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Penguins Stopped Play: Eleven Village Cricketers Take on the World
'Completely brilliant' Ian Hislop
It seemed a simple enough idea at the to assemble a team of eleven men to play cricket on each of the seven continents of the globe.
Except - hold on a minute - that's not a simple idea at all . And when you throw in incompetent airline officials, amorous Argentine Colonels' wives, cunning Bajan drug dealers, gay Australian waiters, overzealous American anti-terrorist police, idiot Welshmen dressed as Santa Claus, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and whole armies of pitch-invading Antarctic penguins, you quickly arrive at a whole lot more than you bargained for.
Harry Thompson's hilarious book tells the story of one of those great idiotic enterprises that only an Englishman could have dreamed up, and only a bunch of Englishmen could possibly have wished to carry out.
It seemed a simple enough idea at the to assemble a team of eleven men to play cricket on each of the seven continents of the globe.
Except - hold on a minute - that's not a simple idea at all . And when you throw in incompetent airline officials, amorous Argentine Colonels' wives, cunning Bajan drug dealers, gay Australian waiters, overzealous American anti-terrorist police, idiot Welshmen dressed as Santa Claus, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and whole armies of pitch-invading Antarctic penguins, you quickly arrive at a whole lot more than you bargained for.
Harry Thompson's hilarious book tells the story of one of those great idiotic enterprises that only an Englishman could have dreamed up, and only a bunch of Englishmen could possibly have wished to carry out.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
51 people are currently reading
773 people want to read
About the author
Harry Thompson
57 books37 followersHarry William Thompson was an English radio and television producer, comedy writer, novelist and biographer. Early in his career Thompson produced the radio comedy programmes The News Quiz and The Mary Whitehouse Experience. Following his move into television, he produced Newman and Baddiel in Pieces, Harry Enfield and Chums and Monkey Dust, and co-produced Never Mind The Buzzcocks. In 1998 he was part of BBC Radio 4's 5-part political satire programme Cartoons, Lampoons, and Buffoons. During these productions he was able to gain exposure for a very large proportion of those who went on to become prominent figures in contemporary British comedy, including: Sacha Baron Cohen, Angus Deayton, Harry Enfield, Ricky Gervais, Nick Hancock, Ian Hislop, Mark Lamarr, Paul Merton and Paul Whitehouse. He was instrumental in the creation of the comic character Ali G for The 11 O'Clock Show, and as a comedy writer his credits included Da Ali G Show.
Thompson wrote biographies of Peter Cook, Richard Ingrams and Tintin creator Hergé. In June 2005, Thompson's only novel, entitled This Thing Of Darkness (a historical novel chronicling the life of Robert Fitzroy - later published in the United States as To The Edge Of The World), was published and long-listed for the Booker prize. He also wrote Penguins Stopped Play, an account of the attempt by his beloved cricket team, The Captain Scott Invitation XI, to tour all seven continents of the world.
Thompson wrote biographies of Peter Cook, Richard Ingrams and Tintin creator Hergé. In June 2005, Thompson's only novel, entitled This Thing Of Darkness (a historical novel chronicling the life of Robert Fitzroy - later published in the United States as To The Edge Of The World), was published and long-listed for the Booker prize. He also wrote Penguins Stopped Play, an account of the attempt by his beloved cricket team, The Captain Scott Invitation XI, to tour all seven continents of the world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 169 reviews
March 4, 2021
It's part cricket book and part travelogue.A book that alternatively bored and amused me.The cricket part is boring,the travel part is much more interesting.
A bunch of English village cricketers play cricket on all seven continents,including Antarctica against opposition of varying strength.
They manage to win one match,while losing all the rest.Along the way,there are misadventures and cock-ups which make for hilarious reading.Some members of the touring party even get arrested.
The book ends on a sad note.The author gets a serious illness.His cricket comes to an end.In fact,the book was published after his death.
But it's remarkable how he kept his sense of humour intact,while battling a fatal disease to finish this book,before his death.
A bunch of English village cricketers play cricket on all seven continents,including Antarctica against opposition of varying strength.
