Bill Edrich. Cricket Legend, War Hero, Footballer, Hellraiser

DEREK HODGSON CRICKET BOOK OF THE YEAR - THE CRICKET MEDIA CLUB AWARDS

BILL EDRICH'S STORY IS ONE OF CRICKET VICTORIES, EXPLOSIVE CONTROVERSIES, WARTIME GLORY AND A LIFE LIVED TO THE FULLEST  

571 first-class matches from 1934 to 1958. 36,965 runs. 29th on all-time lists. 86 centuries. 479 wickets. Bill Edrich was one of the biggest cricket stars of his time along with Denis Compton and Len Hutton. He even played football for Norwich City and Tottenham Hotspur during the 1930s.  

Award-winning writer Leo McKinstry recounts Edrich's audacity both as a cricketer and an RAF pilot. Edrich's flying prowess brought him a promotion to Squadron Leader and won him the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) after his part in a courageous daylight raid over Cologne in August 1941.  

The same action-filled intensity applied to his turbulent private life. A man of keen amorous enthusiasms, he was married five times but rarely allowed his ardour to be inhibited by any wedding vows. Equally unrestrained was his fondness for alcohol and partying, though this trait brought him into conflict with both the cricket and the judicial authorities. After one particularly exuberant display of intoxication during a home Test match, he even lost his place in the England team, only to return for the famous Ashes triumph of 1953.  

SHORTLISTED FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 2025 CRICKET BOOK OF THE YEAR