Shortlisted in the Best Biography and Best Cricket Book categories of the British Sports Book Awards 2011.
Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2010.
Combining reportage, anecdote, biography, history and personal
recollection, A Last English Summer is an honest and passionate
reflection on cricket's past, present and future. A memorable and acutely observed portrait of one summer of cricket from
an award-winning sports writer who has watched and loved cricket since
he was a boy, it is essential reading for anyone who cares about the
English game.
Combining reportage, anecdote, biography, history and personal recollection, A Last English Summer is an honest and passionate reflection on cricket's past, present and future. In 2009 the county system looked directionless and obsolete; more than ever the players blessed with central contracts seemed apart from, rather than a part of, the domestic game; the home Ashes series was for the first time only available on pay-TV; and, of course, the juggernaut of Twenty20 threatened to flatten all but the Test form of the game, suggesting it may soon eclipse even that as well. Duncan Hamilton has preserved this seminal, convulsing season, which in years to come may be seen as a turning point in the history of cricket. In the process he embarks on a journey - often a deeply personal one - through the history and spirit of the game.