Tuffers' Alternative Guide to the Ashes

by Phil Tufnell

In this hilarious follow-up to the Sunday Times bestseller Tuffers' Cricket Tales , ex-England cricketer, TV personality and Test Match Special commentator Phil Tufnell offers his unique take on the whole Ashes experience.



Drawing on incidents from his own colourful career and the reminiscences of great English and Aussie cricket characters, both past and present, Tuffers highlights all the elements that make for a truly memorable Ashes series, on and off the pitch.




Heroic performances, personal 'Cat-astrophes', bonkers selections, cultural clashes between Poms and Ockers, slanderous sledges, dubious tactics, odd superstitions, touring high-jinx and nail-biting finishes are all on the agenda as he delves into the 131-year history of a unique sporting institution. Along the way, Tuffers, who played in five Ashes series without ever getting close to getting his hands on the famous urn, aims to discover the key to winning what is the ultimate prize for any English or Australian cricketer



Shot through with his love and knowledge of cricket, Tuffers' Alternative Guide to the Ashes is written with the characteristic cheeky charm which made Phil Tufnell a firm favourite of England's Barmy Army (and a target for good-natured abuse from fans Down Under).



Reviews for Tuffers' Cricket Tales :

'Hilarious' ( Daily Star Sunday )

'Amusing' ( All Out Cricket )

304 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2013

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some entertaining stories of Ashes rivalry, but few new ones.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a bit of a mish-mash of a book, jumping all over the place, both in terms of time and what it covers, but it's good fun to read, and has some spectacularly good stories in it. Tuffers is always a really engaging character and Justyn Barnes has obviously done a good job of getting his voice across. It also helps that Tuffers played in a few Ashes series, so has a fair few of his own stories to add to the mix. He even managed to sneak a joke in there just before the end about the infamous heckle from the crowd in Australia - "Oi Tufnell, lend us your brain. We're building an idiot."

Even better - and what definitely secured 4 stars for me - is that Tuffers signed this book for a friend to give me during the New Zealand Test at Lord's. Said friend had flown all the way from Texas for a day's cricket at Lord's after I bagged some tickets. Tuffers' inscription to me? "Ozzie tickets would have been better!"

[Stephen King · Rating 4 out of 5]

All good harmless stuff. How much of this is actually Tuffers' own work is debatable - but it's an easy read with plenty of laughs.