I am very an era in which I remember Andy Moles, the player.
Although he never looked the strongest, he was one of the most consistent and he has been an excellent opening boat for Warwickshire for ten years. He on average more than 40 at the time and only Peter Bowler from Derbantshire and James Hildreth van Somerset managed to do so without international recognition.
His autobiography is a pleasure to read. Partly written with Geoffrey Dean of the Times, it is full of stories and anecdotes, most of them new to me. His career is an object lesson to never give up hope. He only came in the first class competition until he was 25, but then the runs flowed from his bat, until a broken Achilles -Tees ended his career prematurely at the age of 36.
He then traveled around the world and became a leading coach in South Africa, Kenya, Scotland, England and Nieuw -Zeeland. His last coaching role was as director of Cricket for Afghanistan, where he coached for almost six years. Then an MRSA infection in its toe led to the amputation of his left left leg. The part about his experiences in Afghanistan is only worth the purchase price.
I would like to see him as a coach in County Cricket, where I think he would have been a great success. There was a time when I thought he would have been a very good option for Derbyshire, but it never came about.
His insights into playing alongside Brian Lara and Alan Donald are fascinating, but also his reports of that excellent Warwickshire side, under Dermot Reeve. His thoughts about batting and coaching players strengthen his reputation as a thinking man, someone who would undoubtedly improve you if you listened. He played under Bob Woolmer, of course, one of the big innovators in cricket coaching.
Like a few books of recent times, it is not the easiest lectures, especially if you are about to lose one leg. But it is one that will be enjoyed by all the cricket fans, especially those from the West Midlands.
I enjoyed his honesty in this book and it is also proof that some of the best cricket books are not necessarily about the biggest names.
Highly recommended
All over the world in 40 years Is written by Andy Moles with Geoffrey Dean
#Book #review #world #years #Andy #Moles #Geoffrey #Dean