What do you think?
Rate this book
A Lot of Hard Yakka
Hardcover and unclipped jacket; signed and dedicated by author on title "To Ted (of Somerset!!) Good county? Not! Best wishes, Simon Hughes, 30.4.97, PS. Only joking!" First edition, second impression. Negligible foxing on page block; page edges are tanned. Previous owner's name penned on FEP; his label on rear pastedown (under jacket flap).
311 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
10 people are currently reading
153 people want to read
About the author
Simon Hughes
56 books29 followersSimon Peter Hughes is an English cricketer and journalist. He is the son of the actor Peter Hughes, and the brother of historian Bettany Hughes.
Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
April 9, 2020
My knowledge of county cricket has gone from none to some. Terrific read!
May 4, 2014
Very good sports book. The life and times of an average player written with wit and a large dose of world weariness.
May 30, 2020
I’d been meaning to read this for years and it transpired that in a lock down declutter Peter R was throwing his copy out. A fortuitous turn of events as this is one of the better sporting biographies, perhaps the nearest cricket book I have read to ‘Only a Game’, Eamon Dunphy’s diary of a football season at Millwall. By the end of Hughes’ book you may not find him especially likeable and you may despair at how childish the successful Middlesex side of the 1980s turn out to be. You may also be baffled by how only half way through his his career did Hughes, a bowler plagued with no-balls (back when umpires called from foot no balls), work out that he should start his run up from the same place for every delivery. What exactly did coaches do in his day? However, this is a good insight into the daily routine, the vagaries of form and the uncertainty of a life as a professional cricketer. Personally I think he over protests about the grind of the county circuit and if he wants to know about grind, should try rocking up at an insurance office day in day out. Despite that it is a good read.
September 3, 2016
As a highly dysfunctional young boy, county cricket was one of my early obsessions. I harboured a dislike for all things Middlesex, the affluent, glamourous half of London it seemed to me, with the team and ground to match. Surrey was my love, the Oval in the late 1980s, with its run down gasometers and crumbled down comprehensive school neighbours, and absence of scrambled eggs and smoked salmon neckwear, might have been separated by a mere mile or two, but to me reflected South London soul above North London pretentions. This was of course before London became merely a place where some people own houses worth more than their entire lifetime productive earnings, and the others live like impoverished students despite being in their mid to late 30s or older, soporified by pop up restaurant crapola and excited by casual sex, as so many different creeds and cultures, they get picked for their new "flavour", not needing to make the effort to be empathetic, disciplined, respectful the things that matter in real relationships in more functional places.
And Simon Hughes especially raised my prepubescent heckles. In a bowling line up of impossible glamour, the 2 best spinners in the world, West Indian pacemen, here was a balding, short, medium fast trundler that merely got the odd wicket as he was seen as the "opportunity" to launch (of course this did him a great disservice).
And then he wrote a book, that caused a huge stir for a sports autobiography, won multiple awards, and has been on my to be read list for 20 years.
Obviously now, it is read through eyes misted with nostalgia, but much of its heterodoxical elements still strike one. Unafraid to label Botham insecure, unafraid to outline his own failings and hang ups, it appears to show far more of the realities of life as a professional cricketer in this period than the norm.
And Simon Hughes especially raised my prepubescent heckles. In a bowling line up of impossible glamour, the 2 best spinners in the world, West Indian pacemen, here was a balding, short, medium fast trundler that merely got the odd wicket as he was seen as the "opportunity" to launch (of course this did him a great disservice).
And then he wrote a book, that caused a huge stir for a sports autobiography, won multiple awards, and has been on my to be read list for 20 years.
Obviously now, it is read through eyes misted with nostalgia, but much of its heterodoxical elements still strike one. Unafraid to label Botham insecure, unafraid to outline his own failings and hang ups, it appears to show far more of the realities of life as a professional cricketer in this period than the norm.
July 19, 2025
This was a very revealing book and gave a great warts-and-all account of life as a county cricketer despite the irritating voice of the writer. I could see why it regularly comes up in lists of the best cricket books, and I can see why Hughes was a writer for broadsheets, and my annoyance only highlights how good it must have been overall to take a lot from it.
It is a slightly odd format, straddling the genres of diary and autobiography. It has the minutiae of a diary and is focused on the events as they happen but the book spans the entirety of Hughes' career as a professional cricketer. There is no analysis of how it felt to win the county championship or one day trophy, nor much about bigger struggles - it moves on quickly to the next event worthy of comment.
