Stiff Upper Lips & Baggy Green Caps: A Sledger's History of the Ashes

by Simon Briggs

Peppered with bouncers, expletives, and even the odd diplomatic incident, this is a rip-roaring journey through over a century of Ashes history. For a list of every Ashes century and five-wicket haul, try Wisden, but if you want to know which England batsman was a martyr to syphilis and which Australian fast bowler reckoned the Queen had 'nice legs for an old Sheila', then read on...Stiff Upper Lips and Baggy Green Caps exposes the seamy side of Ashes cricket. It gives the inside story behind controversies from the Bodyline series of 1932-33 and the Lillee and Thomson blitzkrieg of 1974-75, right up to the unseemly modern spats that ensure that this biannual frenzy of backbiting, finger-pointing and dubious facial hair remains one of the great events of the sporting calendar.

Genres: Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published October 19, 2006

Reviews

[Steve Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for an exhaustive history of the Ashes then this is not the book you are looking for; it does however contain all the relevant highlights right up to England's disastrous whitewash down under in 2006/07. All the heroes and villains; the triumphs and tragedies and scandal after scandal are dealt with. Simon Briggs writes with an easy and enjoyable style that is incisive, witty and gripping to make a thoroughly enjoyable book that all cricket fans - especially those that actually care who holds the Ashes - should read.

[Nick Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read - the format of the book felt slightly tabloid with numerous 'summary boxes', quotes in a big font repeated later in the main text, and large photographs - but not an unenjoyable one. There were plenty of quirky and funny moments, and a good attempt to try and illustrate the changes in the England-Australia cricket rivalry as well as in the game in general.

It's a decent brief history of The Ashes, but no more than that - I felt the author chose to frame/title this as 'a sledger's history' not because it was particularly focussed on the verbal warfare between the two teams, but because it didn't choose to end up (or wasn't capable of) going into the level of detail and statistics that a 'proper' history of this intense competitive struggle would perhaps deserve.

I did however only pay 50p for it from a charity shop, and it adequately filled my Good Friday commute, so I can't be too critical.

[James Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really fun read from childhood. Always a pleasure to read this every few years, and gives a great history of the ashes at lively pace and with an entertaining tone

[Kaustubh Dudhane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply superb... a reason why Ashes is so interesting.