Hoggy: Welcome to My World - Hardcover

Hoggard, Matthew

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0007281293 ISBN 13: 9780007281299

Publisher: HarperSport, 2009

Synopsis

The quintessential barking-mad Yorkshire cricketer, 'Hoggy's' record-breaking bowling exploits for England allied to his humorous, uniquely oddball yet hugely endearing attitude to sport and life makes this essential reading for all lovers of the game.

Matthew Hoggard is the sort of character you find in war films: dependable, dog-loving, salt of the earth and very British.

He is the fast bowler who would run in all day, the intelligent, committed team player on the field and the class clown of the England dressing room. He grew up wanting to be a vet, but instead became a pivotal figure in one of the most successful periods English cricket has ever known, culminating in the extraordinary Ashes victory in 2005. His stature in the game was such that he played in 40 consecutive Tests and was ranked as high as No 4 in the world’s best bowlers.

Much like the way he plays the game, Hoggy’s book is a laid-back and eccentric, heartwarming yet totally barmy journey through cricket and beyond. If you’re looking for a measured chronological account of a typical cricketer’s career, then look away now. The night that Hoggy arm-wrestled the entire Sri Lankan cricket team, why Dolly Parton is underrated a s a bowling coach, who was Jack the Snipper and what was Andrew Flintoff doing up at 3am in the morning...these and other stories abound, proving there is no other current English sportsman to compare with Hoggy.

About this title

Review:

Hoggard on Hoggard: 'I’m from Yorkshire. I say what I like and I like what I bloody well say. I'm not one for beating around the bush, I am not politically correct...’

‘Hoggy’s a man devoted to his wife, his two dogs – and speaking his mind’ The Times

‘Hoggard's presence brings the sort of pleasant comfort that comes with a favourite armchair, fireside and a good book’ Guardian

‘He’s my favourite cricketer...he’s got lots of spirit and plays the game in the right way’ Johnny Borrell, lead singer of Razorlight

Synopsis:

The quintessential barking-mad Yorkshire cricketer, 'Hoggy's' record-breaking bowling exploits for England allied to his humorous, uniquely oddball yet hugely endearing attitude to sport and life makes this essential reading for all lovers of the game. Matthew Hoggard is the sort of character you find in war films: dependable, dog-loving, salt of the earth and very British. Ask most real English cricket lovers who their favourite player is, and most would say not Freddie Flintoff, not Kevin Pietersen and not Michael Vaughan, but Matthew Hoggard. He was always seen as the honest trundler who eschewed the trappings of modern sports celebrity. But then came the 2005 Ashes series and his transformation from willing workhorse to England spearhead bowler. Since that epic summer he has taken more wickets, more often and more cheaply, than his feted team-mates and was only recently ranked fifth among current world Test bowlers. Much like the way he plays the game, Hoggy's book is a laid-back and eccentric, heartwarming yet totally barmy journey through cricket and beyond. If you're looking for a measured chronological account of a typical cricketer's career, then look away now.Imaginary walks with his dogs Billy and Molly while on tour; leaving the dinner table to wander among the hedgerows; a pub legend, with a special brand of beer named after his batting exploits (Marston's Nightwatchman Bitter); accosting venemous snakes on the boundary fence; impersonations of his baby son Ernie while patrolling the outfield.

..there is no other current English sportsman to compare with Hoggy.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperSport
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0007281293
• ISBN 13: 9780007281299
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352