With almost 20 years between some of the incidents and the book being published it's difficult to know how much was in his journal and how much has been remembered with the passing of time, but it benefited from being factual as nobody could have had all the black players hanging around with each other and talking about women non-stop in a fictional setting (although Wayne Daniel is close friends with one of the white England players), nor have the team warming up "strategically near schoolgirls playing tennis". The details weren't revolutionary in themselves, but built a picture of what a cricket team was like in the 80s, through showing not telling.
Times move on and this is almost 30 years old but women had an outsized role in this book, through frank and unflattering comments on the part of the players. Hughes' unwillingness to play along with the flirtacious ringleader in a bar is part of the reasons he gives for underperforming on the cricket field the next day. If it was such a key part of the social aspect of being a cricketer, then the book had to include it, although he is just as keen to make clear he fancies women in books he wrote more than a decade later too.
The honesty was also refreshing when it came to the county game, as he was critical of the attitudes of some second XI players and the facilities at outgrounds. There was none of the footballer reverence for the fans, other than for the atmosphere in big, well-attended matches, or a certain type of spectator who attracted the male gaze. This frankness was also the cause of the major annoyance I had with the book, when Hughes would pithily blame an aspect of attitude or behaviour on why England were so bad on the international stage. If he was right, there was no supporting argument or evidence to back it up, so you would just get a single line like "Hughes spent more time worrying about the length of John Emburey's cock than the length of his deliveries and he wonders why he didn't play for England." It seems unlikely to me that the attitude of the English in the 80s was any better when they were beating Australia home and away.
What marked this out from other diaries was that this didn't tell the reader what it was like to play cricket, but the overall experience of being a cricketer. In the 80s, this meant a faintly precarious existence that wasn't financially rewarding but was generally more pleasant than proper work, but it made it more interesting to read about.
It is a slightly odd format, straddling the genres of diary and autobiography. It has the minutiae of a diary and is focused on the events as they happen but the book spans the entirety of Hughes' career as a professional cricketer. There is no analysis of how it felt to win the county championship or one day trophy, nor much about bigger struggles - it moves on quickly to the next event worthy of comment.
With almost 20 years between some of the incidents and the book being published it's difficult to know how much was in his journal and how much has been remembered with the passing of time, but it benefited from being factual as nobody could have had all the black players hanging around with each other and talking about women non-stop in a fictional setting (although Wayne Daniel is close friends with one of the white England players), nor have the team warming up "strategically near schoolgirls playing tennis". The details weren't revolutionary in themselves, but built a picture of what a cricket team was like in the 80s, through showing not telling.
Times move on and this is almost 30 years old but women had an outsized role in this book, through frank and unflattering comments on the part of the players. Hughes' unwillingness to play along with the flirtacious ringleader in a bar is part of the reasons he gives for underperforming on the cricket field the next day. If it was such a key part of the social aspect of being a cricketer, then the book had to include it, although he is just as keen to make clear he fancies women in books he wrote more than a decade later too.
The honesty was also refreshing when it came to the county game, as he was critical of the attitudes of some second XI players and the facilities at outgrounds. There was none of the footballer reverence for the fans, other than for the atmosphere in big, well-attended matches, or a certain type of spectator who attracted the male gaze. This frankness was also the cause of the major annoyance I had with the book, when Hughes would pithily blame an aspect of attitude or behaviour on why England were so bad on the international stage. If he was right, there was no supporting argument or evidence to back it up, so you would just get a single line like "Hughes spent more time worrying about the length of John Emburey's cock than the length of his deliveries and he wonders why he didn't play for England." It seems unlikely to me that the attitude of the English in the 80s was any better when they were beating Australia home and away.
What marked this out from other diaries was that this didn't tell the reader what it was like to play cricket, but the overall experience of being a cricketer. In the 80s, this meant a faintly precarious existence that wasn't financially rewarding but was generally more pleasant than proper work, but it made it more interesting to read about.
January 8, 2018
Having watched Simon Hughes for some years fulfilling his role as "The Analyst" on Test Match coverage this was always going to be an interesting read.
