Cricket is undoubtedly the elegant game, occupying a long-established and distinguished position in the annals of sporting history. Played by gentlemen the world over, the word cricket may derive from the Anglo-Saxon word cricc, meaning a staff or crutch - giving us a game played with a long wooden implement - and the first (reliable) mention dates back to Guildford in the 16th century. No-Balls and Googlies uncovers the origins of this captivating game, and explores its traditions, records, milestones and memorable moments through a fascinating array of facts and figures, anecdotes and curiosities. For example, did you know that the Hambledon Club of Hampshire, founded around 1767, is generally perceived as cricket's spiritual home? Or that British and Australian troops conducted their own Desert Ashes series in Iraq in 2005? Or perhaps an England XI's first overseas tour was to the United States? From the leg glance to leg before, king pair to cover drive, and from the no-ball to the googly, this book is sure to entertain, inform and delight.