Australia Cricket Diary 08
Following feedback from last year’s diary, Longmedia have made a few changes to the 2008 version and the first once is immediately noticeable. Gone has the green cloth cover and in its place is a black and white image of Sir Donald Bradman fixing his pads in the nets. I have to say I liked last years cover (green cloth with gold lettering) but this version has more of a diary feel to it and is arguably the way forward. It does allow the inclusion of some of cricket’s greats to adorn the cover in future editions.
 The second and perhaps biggest change from last year is the use of ring binder technology and is a vast improvement on the 07 diary. Given that access is often required on a daily basis the binder cuts down on wear and tear of pages allowing easy access to each page without the need to “force” a page to sit down while you write an entry. Buy Now
Once inside, the diary follows a similar pattern to 2007 – but then why change a winning formula? Year planners for 2008 and 2009 are includes, as are world time zones, dialling codes, measures and cricket terms to name but a few. Gideon Haigh returns with his editorial contributions and six short articles on a variety of topics including a précis of Australia’s international season including the first overseas tour to Pakistan in 2008 and a look at the growth of cricket in Australia. He only contributed three pages last year so this increase certainly adds weight to an already superb production.
The 2008 edition only includes 12 months compared to the 14 on offer in 2007. I have to say I did find the extra 2 months valuable and would have dearly loved to see them includes in this diary.
Unlike last year, this edition sports a number of images found dotted throughout the diary and at the head of every fortnight together with a description of the image and its place in history. All images were supplied by Tom Thompson and are a wonderful inclusion.
The layout is the same; each week spread over two pages with ample room to write notes for each day. The match recorder returns as do the numerous daily quotes, facts and statistics.
Monday 2nd June “1965: two great cricketers are born on this day: twins Steve (335) and Mark Waugh (349). Stephen takes 26 Tests before he reaches 100. Mark replaces him in Adelaide in 1990m and scores 138 on debut.”
Former Australian PM John Curtin provided a quote in 2007 with “Australians will always fight for those 22 yards”. Prime Ministers are well represented yet again with a quote from New Zealand PM Robert Muldoon. Speaking after the underarm incident of 1981 he said of the Australian uniform “Yellow is most appropriate”. More info from Longueville
All in all Cricket Diary 2008 is another huge hit in the making. It provides something no one else offers in the market today, a diary aimed at cricketers and fans alike. I recommended the 2007 edition and certainly have no hesitation in unreservedly recommending the 2008 model. In the immortal words of Richie Benaud “Marvellous”.
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