This book takes a brisk clip through the author's career as a county cricketer providing rare insight into the way in which 1980's county cricket operated, how cricketers were able to make a career and the challenges that they faced and the way that relationships worked within the dressing room.
The pecking order in the dressing room is a fluid and, at times, unforgiving dynamic and this is admirably illustrated by this book. Those like Hughes who. while an excellent cricketer, was never a star, lived on the fringes of wondering where their next contract would be coming from. The difference in the way players were treated when part of the team and then 12th man (substitute) is eye opening.
This is a good book, I would have enjoyed it even more if the pace had been a little more measured through the story but for any cricket fan this is a good read.
This book takes a brisk clip through the author's career as a county cricketer providing rare insight into the way in which 1980's county cricket operated, how cricketers were able to make a career and the challenges that they faced and the way that relationships worked within the dressing room.
The pecking order in the dressing room is a fluid and, at times, unforgiving dynamic and this is admirably illustrated by this book. Those like Hughes who. while an excellent cricketer, was never a star, lived on the fringes of wondering where their next contract would be coming from. The difference in the way players were treated when part of the team and then 12th man (substitute) is eye opening.
This is a good book, I would have enjoyed it even more if the pace had been a little more measured through the story but for any cricket fan this is a good read.
June 3, 2019
Simon Hughes' humorous take on the cricket scene of the 1980s and 1990s gives an insiders view of the English county game. Generously sprinkled with famous names and anecdotes, 'A Lot of Hard Yakka' more importantly tells it like it is for the regular county player who never receives that call to play for England... Yet Hughes' was no bit player and regularly turned out for a Middlesex side that won 4 County Championships, 3 Gillette/Nat West Trophies and 2 Benson & Hedges Cups. Highly enjoyable!
April 6, 2020
Enjoyed this book, published in 1997, four years after his retirement. Honest insight into the county game in the 1980s, dressing room banter and a lot of good stories, some about pretty unprofessional behaviour, some by the author.
December 13, 2022
Why isn’t professional sport still like this. Too much blimin money involved, that’s why. And the internet…. Great book with some great tales…. reminded me of some of the incidents we had on our great cup run in the midweek league back in ‘94….
September 17, 2018
This is a fairly pedestrian plod through a career with no great insights or shocking anecdotes but it is a pleasant enough read.
May 5, 2019
Gives you a look into the life of a county cricketer. Good read if you are into cricket.
May 25, 2020
An interesting "warts and all" account of being an English county cricketer in the 80-90s. Easy to read, with plenty of examples of the behaviour and mindset of such sportsmen.
July 15, 2020
Superb
A really fascinating and insightful read that is full of fantastic insight. You feel also the brutal honesty in the words.
A really fascinating and insightful read that is full of fantastic insight. You feel also the brutal honesty in the words.
February 22, 2022
Read a number of years ago. Good read and funny. Only just remembered to add to my shelves.
October 6, 2024
An open and honest account of life as a county cricketer x
March 19, 2020
So good for it
September 28, 2017
For those of us who were made to endure the spectacle of the England cricket team throughout the 1990's, Simon Hughes provides us with compelling reasons for the team's dismal performances.
During the mid 70’s and throughout the 80’s, the West Indies revolutionised the game with aggressive, physical fast bowling. During the 1990's Australia introduced a new intensity to cricket. While sports science, nutrition (which in truth might have side stepped Shane Warne), cricket academies, were all being utilised by England’s antipodean adversaries. Meanwhile, back in England, at the home of cricket, Lords, a young Philip Clive Roderick "Phil" Tufnell could be found smoking cigarettes in the Middlesex changing rooms. Pre-season training was more concerned with eating than the honing of cat like reflexes. And, on one occasion the author hastily dons his pads to act as night watchman, after having spent too much of his afternoon in the ground's beer tents. The rest of the world got serious about cricket while the English mentality still believed that a good range of cakes during the tea interval, was just as important as selecting bowlers who complimented one another.
Hughes tells his story of having played English County Cricket for over a decade. It's a very straight forward, easy to read account, but also one that feels imbued with genuine degree of honesty and self deprecation. While many cricket books might be able to wax more lyrically about the game, Hughes presents a very much warts and all narrative to provide the reader with a glimpse of a sport whose professionals were poorly paid, and whose behaviour was, on occasions, even worse.