They manage to win one match,while losing all the rest.Along the way,there are misadventures and cock-ups which make for hilarious reading.Some members of the touring party even get arrested.
The book ends on a sad note.The author gets a serious illness.His cricket comes to an end.In fact,the book was published after his death.
But it's remarkable how he kept his sense of humour intact,while battling a fatal disease to finish this book,before his death.
March 22, 2011
I'm so sad I finished this book. I just loved it. I loved the type of humour, the style of writing, and above all I loved the subject matter. I don't believe that anyone not fluent in cricket would enjoy this book half so much.
As I drove back and forth to work over the last few weeks with this audiobook chuntering away in the CD player, I often found myself hooting with laughter. It was just as well I didn't have a paper copy, as I'm sure I would have been unable to resist carrying it with me so I could whip it out and read extracts to unsuspecting friends. And of course, this morning as the book reached its tragic conclusion I found myself crying as I drove (very dangerous, not recommended), even tho I knew what was coming.
If you're not sure if you'll enjoy this book, consider the following extract from the opening chapter:
If you snorted at the Mike Gatting reference, this book is probably for you.
I thought Glen McCready did a wonderful job of reading the book, giving us a range of accents for the great diversity of people we met.
(And a final note - I may be a bit cheeky adding this to my kiwi connection shelf, but if breakfast in Devonport doesn't count I don't know what would.)
As I drove back and forth to work over the last few weeks with this audiobook chuntering away in the CD player, I often found myself hooting with laughter. It was just as well I didn't have a paper copy, as I'm sure I would have been unable to resist carrying it with me so I could whip it out and read extracts to unsuspecting friends. And of course, this morning as the book reached its tragic conclusion I found myself crying as I drove (very dangerous, not recommended), even tho I knew what was coming.
If you're not sure if you'll enjoy this book, consider the following extract from the opening chapter:
A leopard seal, perhaps the most fearsome predator of the southern ocean, hauled itself up on an ice floe to take a gander. Ignore the "seal" bit — think "leopard"... Imagine the head of Ridley Scott's Alien atop the body of Mike Gatting after a particularly hefty tea.
If you snorted at the Mike Gatting reference, this book is probably for you.
I thought Glen McCready did a wonderful job of reading the book, giving us a range of accents for the great diversity of people we met.
(And a final note - I may be a bit cheeky adding this to my kiwi connection shelf, but if breakfast in Devonport doesn't count I don't know what would.)
January 2, 2021
This is one of the funniest books that I have ever read; but it also has some parts that raise other emotions.
Some of the reviewers have mentioned that you do not need to know anything about cricket to enjoy this book, and although this is probably true, a slight understanding of the game would be a benefit. A more essential experience would be ever trying to organise an event with a group of friends: a stag night, a group holiday or even a works outing all seem simple but the number of things that can go wrong is only ever surpassed by the number of things that actually do go wrong.
Much of the book covers the events and experiences of a very mediocre cricket team just getting together to enjoy playing the game for its own sake. Initially all thought of actually winning is a fantasy; many of the players actually take pleasure in sabotaging the match should a victory appear to be imminent in some hilarious and ingenious ways.
Some of the reviewers have mentioned that you do not need to know anything about cricket to enjoy this book, and although this is probably true, a slight understanding of the game would be a benefit. A more essential experience would be ever trying to organise an event with a group of friends: a stag night, a group holiday or even a works outing all seem simple but the number of things that can go wrong is only ever surpassed by the number of things that actually do go wrong.
Much of the book covers the events and experiences of a very mediocre cricket team just getting together to enjoy playing the game for its own sake. Initially all thought of actually winning is a fantasy; many of the players actually take pleasure in sabotaging the match should a victory appear to be imminent in some hilarious and ingenious ways.
February 27, 2016
An utterly delightful book, about the (mis)adventures of a gang of English cricketers who went on the seemingly hare-brained mission to play cricket on every continent in the world.
It is part sports commentary, part humour and part travelogue as you slowly warm up to the rag-tag team, then get angry with them and then cheer them on with a fair degree of exasperation.
The droll humour stays intact right through as the book ends on an unexpected note. And gives you that fleeting glimmer of hope that maybe - just maybe - if we can get all those warmongers, terrorists and corrupt politicians to start playing cricket, all will be well with the world.
