Graeme Swann: The Breaks Are Off - My Autobiography: The Breaks Are Off - My Autobiography

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While some liked the cut of his jib, others did not and England coach Duncan Fletcher already had a foot in the latter camp when Swann missed the bus for the first of two times on that tour.

My rise to the top

Suddenly he was judged on temperament and not talent. Although Swann candidly concedes he was nowhere near good enough for the top level at that stage in his career, his jettisoning back to county cricket for the next seven years, following a solitary one-day international, hinted at a career wasted. A clash with then Northamptonshire coach Kepler Wessels triggered his move to Nottinghamshire in A County Championship winner in his debut season, he was back in the England fold at the end of his third.

You cannot keep the spotlight off him for long. Paperback , pages. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about The Breaks Are Off , please sign up. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Strangely enough for an autobiography my biggest criticism of this book is that it is too selfless. This is less the story of graeme swann and more the story of the england cricket team This is particularly true in the second half after the obligatory early-years stuff.

Swann is such a funny and engaging character it would have been great to hear more about the off the field incidents he frequently alludes to rather than who took how many wickets and what the result was - we can easily Strangely enough for an autobiography my biggest criticism of this book is that it is too selfless. Swann is such a funny and engaging character it would have been great to hear more about the off the field incidents he frequently alludes to rather than who took how many wickets and what the result was - we can easily find that out in Wisden.

Even the picture section has just as many photos of team mates than the writer!

Graeme Swann: The Breaks are Off - My Autobiography by Graeme Swann (Paperback, 2012)

Ultimately a bit disappointing but worth reading I suppose for the odd passage where Graeme's wit comes through. Mar 26, Nigel rated it liked it. This book was bought for me as a present and really confirmed my views. The narrative conveys Swann's bubbly personality.

Given that he came late in his career to international recognition and success it was interesting to read his take on why he didn't make it first time round. He does have the honesty to pin most of the blame for that on himself. The really interesting bit for me was reading a player's perspective of the 2 Ashes wins against Australia. That apart there is nothing much more in the book apart from "I did this, I did that" etc. Defecting to the UK, Volkov went into hiding.

The Kremlin does not forgive. Nine weeks ago, Volkov was found slumped on a park bench in Swindon, poisoned with a lethal nerve agent - the victim of a botched assassination attempt.

The Kremlin will always find you. Now Volkov is missing, kidnapped from a remote safe house by a Russian snatch squad. With nowhere to run, Volkov faces the ultimate choice: Derek Lansbury, an eccentric British populist and suspected Moscow agent. Six believes that Lansbury is planning something big ahead of a secretive far-right gathering - and they want Bald and Porter to help bring him down.

Going undercover as bodyguards, they must infiltrate Lansbury's inner circle, win his trust and gather vital evidence.

The Breaks Are Off: My Autobiography

But as they get closer to the truth, Bald and Porter find themselves caught up in a terrifying conspiracy: And only Porter and Bald, two battle-hardened Blades, stand between survival and global chaos As a member of the most successful team in Essex's history and an England side capable of extraordinary highs and lows, Derek Pringle was lucky enough to be in the thick of it. Now, with the perspective of more than twenty years as a journalist, he lays bare the realities of life as a professional cricketer in a decade when the game was dominated by a cast of unforgettable characters, whose exploits became front-page news.

Picked for the Test side while still an ear stud-wearing student at Cambridge, he was as surprised as anybody to find himself playing alongside the likes of David Gower, Allan Lamb and Phil Edmonds. He also had to contend with being hailed as the new Ian Botham, even though the old one was still going strong - and playing in the same team.

For England, it was a time of mixed fortunes, as Ashes victories alternated with humiliation by a dominant West Indies. The chop-and-change policy of the selectors - culminating in the summer of four captains in - made cricket such an insecure profession that some players chose to go on rebel tours of South Africa, while others relished every opportunity the game provided - on and off the field. The hard slog of domestic cricket, meanwhile, had never seen so much talent, with counties boasting overseas players like Viv Richards, Malcolm Marshall and Javed Miandad.

A coach-free zone, it was left in the hands of canny old pros such as Keith Fletcher and John Lever, who guided Essex to multiple Championship and one-day successes.

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But cricket was changing, and not necessarily for the better. By the end of the decade, as the new coaching culture established itself, it became clear that the days of the maverick cricketer were numbered. Few players ended the Eighties wealthy, but as Derek Pringle's eye-opening memoir reveals, all left rich in experience, with enough stories to last a lifetime.

Yet as Duncan Hamilton demonstrates with style, insight and wit in Going to the Match, watching on TV is no substitute for being there. Hamilton embarks on a richly entertaining, exquisitely crafted journey through football.

Graeme Swann - The Breaks Are Off - My Autobiography

Glory game or grass roots, England v Slovenia or Guiseley v Hartlepool, he delves beneath the action to illuminate the stories which make the sport endlessly compelling. The odyssey takes Hamilton from Fleetwood to Berlin, via Glasgow and a Manchester derby, making detours into art, cinema, literature and politics as he explores the game's ever-changing culture and character.

The result, like the L. Lowry painting that inspired the book, is a football masterpiece.

Brothers Jack, Calum and Robbie have been swimming together their whole lives, and have never lost the sense of wonder, excitement and relief that getting in open water brings. In this book, we learn about their swimming feats, from tackling the km River Eden to setting the world record for swimming in the Arctic. They take us through their preparation for these expeditions, including sourcing wild spots in the heart of sprawling cities in which to train. They document the challenges they encounter and the successes often achieved in the most unexpected ways.

And with everything they've learned, they give tips for those wanting to take on their own aquatic foray, whether a beginner or a seasoned swimmer. This book will show people of all ages how they too can take part in open water swimming and reconnect with the natural world around them. Their experience will embolden readers to escape their status quo and build confidence and contentment by challenging themselves to try something new and reconsider their relationship with nature and the wild.

At its core, this book will provide advice, reassurance and inspiration for anyone in search of something more joyful, peaceful and, ultimately, meaningful.

Graeme Swann leads us on a compelling adventure through one of world sport's most engrossing rivalries. He knows as much as anybody about the heat of England v Australia battles, having played in three series wins and also the whitewash defeat of when its intensity ended his international career. However, it brought out some of his best displays in Test cricket.

But he is just one of dozens of colourful characters to have added their chapters to this great tome. The mock obituary of English cricket in the Sporting Times of was the forerunner of summers and winters of heaven and hell, depending on which side of the divide you were situated. When it comes to on-field relations nothing quite compares to the over-my-dead-body feel of the Ashes.

From Grace to Sir Don, the most graceful of them all. From the foulest play to the fairest - contrast the Bodyline series affair to the image of Andrew Flintoff hunched over a distraught Brett Lee in From Ray Illingworth's famous walk-off in the Seventies, when an England team-mate was assaulted by a spectator, to Steve Waugh's hugely emotional lap of honour when he retired a quarter of a century later.

Swann's book will reveal the magic of a series that first gripped him in his front room in Northampton as an aspiring spin bowler in the mids. In he was part of the team that claimed the number one world Test ranking spot. Graeme was involved in three Ashes tours, winning the Ashes in and , he retired from all formats during the Ashes series.

Since retirement Graeme has made the transition into commentary and is a summariser on Test Match Special and BT Sport cricket coverage. Publication Data Place of Publication. Show more Show less. No ratings or reviews yet. Be the first to write a review. This is Going to Hurt: You may also like.

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