Cricket's Historians

278 Biographies Multiply Father of Modern Sport , about C.W.Alcock were more profound. His most recent book is a biography of George Lohmann. David Frith had three books published, all of which have an Anglo- Australian flavour. The first, in 1994, Stoddy’s Mission , was devoted to the 1894-95 England tour to Australia and effectively expanded a section of Frith’s earlier biography of A.E.Stoddart. In 1999 came The Trail Blazers , which related H.H.Stephenson’s tour to Australia and the third was Bodyline Autopsy , which should be, but won’t be, the final word on the England tour of 1932-33. In between all this work came the sacking of Frith as editor of the magazine he had founded, Wisden Cricket Monthly, in 1996. The following year he had published Caught England, Bowled Australia , his autobiography. In 1990 his book By His Own Hand contained essays on noted cricketers who had committed suicide (expanded and updated as The Silence of The Heart in 2001). It is appropriate here to bring the saga of the mainstream English cricket magazines up to date. Frith left Wisden Cricket Monthly in March 1996. John-Paul Getty had bought the Wisden Almanack in 1993 and, it is rumoured, unknowingly acquired Frith’s magazine at the same time. Frith’s autobiography gives a blow-by-blow account of the next three years, ending in his departure. Steven Lynch, who had been Frith’s assistant editor since January 1986, was a cricket ‘nut’. Born in Surrey in 1957, he had joined the staff of M.C.C. at Lord’s on leaving school and by 1979 had been appointed M.C.C. Office Manager. He first came to notice by winning the difficult annual quiz of the magazine in three successive years. His first letter to The Cricketer had been published in January 1974, regarding bowlers no-balled for throwing. Lynch has remained with the Wisden organization ever since. From the magazine he moved on to the internet site, Wisden.com and then to CricInfo when that merged with Wisden.com. He was the editor of those sites, a feature of which for some ten years has been the ‘Ask Steven’ section. Lynch is currently Deputy Editor of the Wisden Almanack. . Two subjects which have never ceased to interest cricket writers are Hambledon and W.G.Grace. Three books on the former have appeared