It is part sports commentary, part humour and part travelogue as you slowly warm up to the rag-tag team, then get angry with them and then cheer them on with a fair degree of exasperation.
The droll humour stays intact right through as the book ends on an unexpected note. And gives you that fleeting glimmer of hope that maybe - just maybe - if we can get all those warmongers, terrorists and corrupt politicians to start playing cricket, all will be well with the world.
June 4, 2017
This is about cricket, yes, but primarily about humor. You will roll on the floor laughing without knowing almost anything about cricket, and if you know enough you will be chuckling a little more at the odd inside joke here or there. And that is the hallmark of a good sports book, the novice is equally enamored as is the connoisseur.
Harry Thompson started a village cricket team back in his school days, and all they did was lose. Miserably. Intentionally, and otherwise. Two decades of crushing defeats were never enough to crush their love for the game and he and his band of boys (middle aged men) finally decided to do something no one had done before - play cricket matches on every continent, yes, including Antarctica.
The characters are highly relatable if you've played any sport at any amateur level. The love for the game is admirable, especially after the string of misfortunes as has been brilliantly and hilariously described through the 300 pages. While a village team, but since from England, the home of the game and former rulers of the colonial world, they were greeted with an intense sense of history and competition. Thompson's team happily obliged by usually crumbling, and sometimes putting up a fight.
More than the what it's the how that makes this book so thoroughly enjoyable. Will keep an eye out on his next work.
Harry Thompson started a village cricket team back in his school days, and all they did was lose. Miserably. Intentionally, and otherwise. Two decades of crushing defeats were never enough to crush their love for the game and he and his band of boys (middle aged men) finally decided to do something no one had done before - play cricket matches on every continent, yes, including Antarctica.
The characters are highly relatable if you've played any sport at any amateur level. The love for the game is admirable, especially after the string of misfortunes as has been brilliantly and hilariously described through the 300 pages. While a village team, but since from England, the home of the game and former rulers of the colonial world, they were greeted with an intense sense of history and competition. Thompson's team happily obliged by usually crumbling, and sometimes putting up a fight.
More than the what it's the how that makes this book so thoroughly enjoyable. Will keep an eye out on his next work.
November 20, 2017
A pleasant, mildly amusing cricket book about a group of English villagers who succeed in playing cricket in all continents - hence the title, from playing on the ice in Antarctica!
July 7, 2025
Rating: 4/5
A bunch of mediocre cricketers who didn’t make it to their university team—because apparently skill is more important than passion. But instead of giving up, the author puts together his own team of wannabe cricketers with one simple goal: to just play the game.
Who would've thought an amateur village team would actually end up playing on every continent?
Harry’s jokes come naturally. Every time there’s a problem or some chaos, he somehow manages to make it funny. The whole idea of a village team challenging random professionals is completely mad—especially since no host ever saw them as just a bunch of amateurs from an English village. They were taken seriously, which only made things more absurd.
There are also these boyish feuds and silly arguments among the teammates that feel very real and add to the charm.
The only tough part? His English is a bit too polished. If your vocabulary isn’t great (like mine), some parts can slow you down. Also, the playing XI keeps changing throughout the book, so it’s hard to keep track of who’s who.
Still, it’s a fun, unusual story about cricket, travel, and doing something just because you love it.
A bunch of mediocre cricketers who didn’t make it to their university team—because apparently skill is more important than passion. But instead of giving up, the author puts together his own team of wannabe cricketers with one simple goal: to just play the game.
Who would've thought an amateur village team would actually end up playing on every continent?
Harry’s jokes come naturally. Every time there’s a problem or some chaos, he somehow manages to make it funny. The whole idea of a village team challenging random professionals is completely mad—especially since no host ever saw them as just a bunch of amateurs from an English village. They were taken seriously, which only made things more absurd.
There are also these boyish feuds and silly arguments among the teammates that feel very real and add to the charm.
The only tough part? His English is a bit too polished. If your vocabulary isn’t great (like mine), some parts can slow you down. Also, the playing XI keeps changing throughout the book, so it’s hard to keep track of who’s who.
