Böcker av Stephen Bignell

In Austerity England, 1953, England have just won back 'The Ashes' from Australia after 19 years, but this is soon forgotten by the southern villages of Rotting Hill and West Rotting as they prepare for their annual cricket contest.The story follows the lives and loves of the villagers in the days preceding the contest, then the dramas and absurdities of the game itself as it descends into chaos, both during and after the match.In an England still ridden by class mores and dichotomies, the combatants meet on equal status on and off the field - snobs, vicars, barmaids, debs, trade union agitators, schoolmasters, dysfunctional artists and artisans, black-marketeers, minor aristocrats, bigots and traditionalists.There is a one-legged ex-naval commander, who still insists on captaining his team and opening the batting, whilst his alcoholic wife is having a steamy affair with the dashing ex-war hero vice-captain; an amorous vicar and warm-hearted barmaid. At the scorers' table, two women bitch at each other throughout the day, whilst an errant dog has a major influence on the outcome of the game.Just a jolly romp through the countryside of old England - the village cricket match.

A satirical story following the adventures of a group of cricket-mad public schoolboys who volunteer for the army at the outbreak of the Great War (1914), and their tragic denouement.