Sundial in the Shade by Andrew Murtagh

Sundial in the Shade (Collectible Barry Richards Cricket Biography)

The Story of Barry Richards, the Gifted Batsman Whose Test Career Was Cut Short by Apartheid-Era Isolation

Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: Sundial in the Shade: The Story of Barry Richards: The Genius Lost to Test Cricket
• Author: Andrew Murtagh
• Publisher: Don Nelson Publishers, Cape Town
• Publication Date: 2015
• ISBN-13: 9781868063758
• Binding: Publisher's illustrated paperback, perfect bound, with a photographic portrait cover in blue and purple tones.
• Physical Format: Large softcover (trade paperback format). With colour and black-and-white photographs and an index.
• Language: English

Official Condition Report

• The Book: Very Good Plus (VG+)
• Exterior / Wraps: The printed picture covers are clean and bright, with a photographic portrait on the front. The spine is clean and uncreased. Corners and edges are sharp, and the page block edges are clean and white.
• Interior: The text pages are clean, with no foxing, staining or markings. The binding is tight.
• The Dust Jacket: Not Applicable (As Issued)

Synopsis & Historical Value

Sundial in the Shade: The Story of Barry Richards: The Genius Lost to Test Cricket is a biography of one of South Africa's most gifted batsmen, published in Cape Town by Don Nelson Publishers in 2015. Richards made his Test debut for South Africa in 1970, and his Test career ended after a single series as apartheid-era sanctions closed international cricket to the country.

The book follows Richards through his years with Hampshire, Natal and South Australia, and the frustrations of a talent denied its natural stage. It also covers his life after retirement, including a strained relationship with his father and personal tragedy.

Written by a former Hampshire team-mate, it has been well received by cricket reviewers and is a worthwhile addition to a library of South African sporting biography and the story of sport under isolation.

Author Profile: Andrew Murtagh

Andrew Murtagh is a former Hampshire all-rounder who played alongside Barry Richards from 1973 to 1977, and he later became an English teacher at Malvern College. This closeness to his subject informs the biography.

He has written several other cricket biographies, including books on George Chesterton, Tom Graveney, Tony Greig and Colin Cowdrey (Gentleman and Player), as well as Cricket's Black Dog, on depression in cricket.

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