Still, it’s a fun, unusual story about cricket, travel, and doing something just because you love it.
December 29, 2011
Greater than the sum of its parts and the closest a book has ever brought me to crying. One of the best sports books ever written.
This is part travelogue, part memoir of a village cricketer and part world record attempt handbook. It excels when describing and discussing that most writable of sports, cricket; however, in describing the colourful characters and cities that Thompson encountered it is no less impressive. The fact that it is factual belies the wonderful narrative of Thompson’s cricketing life and, at times, it would have been more enjoyable if the tales it tells were fictional. Indeed, the end would have been immeasurably so.
To anyone who loves travel, boys on tour stories, well written non-fiction or, above all, cricket: Read this book. Read it now.
This is part travelogue, part memoir of a village cricketer and part world record attempt handbook. It excels when describing and discussing that most writable of sports, cricket; however, in describing the colourful characters and cities that Thompson encountered it is no less impressive. The fact that it is factual belies the wonderful narrative of Thompson’s cricketing life and, at times, it would have been more enjoyable if the tales it tells were fictional. Indeed, the end would have been immeasurably so.
To anyone who loves travel, boys on tour stories, well written non-fiction or, above all, cricket: Read this book. Read it now.
December 25, 2018
Laugh-out-loud funny tales of cricketing (and other) incompetence. Most of it is relatable to anyone who’s tried to organise any kind of a disparate group in any kind of joint endeavour, although I did find myself checking the fielding positions chart to remind myself where deep midwicket is.
Then the last few pages
Then the last few pages
June 3, 2024
Though the nature of this book was always going to restrict how varied it could be (village cricket club plays a series of matches around the World) as there's only so much mileage you can get from describing games and men getting up to shenanigans in foreign cities, the author's wit and likeable nature meant this worked for me. There was enough character of the places they visited, the men who shared this journey, the appeal of the game, to make this a light but enjoyable read - for all that the passing of the author soon after completing the book gave this a sad end.
January 18, 2022
It’s unbelievably nerdy around cricket. And I love it.
July 12, 2017
Wonderful book describing the travels and travails of an English village cricket team. I've posted a more detailed review here:
http://cricket-stalker.blogspot.in/20...
http://cricket-stalker.blogspot.in/20...
May 31, 2023
Tales of a cricket tour, talk tales presumably, that should really be kept for more drunken nights of the tourists, and anyone else who was unlucky enough to get caught up in it. The tourists themselves weren’t described beyond their caricatures, none of them likeable and several obnoxious, each stopover consisted of a brief travel guide, high jinks and a game of cricket that was inevitably lost (with one exception), all written in a smug, consciously looking for laughs, style. The early part of the book, before the world tour, was a little less boring, telling of the establishment of the club, a sort of Oxford/BBC/Surrey take of people who live cricket but love themselves more. Very disappointing.
July 27, 2014
This is a thoroughly entertaining travelogue about a village cricket team, optimistically called the Captain Scott XI. Having played up and down England and adventured to a few other countries, they decide to play their way around the world.
Harry Thompson captains the team and has played in Antarctica when he happened to be there, so he sets out to be the first person to play cricket on all seven continents. Taking a long New Year break he and the team head off on appallingly mismanaged flights and cram the matches against Barbados, South Africa and elsewhere into the schedule.
I laughed out loud every evening that I read this book. I know as much about cricket as you could write on a matchbox. As with Michael Green's The Art of Coarse Rugby, however, it's the participation that counts, not the rule book. I am very sure that cricketing aficionados will get more out of this than I did, but don't let that stop the non-sporty folks from reading it too.
Thompson worked for the BBC and drops names such as Hugh Laurie and Hugh Grant into the tale, focusing on how they played cricket when they turned out one Saturday, but the real stars are the varied characters who make up the team.
I was really saddened by the end where we learn that the author died of cancer shortly after finishing the copy-edits. However it makes us understand that if there is anything we want to do in life, we should just go ahead and do it.
