Third Man in Havana: cricket stocking fillers volume 1

The problem with cricket autobiographies is that they’ve become a bit boring lately. If you’ve read one, it often feels like you’ve read them all. In fact, some of them have become as tedious as an Ian Chappell commentary stint. They’re usually a succession of nickname infested anecdotes: “Haydo laughed, Punter said ‘you little ripper’, then Gilly farted”. That kind of thing.

But fear not my pedigree chums. TFT has unearthed a couple of cricket books with a difference. We’ll talk about the first, Tom Rodwell’s Third Man in Havana today, and the second, Ian Valentine’s Cricket Yesterday & Today later in the week.

The first thing to say is that Tom Rodwell is the Chairman of the Lord’s Taverners, which is the official charity of recreational cricket. His book is a heart warming, and occasionally poignant, account of his travels across the globe – taking cricket to war torn countries like Sierra Leone and Rwanda.

The thing we liked most about this book is that we actually learned something – and I don’t mean insights into the contents of Haydo’s kit bag. The book gives brief histories of the countries involved, explains why these countries are in such a mess, and explains how cricket has improved the lives of unfortunate people, given self-esteem to thousands, and created a spirit of togetherness in areas where conflict is more prevalent than congeniality.

And of course, there’s plenty of amusing anecdotes too. Rodwell recalls his cross with a Cuban fast bowler called Stalin (who obviously tried to purge him from the crease) and how he played cricket within spitting distance of Israeli soldiers – who didn’t really appreciate it when a six sailed over their fortifications and landed in the Gaza strip. By the way, the pavilion at the Be’er Sheva Cricket Club is actually a converted nuclear bomb shelter. Fancy eating sausage rolls and scones in that?

If you’re a bit of a closet softie (like me), or you’re simply interested in the remarkable lives led by disabled or disadvantaged kids, you’ll really appreciate this book. For example, you’ll learn loads about blind cricket, tape-ball cricket, and how the structured nature of the sport enables disabled kids to develop self-reliance, self-confidence and independence.

There are also a few tales which are simply staggering. We particularly enjoyed the story of the blind cricket commentator Dean du Plessis. How does he do it? After reading this book, I’ve come to realise that big stars like Alastair Cook and Sachin Tendulkar aren’t the most talented and remarkable people involved in cricket after all.

I won’t ruin the book by telling you all the best bits – although I must mention that the tales from Zimbabwe and Zambia were particularly interesting – but if you’re looking for a cricket yarn with a difference, this could be it. Rodwell writes in a simple, easy going style, and his self-deprecating tone will sit comfortably with all amateur cricketers (like us) who realise they talk a better game than they play.  Third Man in Havana gets TFT thumbs up.

James Morgan