Not Dark Yet: A Very Funny Book About a Very Serious Game Paperback – 17 Mar 2008

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Review ------ Of similar books, it's the best - Charles Randall, Daily Telegraph Cricket Correspondent A worthy addition to the world of cricket humour - Sir Tim Rice Book of the month - All Out Cricket Magazine Highly recommended - 334 Not Out I laughed so much I nearly passed my fags round - David Lloyd Very entertaining and enjoyable - Christopher Martin Jenkins A marvellously evocative portrayal of village cricket - Steve Knowles The gentle, droll evocation of the pleasures of cricket - Wisden Cricketer Synopsis -------- Of all the books about cricket, Mike Harfield's "Not Dark Yet" brings a rare authenticity to the subject. This is a book by a genuine cricketer and a genuine cricket fan with a talent for capturing the spirit of this special game in his witty prose. David Lloyd, aka Bumble, laughed so much he agreed to write the Foreword. He even showed the book to Christopher Martin-Jenkins who found it 'very entertaining and enjoyable'. Reading the book raises the spirits with its cheerful jollity. The mixture of banter and eclectic cricketing information carries the reader along, making for both easy and captivating reading. Loosely based around Mike Harfield's captaincy of a cricket XI over 30 years, Not Dark Yet is both the humorous story of his team's efforts and his often irreverent take on first-class and international cricket. For 30 years the Mike Harfield XI has withstood atrocious umpiring, dreadful hangovers, bad haircuts and a woeful lack of talent, only to encounter an even greater adversity - middle age. Spiced with humour and plenty of banter about fellow team-mates and international players alike, their captain's tales convey an authentic picture of one team's endeavours, to which cricketers and non cricketers will easily relate. About the Author ---------------- Mike Harfield used to work for a large multi-national company (think Tony Curtis talking to Marilyn Monroe on the beach in Some Like it Hot). He was made redundant in the early 1990s. After a while, the company thought that it had made a mistake and so asked him back. A few years later they realised that actually it hadn't been a mistake, and made him redundant again. For this last act he was, and continues to be, eternally grateful. It enabled him to watch virtually every ball of the 2005 Ashes series and write Not Dark Yet. Every cloud has a silver lining, except of course when it brings rain to prevent an England victory. During the summer he plays cricket for the Ash Tree CC at Prestbury in Cheshire (except for one weekend when he can be found at Clifton Hampden). Foreword by David Lloyd (Lancashire, England and Sky Commentator)