Harry Thompson captains the team and has played in Antarctica when he happened to be there, so he sets out to be the first person to play cricket on all seven continents. Taking a long New Year break he and the team head off on appallingly mismanaged flights and cram the matches against Barbados, South Africa and elsewhere into the schedule.
I laughed out loud every evening that I read this book. I know as much about cricket as you could write on a matchbox. As with Michael Green's The Art of Coarse Rugby, however, it's the participation that counts, not the rule book. I am very sure that cricketing aficionados will get more out of this than I did, but don't let that stop the non-sporty folks from reading it too.
Thompson worked for the BBC and drops names such as Hugh Laurie and Hugh Grant into the tale, focusing on how they played cricket when they turned out one Saturday, but the real stars are the varied characters who make up the team.
I was really saddened by the end where we learn that the author died of cancer shortly after finishing the copy-edits. However it makes us understand that if there is anything we want to do in life, we should just go ahead and do it.
June 22, 2009
This book has the ability to make you look very silly as you stifle a smirk on the bus so that people will not think you are mad - while reading on another joke makes you try and stifle the urge to laugh out loud causing snot to shoot from one's nose, making you look extemely silly!
Great book, heart renching ending - even though it's the second time I have read this I laughed heartily and cried miserably once again.
I would recommend this to everyone who has a sense of humour, even if the subject of cricket puts you off. Yes, there are lots of bits about cricket - but there is alot more to it than that.
Read, enjoy and carry a tissue for the snot.
Great book, heart renching ending - even though it's the second time I have read this I laughed heartily and cried miserably once again.
I would recommend this to everyone who has a sense of humour, even if the subject of cricket puts you off. Yes, there are lots of bits about cricket - but there is alot more to it than that.
Read, enjoy and carry a tissue for the snot.
January 19, 2012
The author was an amateur cricketer and a writer of TV comedy. The book is his memoir of his cricket team, focused upon an all-continent tour taken by his team, playing a game at every stop. This book was laugh-out-loud funny at many points, but much of the humour would be lost on non-cricket fans. I suspect that some of the anecdotes are made up, and certain that others are exaggerated, but I'll forgive that. Thompson had a real issue with British Airways, and I really liked his account of their time in Perth. Not deep by any means, but one to pass around your friends. Rated PG for frequent coarse language. 3.5/5
April 16, 2016
Five stars? I shock myself. Let me explain. First, it has one of the most outstanding and memorable openings I've ever read. (Seriously - I rate it as good as the first paragraph of Titus Groan.) Second, it is a non-fiction account regarding a sport I neither understand nor like. However, the book is also about the people, the mad adventures they get up to, the triumphs and tragedies - and about sheer endurance and enthusiasm in the face tribulation and frequent disasters. I love this book! and wish I hadn't read it so I can read it for the first time today.
March 6, 2014
Read by Nicholas Boulton.
Broadcast on:
BBC Radio 7, 2:45pm Monday 1st March 2010
Duration:
15 minutes
Available until:
3:02pm Monday 8th March 2010
Categories:
Comedy, Sport, Cricket
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2019
On the surface of it, right up my alley. a group of hopeless cricketers play their way around the world. But even though it's only thirteen years old this lads on tour narrative already seems dated. Women exist to be shagged, scores are there to be settled. Couldn't get on with it in the end, I'm afraid.
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January 8, 2016
[Short review from memory until I re-read and re-review at a later date:
I truly loved this book and it was so devastating at the end, but I can remember little of it, I think because it's not a novel but a story, really. It might take a while to re-read, though D: Sadness.]
I truly loved this book and it was so devastating at the end, but I can remember little of it, I think because it's not a novel but a story, really. It might take a while to re-read, though D: Sadness.]
June 22, 2022
It was amusing in an "have I got news for you" fashion, but became a over reliant on one's having watched the same TV shows as him, and knowing all about famous cricketers and whatever.
Too "in crowd" for me then. But I should have expected that.
Too "in crowd" for me then. But I should have expected that.
April 11, 2011
Oh I just loved, loved, loved this book. Laugh out loud funny in many places (but you have to be a cricket fan to appreciate it properly) but with the absolute saddest ending.
June 20, 2012
Loved it, if you love cricket you'll love this. Or even if you don't. It's very funny.
