Unusual Celebrity
An Unusual Celebrity: The Many Cricketing Lives of Bill Bowes is the inspiring story of one of English cricket's most popular personalities, who dedicated his life to the game from the 1920s to the 1980s.
An often devastating bowler for Yorkshire in the 1930s, Bowes was a crucial part of one of the greatest ever county teams. He bowled Bradman first ball during the famous 'Bodyline' series but was tainted for some by his regular use of the 'bumper'.
Tall, unathletic, modest and playing in glasses, Bowes did not fit the mould of the typical opening bowler. Captured in North Africa in 1942, he spent three years in prisoner-of-war camps, and helped others through the ordeal. On release, he played for two more seasons before serving as a respected and forthright journalist for 25 years.
A man of many talents, as part of the Yorkshire coaching staff, he nurtured Fred Trueman and Brian Close, but he was also a broadcaster and popular public speaker, while his other interests included magic and film-making.
Jeremy Lonsdale is the author of seven cricket books, including five on the history of the game in Yorkshire. In 2022, an article in The Yorkshire Post said few authors had made a greater contribution to Yorkshire's cricketing history. His book A Game Divided was longlisted for the 2021 Cricket Writers' Club Award. His last book, No Picnic, tells the story of the gruelling first MCC tour of India in 1926/27.