Cricket, a Sport in Verse

As the sun lengthens its days to summer, so a sport begins to dominate the thoughts and actions of sportsmen all over the globe. This game that is so encapsulated in village greens, of evening song, of Middle England, is now spread far across the world. From the marathon of a five day test to the razzle-dazzle excitement of Twenty20, cricket captures many things: the comforting sound of willow on leather, the slow raised hand of an umpire, the arcane rules, and frequent breaks for tea and other necessities that still conjure up the image of a bygone world.

In this volume poets throughout the ages share the agony and the ecstasy of this great sport. Included here are "Cricket at Harrow" by Lord Byron, "Dedicated to the Famous Notts and Surrey Elevens" by Albert Craig "Dad on the Test" by C. J. Dennis, "Cricket" by J. S. Fletcher, an extract from "A Shropshire Lad" by A. E. Houseman, and many others.