January 27, 2020
Second run through and still in my top 5 books of all time. Wonderful.
February 23, 2020
Amusing but repetitive.
April 18, 2020
I don’t like cricket, I don’t understand cricket but I loved this book.
January 10, 2024
I found this a curate's egg of a book. It's about a bunch of useless cricketers who set off to play a match on every continent. It's light, mindless and easy fun.
Some of the stories made me laugh out loud, yet some of the comedy and attitudes irritated me profoundly. Similarly, some of the characters in the book were delightful, but there were also so many incredibly unpleasant people in the book, including amongst the author's teammates, that I found myself questioning his judgement of character.
That is a related issue to the one which caused me most problems with the book, namely that I didn't particularly warm to the author. Aside from surrounding himself with arseholes, he also managed to land himself in so many difficult situations that I found it hard to get away from the fact that the common factor in his misadventures and the litany of unpleasant people he encountered was him.
The book is of a different era, though without seeming dated. He tells a story of watching a particular cricket match on Indian TV. Coincidentally I watched the same match on Indian TV from almost the same location. That was 36 years before I read the book, which shows quite how long ago the events described took place. The book in fact covers a period of something like 27 years, ending in 2005.
A recurring theme of the book is the team inadvertently being pitted against far superior opposition, including a national team. I'm tempted to say that this wouldn't happen in the Internet age, but it's exactly what happened to my wife's no-hoper park women's football team who went to Madrid for a weekend and unexpectedly found themselves being thrashed by a semi-professional team who, unlike them, weren't all sporting hangovers.
Had the events occurred in the Internet age, what could possibly have been avoided might have been some of the organisational cock-ups, particularly the multiple ticketing, routing and visa screw-ups by British Airways, whose performance makes the cricketers seem like Test players in comparison.
I started out liking the book so much that I thought it might merit four stars, but as the jokes wore thinner and my irritation with it grew, that eventually shifted to three stars, and then eventually to two. I don't want to give away any spoilers, so I will simply say that a couple of unexpected and poignant events right at the end of the book caused me to change back to three stars.
Some of the stories made me laugh out loud, yet some of the comedy and attitudes irritated me profoundly. Similarly, some of the characters in the book were delightful, but there were also so many incredibly unpleasant people in the book, including amongst the author's teammates, that I found myself questioning his judgement of character.
That is a related issue to the one which caused me most problems with the book, namely that I didn't particularly warm to the author. Aside from surrounding himself with arseholes, he also managed to land himself in so many difficult situations that I found it hard to get away from the fact that the common factor in his misadventures and the litany of unpleasant people he encountered was him.
The book is of a different era, though without seeming dated. He tells a story of watching a particular cricket match on Indian TV. Coincidentally I watched the same match on Indian TV from almost the same location. That was 36 years before I read the book, which shows quite how long ago the events described took place. The book in fact covers a period of something like 27 years, ending in 2005.
A recurring theme of the book is the team inadvertently being pitted against far superior opposition, including a national team. I'm tempted to say that this wouldn't happen in the Internet age, but it's exactly what happened to my wife's no-hoper park women's football team who went to Madrid for a weekend and unexpectedly found themselves being thrashed by a semi-professional team who, unlike them, weren't all sporting hangovers.
Had the events occurred in the Internet age, what could possibly have been avoided might have been some of the organisational cock-ups, particularly the multiple ticketing, routing and visa screw-ups by British Airways, whose performance makes the cricketers seem like Test players in comparison.
I started out liking the book so much that I thought it might merit four stars, but as the jokes wore thinner and my irritation with it grew, that eventually shifted to three stars, and then eventually to two. I don't want to give away any spoilers, so I will simply say that a couple of unexpected and poignant events right at the end of the book caused me to change back to three stars.
September 1, 2025
#Binge Reviewing my previous Reads #Sports #Cricket
Harry Thompson’s Penguins Stopped Play: Eleven Village Cricketers Take on the World is one of those rare cricket books where the game is less about runs and wickets and more about life, laughter, and the sheer madness of taking amateur sport too seriously (and not seriously at all).
