Raiders of the Caribbean
Ireland's Cricket World Cup
0.3
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Proving the adage that "history is written by the victors", most of the books about the all too forgettable (as far as many events on the field were concerned anyway) 2007 Cricket World Cup are either written by Australians (Ricky Ponting's Captain's Diary for instance) or have a distinct Aussie slant.
But for me, the highlight of the 2007 World Cup was the performance of Ireland. One of the much-maligned "minnows", their presence was criticised by Michael Atherton amongst others (who should remember that the likes of Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands amongst others actually qualified for the competition). Yet Ireland went on to cause probably the biggest upset in World Cup history by beating Pakistan on St. Patrick's Day and ultimately qualifying for the Super 8 stage, whilst at the same time knocking Pakistan out.
Raiders of the Caribbean is the story of the Ireland's World Cup as told by captain Trent Johnston and cricket writer Gerard Siggins.
It is a book that was recommended to me on a recent cricket tour to Dublin. I wasn't disappointed (nor was I in the cricket I played in Ireland – one of the many highlights was playing against Kenny Carroll, a member of the Irish World Cup team).
Cricketing diaries are often written by those for whom the game is just a day at the office, easily becoming something of a "tread-mill". For me, the best diaries are those when the author experiences something outside the norm: a maiden test cap for instance (the highlight of Ed Smith's excellent On and Off the Field was his test call-up against the 2003 South Africans), or in the case of Raiders of the Caribbean, playing against the big boys in the World Cup. If you are a park club cricketer, imagine suddenly playing on a county-standard pitch against players with first-class experience - this will give you some idea of the mix of emotions experienced by the Ireland team and wonderfully expressed in this book.
Raiders of the Caribbean begins with a brief history of cricket in Ireland and continues with Ireland's journey to the World Cup. Johnston also covers his early playing days in Australia (he was one of those singled out as "mercenaries" by sections of the English media, who had conveniently forgotten the World Cup careers of Allan Lamb, Robin Smith, Graeme Hick and Kevin Pietersen), and goes on to discuss the game in Ireland. Whilst not having the support that rugby, G.A.A., and soccer enjoys, this book demonstrates that the Irish cricketing community is a dedicated one and plays to a decent standard and on some really nice grounds.
The book contains a number of amusing antidotes: the origins of the chicken dance and funky ferret wicket celebrations, and the amazing support of the Blarney Army. But the image that will stay with me for a long time is that of umpire Steve Bucknor, at the end of an interview with Irish broadcasters RTE, wandering off with a jig in his step singing to himself "When Irish Eyes are Smiling"!
It is a book that is well illustrated and records all Ireland's World Cup scores and statistics.
Whilst certain sections of the media might have questioned Ireland's right to be at the World Cup, most opposing cricketers were supportive and the book is full of this friendship and tales of advice and help freely offered by the likes of Brian Lara (who wrote the Preface for the book), Kevin Pietersen and Andre Nel.
The book is full of the highs (of which there are many, and not just the wins over Pakistan and Bangladesh and the tie against Zimbabwe) and the lows of the World Cup together with the tragic death of Bob Woolmer. There are several interesting and thought-provoking insights here; not least that Johnston's hotel room was just three away from Woolmer's.
I have just two minor criticisms. Johnston and Siggins writing alternative chapters (Johnston writes one, Siggins the next and Johnston the one after and so on) takes a little getting used to ("didn't I read about this in the previous chapter?"), but this is just a minor point. My biggest grumble is that the book finishes too quickly - there could have been a postscript, and more about the homecoming. A criticism perhaps, but also an indication of how much I enjoyed it!
This book is a delight and well worth the read.
This is not the only book about Ireland's World Cup heroics - also available is Ed Leahy's Green Wickets: Ireland's Adventures at the 2007 Cricket World Cup.
About This Entry
‘Raiders of the Caribbean’ was posted by Liam Doyle on Thu, 19th June 2008 at 22:59:54 BST and filed under book reviews.
