Peter The Lord's Cat and other unexpected obituaries Review

Aurum Press ISBN: 1 845131630 (Released 21st september, 2006) Buy It Now

The latest book to land on my desk is Peter The Lord's Cat and other unexpected obituaries from Wisden. There is one thing, maybe two that make a Wisden book stand out from the crowd; the warm yellow colour and the chunky style of the annual almanac – this offering is warm in colour but small in stature! However don't let the size fool you, it is packed with close on 250 interesting obituaries taken from Wisden's throughout the years.

Gideon Haigh, author of Many A Slip, Ashes 2005 and Game For Anything casts his eye over the obituaries and edits this offering from Wisden. Most of the obituaries are in their original form however some have been silently edited or corrected to eradicate any errors. Gideon had over 10,000 obituaries to choose from and in the end settled for 250 of the oddest, quirkiest and unexpected tributes to the dearly departed.

Peter the Lord's cat, who's name adorn the cover of this book died in 1964 after 12 years of living at the ground. He was a fan of publicity and loved nothing better than prowling the field in front of cricket's biggest crowds! Secretary of the MCC, Mr SC Griffith said of him “He was a cat of great character”. No other ground in international cricket can claim a Peter! Following the cat's entry and no I don't mean Tuffers is Flight Lieut FGH Chalk DFC who went missing in February 1943. Eleven months later he was officially presumed killed and his tragic and uncertain death at the young age of 32 was deplored by al who knew him. He played for Uppingham, Oxford and Kent and apparently played attractive cricket.

It could be argued that this hard pocket book was a who's who and includes a British Prime Minister, two Australian Prime Ministers, governors of Canada, Australia and the Windward islands and last but definitely not least, five Kings! Gideon has chosen well, but then I for one never doubted him!

The next entry that grabs me is Siva Shanthi Kumar who was shot dead while playing golf at the Royal Colombo Club in 1996. He was 53 years old when two gunmen climbed a wall and fired six shots at him while he was on the 12th green. He was captain of the Tamil Union in the 1960's. Now I am fully aware that death is a serious event and murder even more tragic on those left behind but i have to say, this entry made me laugh. How many golfers dream of leaving this earth playing the game they loved? Buy It Now

Perhaps a more well known death included in this book is that of Arthur Gregory who died aged 68 in 1929. Returning from the funeral of his uncle SE Gregory he fell from a tramcar, and blood poisoning supervened as a result of injuries to his arm. He had appeared for New South Wales and was part of the best know cricketing family behind the Waugh's and Chappell's. Arthur was the younger brother of Edward and David, both of whom represented Australia in the 19th century.

Gideon has also included a rather sad tale of a 28 year old fire fighter from Stevenage who gave his life fighting a fire in a tower block when he and a fellow fire fighter were trapped. Jeffrey Richard Tristan Wornham lived and breathed cricket throughout his young life. If he wasn't playing cricket he was thinking cricket. If he wasn't thinking cricket he was dreaming cricket. Growing up he was often seen dressed in his whites on the off chance that he could get a game. That's how much he loved the great game. Soul Limbo the BBC theme tune was played at his funeral.

These are just a few of the entries on offer, each one different yet all the same. Although not written by Gideon, you can certainly feel his presence in this collection of sad, witty and unexpected obituaries. You don't see the likes of Bradman or Grace but their spirit cane be found throughout the book. Easily compact enough to fit into your bag, take it with you to the cricket just in case the worst of all tragedies strike – rain stopped play. Superb read. Buy It Now

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