The premise itself is delightful—an eccentric bunch of English village cricketers, far from professional, decide to take their game around the world. What follows is chaos dressed up as cricket: missed flights, collapsing wickets, cultural clashes, and of course, that unforgettable moment when an actual penguin waddles onto the pitch and halts play in Antarctica. It’s less Wisden, more Monty Python, and that’s precisely the charm.
Thompson writes with warmth and comic genius. His tone is nostalgic yet mischievous, as if he knows the whole enterprise is absurd but also strangely noble. Through their bumbling adventures, he captures something pure about cricket—not as a money-spinning machine or high-performance sport, but as a game that binds friends, spawns stories, and carries people across boundaries.
The book is peppered with self-deprecating humor—these aren’t heroes conquering the cricketing world, but everyday eccentrics chasing joy through leather and willow. And yet, there’s something heroic about them, too. Because isn’t this the essence of sport? To play for love, for laughter, for the sheer absurdity of it all.
What touched me most was the undercurrent of poignancy. Harry Thompson, a brilliant writer and producer, passed away not long after finishing this book. That knowledge lends the narrative a bittersweet glow—the laughter echoes with the fragility of life, making the book not just funny, but quietly moving.
If C.L.R. James asked, "What do they know of cricket who only cricket know?, Harry Thompson answers with a grin: They know enough to pack a bag, grab some mates, and play in front of penguins.
This is the kind of book you read with a smile on your face and maybe a lump in your throat by the end. Cricket, comedy, and a little dash of philosophy—served with cucumber sandwiches and chaos.
Harry Thompson’s Penguins Stopped Play: Eleven Village Cricketers Take on the World is one of those rare cricket books where the game is less about runs and wickets and more about life, laughter, and the sheer madness of taking amateur sport too seriously (and not seriously at all).
The premise itself is delightful—an eccentric bunch of English village cricketers, far from professional, decide to take their game around the world. What follows is chaos dressed up as cricket: missed flights, collapsing wickets, cultural clashes, and of course, that unforgettable moment when an actual penguin waddles onto the pitch and halts play in Antarctica. It’s less Wisden, more Monty Python, and that’s precisely the charm.
Thompson writes with warmth and comic genius. His tone is nostalgic yet mischievous, as if he knows the whole enterprise is absurd but also strangely noble. Through their bumbling adventures, he captures something pure about cricket—not as a money-spinning machine or high-performance sport, but as a game that binds friends, spawns stories, and carries people across boundaries.
The book is peppered with self-deprecating humor—these aren’t heroes conquering the cricketing world, but everyday eccentrics chasing joy through leather and willow. And yet, there’s something heroic about them, too. Because isn’t this the essence of sport? To play for love, for laughter, for the sheer absurdity of it all.
What touched me most was the undercurrent of poignancy. Harry Thompson, a brilliant writer and producer, passed away not long after finishing this book. That knowledge lends the narrative a bittersweet glow—the laughter echoes with the fragility of life, making the book not just funny, but quietly moving.
If C.L.R. James asked, "What do they know of cricket who only cricket know?, Harry Thompson answers with a grin: They know enough to pack a bag, grab some mates, and play in front of penguins.
This is the kind of book you read with a smile on your face and maybe a lump in your throat by the end. Cricket, comedy, and a little dash of philosophy—served with cucumber sandwiches and chaos.
May 9, 2024
I had erroneously assumed that this would be about an amateur cricket team going on tour, in a fairly wacky style and reliant on inside jokes. I didn't realise it was by a bona fide comedy writer, and wished I'd found out sooner and read this earlier, because it was very funny.
I was familiar with the Captain Scott Invitational XI from Rain Men and I'm sure some anecdotes were repeated, but on the whole this was more of a travel book featuring a lot of cricket. This was about individual characters, rather than composites, with Thompson as the straight man, but even allowing for some artistic license it was entertaingly done.
The cricket itself was described fairly concisely, and the travelling and extra-curricular activities ended up being most of the content. One way the book seemed dated was the reliance on booking through BA as an agent on the phone, and the incompetence of the airline which just doesn't seem to be part of general culture now. Another way it had dated was a reference to the 'letterbox eyes' of a Yemeni woman, and a feminist accusing Thompson's innocent behaviour as being sexual assault - both topics would be a bit hackneyed now.
