Description

Through exclusive interviews with a large number of fathers and sons who had played professional cricket, ‘Following On’ explores the multi-generational nature of cricket and examines the father and son relationships in the sport. How weight of expectation, advantage or pressure to succeed influences a young cricketer’s progress as they follow in the footsteps of a successful father? How hard is it to find one’s own identity when the shadow of paternal achievements obscures you from the limelight? The issues are developed and discussed with the words of the players themselves.

James Buttler takes us on a journey of discovery, asking the questions and examining the responses. He also interviews sports psychologists and also looks at comparable examples from other sports and the worlds of entertainment and business, extensive interviews were carried out.

‘Following On’ is a fascinating and revelatory look at cricketing stories that make great reading for sports fans and parents alike.

About the Author

James Buttler is the Cricket Badger – a beast that forages and digs for all the cricket gen. James has been doing that since he attended his first cricket match in 1978. That game has become key to the start of ‘Following On’. James gained a degree in Creative Writing from the University of Leeds, then spent six years as the Media Manager at Yorkshire County Cricket Club before becoming a freelance sports journalist and broadcaster. He presented the Cricket Badger Radio Show on Radio Yorkshire for two years, has written for magazines and newspapers and currently runs a website called cricketbadger.com. James has written two published books. ‘Yorkshire County Cricket Club – On This Day In History’ in 2012 and ‘Killer Instinct – The Trials and Tales of Murderous Sports Stars’ in 2015. Throughout his career as a sports journalist and broadcaster he has created a huge contact list of cricketers that have become very useful in securing interviews for this book project.