Elif Şafak talks to Maureen Freely at Cambridge Literary Festival, Saturday, November 24th Her latest book Three Daughters of Eve is set in Oxford and Istanbul and focusses on three Muslim women, several men, and one big question. Two university cities, both equally celebrated. But one of them far outpaces the other as a… Continue reading
Celebrate Stonehenge’s saviours, but don’t ignore the bigger story
100 years today (26 October 1918) Cecil Chubb, a Wiltshire barrister and landowner, and his wife, Mary, gave Stonehenge to the nation. Saving the monument from who knows what damage and desecration to the stones and the surrounding land is a public spirited gesture to be celebrated. But even under government control, Stonehenge is not… Continue reading →
Sobers six hit perfection at Swansea: That was the Day
50 years today, on Saturday, August 31st, 1968, Garfield Sobers became the first player in the history of cricket to hit every ball of an over for six. I was lucky enough to have been there. Sobers was captaining Nottinghamshire that day, in a county game against Glamorgan. His feat, which no other batsman had… Continue reading →
Garfield Sobers – genius on a Swansea cricket pitch
Garfield Sobers, by any estimation, was a genius. England fast bowler Fred Trueman described him as a “sublime left-hand batsman” who was “one of the greatest cricketers ever to have graced the game, certainly the greatest all-rounder”. This is the sixth in a series of extracts I am publishing in the lead up to the 50th… Continue reading →
Sobers’ six sixes ground – where tide tables dictated the bowling
“The incoming tide was said to favour the bowlers [at St Helens]. Glamorgan captains of the past such as Wilf Wooller and Maurice Turnbull would consult the tide tables for Swansea Bay before going out to take the toss.” How Garfield Sobers beat cricket’s ultimate record. Extract 5. This is the fifth in a series… Continue reading →
Swansea the setting for cricket history
How Garfield Sobers beat cricket’s ultimate record. Extract 4. This is the fourth in a series of extracts I shall be publishing in August in the lead up to the 50th anniversary of the day, Saturday, August 31st, when Garfield Sobers became the… Continue reading →