that transformed the way the game of football was understood. ‘Football’s Futurist’ tells his story his way.

Manangatang by Adam McNicol

   Manangatang by Adam McNicol:  $45 (+ $5 postage) Adam McNicol’s  tribute to his family’s Mallee hometown. Full of wonderful anecdotes  and characters. A little gem of Australian social history.

AFL Legends by Sean Gorman

   Legends The AFL Indigenous Team of the Century by Sean  Gorman $40 (+$5 postage) Sean Gorman’s celebration of the indigenous footballer in the VFL/AFL. John Harms reviews Legends  

Tortured Tales of a Collingwood Tragic by James Gilchrist

  Tortured Tales of a Collingwood Tragic by James Gilchrist:  $30 (+ $5 postage) “A little Nick Hornby, a little Frank McCourt…” – Greg Baum James Gilchrist’s long and complicated relationship with the Collingwood football club.   John Butler reviews Tortured Tales…

Link: Soul Train Tribute

Courtesy of Rick Kane. Don Cornelius, creator and host of Soul Train, has passed away aged 75. For a stroll through black American music and styles of the last 40 years just click below: http://idolator.com/6161621/don-cornelius-soul-train-line-dances

The Goldfield Ashes – A Mexican view.

By Michael Howard Coming from down south has meant I have struggled to take Queensland cricket seriously. It always seemed to me that of the good players produced, too many seemed more interested in catching barramundi, cooking paella or dressing up for TV than in forging truly great careers. The fact that it took a [Read more]

Separated at girth

Shannon Byrnes sent this around via Twitter with the comment, “Sorry Cameron Ling, but this is too good not to be made public”.