This was rare though, as mostly the humour wasn't at any minority's expense but was just good writing, and is slightly less smug than his team-mate's effort, as one might expect from a non-Spectator writer. It would probably have limited value for someone not into cricket, and it could be a bit blokey, but that wasn't an issue for me.
I was familiar with the Captain Scott Invitational XI from Rain Men and I'm sure some anecdotes were repeated, but on the whole this was more of a travel book featuring a lot of cricket. This was about individual characters, rather than composites, with Thompson as the straight man, but even allowing for some artistic license it was entertaingly done.
The cricket itself was described fairly concisely, and the travelling and extra-curricular activities ended up being most of the content. One way the book seemed dated was the reliance on booking through BA as an agent on the phone, and the incompetence of the airline which just doesn't seem to be part of general culture now. Another way it had dated was a reference to the 'letterbox eyes' of a Yemeni woman, and a feminist accusing Thompson's innocent behaviour as being sexual assault - both topics would be a bit hackneyed now.
This was rare though, as mostly the humour wasn't at any minority's expense but was just good writing, and is slightly less smug than his team-mate's effort, as one might expect from a non-Spectator writer. It would probably have limited value for someone not into cricket, and it could be a bit blokey, but that wasn't an issue for me.
June 20, 2017
The story although based on the craziness of sport in general and amateur team sports in particular, is more about travelling and characters. It ends with an emotional reflection on the life of someone that fell in love with the game of cricket despite not being very good at it, and whom had a jolly time and a lot of experiences travelling the world playing it as a hobby and leading a team of characters some of which took the game more seriously than others and some of whom deliberately try to lose games. For the saboteurs the day of cricket is more about the fun bit in the pub after a match, or about annoying the opposition by not putting up much of a fight,or about being good sports, or about annoying a particular team mate for the sake of it or because of a perverse desire to manipulate the recorded cricket statistics in some way.
Once you get over the ridiculousness of cricket, this is a funny story full told with whit and a whiff of hilarious exaggeration. In the end it is deeply emotional and personal and reflects on the life of the author and the adventures he had with his hobby much of which may seemed like a waste of time, but for the story which kind of makes it all worth while.
Before reading the book, I knew quite a lot about cricket. I knew about the characters of the game that are mentioned in the book. I know what it is like to bowl a cricket ball and face a fast delivery and about fielding, but I haven't played much at all and can only vaguely remember padding up at school. Still, I can imagine what it is like to play a full day of village cricket though I have never even bothered to sit and watch a full game. I few times I watched the test match with my brother on the television when we were young. Sometimes I will listen to test match special on the radio and I have been to watch the odd day of a test match. But I am no cricket expert and nor does anyone need to be to enjoy this book which I am sure cricket experts would also enjoy thoroughly. If you know next to nothing about cricket or playing it, you may struggle to get into this book, but if you struggle away I think you will be rewarded much like anyone is who has enjoyed the opportunity to play a game of cricket.
Once you get over the ridiculousness of cricket, this is a funny story full told with whit and a whiff of hilarious exaggeration. In the end it is deeply emotional and personal and reflects on the life of the author and the adventures he had with his hobby much of which may seemed like a waste of time, but for the story which kind of makes it all worth while.
Before reading the book, I knew quite a lot about cricket. I knew about the characters of the game that are mentioned in the book. I know what it is like to bowl a cricket ball and face a fast delivery and about fielding, but I haven't played much at all and can only vaguely remember padding up at school. Still, I can imagine what it is like to play a full day of village cricket though I have never even bothered to sit and watch a full game. I few times I watched the test match with my brother on the television when we were young. Sometimes I will listen to test match special on the radio and I have been to watch the odd day of a test match. But I am no cricket expert and nor does anyone need to be to enjoy this book which I am sure cricket experts would also enjoy thoroughly. If you know next to nothing about cricket or playing it, you may struggle to get into this book, but if you struggle away I think you will be rewarded much like anyone is who has enjoyed the opportunity to play a game of cricket.
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