During the mid 70’s and throughout the 80’s, the West Indies revolutionised the game with aggressive, physical fast bowling. During the 1990's Australia introduced a new intensity to cricket. While sports science, nutrition (which in truth might have side stepped Shane Warne), cricket academies, were all being utilised by England’s antipodean adversaries. Meanwhile, back in England, at the home of cricket, Lords, a young Philip Clive Roderick "Phil" Tufnell could be found smoking cigarettes in the Middlesex changing rooms. Pre-season training was more concerned with eating than the honing of cat like reflexes. And, on one occasion the author hastily dons his pads to act as night watchman, after having spent too much of his afternoon in the ground's beer tents. The rest of the world got serious about cricket while the English mentality still believed that a good range of cakes during the tea interval, was just as important as selecting bowlers who complimented one another.
Hughes tells his story of having played English County Cricket for over a decade. It's a very straight forward, easy to read account, but also one that feels imbued with genuine degree of honesty and self deprecation. While many cricket books might be able to wax more lyrically about the game, Hughes presents a very much warts and all narrative to provide the reader with a glimpse of a sport whose professionals were poorly paid, and whose behaviour was, on occasions, even worse.
February 5, 2013
Hard Yakka is a book I have been meaning to read for probably 15 years and I finally got around to it. I love this style of writing - humerous, self-deprecating and providing an insight into a world we probably never otherwise see.
Pretty much a book of its time, covering the late 80s and early to mid 90s. I would be interested to learn how things have changed on the county circuit since then, as the game has become more professional and the money has risen, not to mention the new forms of the game that are played these days.
However this was one for my generation in that we get to learn a lot about playing at Middlesex in those times under Brearley, Gatting, Downton et. al. and I found it very amusing and easy to read.
There is nothing particularly deep or profound here, but rather an eye-openng look at the game as played on the county circuit by a self-confessed journeyman who was good, but never played for England. Although it is arguable an autobio it is more about the game than about SH and it is funny in all the right places.
Pretty much a book of its time, covering the late 80s and early to mid 90s. I would be interested to learn how things have changed on the county circuit since then, as the game has become more professional and the money has risen, not to mention the new forms of the game that are played these days.
However this was one for my generation in that we get to learn a lot about playing at Middlesex in those times under Brearley, Gatting, Downton et. al. and I found it very amusing and easy to read.
There is nothing particularly deep or profound here, but rather an eye-openng look at the game as played on the county circuit by a self-confessed journeyman who was good, but never played for England. Although it is arguable an autobio it is more about the game than about SH and it is funny in all the right places.
April 3, 2008
I really don't believe that I had heard of Simon Hughes until I read his books. He later turned up as an analyst on Channel 4's cricket coverage.
However, his skill in producing a perfectly created, hillarious book about his cricket exploits is brilliant.....
My favourite quote from the book is of John Emburey [famed English spinner] who noticed that his bat was broken and so eloquently stated "the f**king f**kers f**king f**ked". Thereby proving that cricketers are just as verbose as their footballing colleagues.
However, his skill in producing a perfectly created, hillarious book about his cricket exploits is brilliant.....
My favourite quote from the book is of John Emburey [famed English spinner] who noticed that his bat was broken and so eloquently stated "the f**king f**kers f**king f**ked". Thereby proving that cricketers are just as verbose as their footballing colleagues.
February 18, 2011
This is a cracking read for any cricket fan. Since leaving the game Simon is one of the best cricketing commentators in the game. If you're wondering why then read this book. He tells the story of his career in county cricket. (I loved the stories of Gatting's famous breakfasts.) Simon was not good enough for the test team but he still got to play State cricket in Australia. A thumbs up from me if you like your cricket.
April 16, 2016
Great stories from the life of a county cricketer in the days when the game was an extension of being good at sport at school, when fitness was about how many beers you could fit in with lunch and before sports science reared its ugly head!
February 14, 2021
Reread this and it’s still a classic. Books by the more journeyman sportsman are generally better than the ones by the superstars, and this is no exception. Now a fun little time capsule of cricket before T20 as well.
Read
July 23, 2007what life is all about.
July 26, 2011
It's a shame Hughes didn't play cricket as well as he writes....otherwise he'd have got 50 caps!
June 12, 2013
Honest and insightful and quite funny in places
May 4, 2012
If you are a cricket lover and follower of english county cricket you will enjoy this.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews