Through the Caribbean: The MCC Tour of the West Indies, 1959-1960

Description

In 1960, against most predictions, the England cricket team won their first ever series in the West Indies. Even against a home side boasting Hall and Watson, Worrell, Sobers and Ramadhin, the visitors - fuelled by the bowling of Trueman and Statham and a batting order including Dexter, Barrington and Subba Row - emerged triumphant over five tests. Alan Ross describes the action in graphic detail, including some violent scenes at Port-of-Spain. And as always he paints vivid pictures in words of all that he saw outside of the cricket grounds, from Spanish Town, Jamaica, to Nelson's dockyard in Antigua, and the carnival in Trinidad. 'Alan Ross has established himself as one of the most graceful and cultured of cricket writers.' Times

Alan Ross (1922-2001) was a poet, writer, journalist, editor and publisher. In fact, he was a man of letters par excellence. Born in India, educated in England, he joined the Royal Navy in the Second World War and endured the Arctic convoys to Russia. Alan Ross took over The London Magazine (the definite article was later dropped) from John Lehmann and revitalized it. There, it has been said, 'he simplified as well as unified contemporary culture by the clarity of his unique editorial taste. He also discovered many new talents.' His writing embraced poetry, cricket journalism, biography, autobiography, criticism and travel writing. Many of his titles are to be reissued in Faber Finds.