Bloomsbury presents Bill Edrich by Leo McKinstry, read by John Sackville.

CRICKET LEGEND. WARTIME HERO. FOOTBALL STAR. WILD MAN.

'A triumph. Leo McKinstry superbly draws together the many strands of a fascinating but flawed figure' – LAWRENCE BOOTH, WISDEN

'Bill Edrich shines through these pages. A wonderful book that needed to be written' – HENRY BLOFELD, OBE

'McKinstry’s biography will fascinate cricket lovers' – THE TIMES

Bill Edrich's story is one of cricket victories, explosive controversies, wartime glory and a life lived to the fullest.

571 first-class matches from 1934 to 1958. 36,965 runs. 29th on all-time lists. 86 centuries. 479 wickets. Bill Edrich was one of the biggest cricket stars of his time along with Denis Compton and Len Hutton. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1940 and played football for Norwich City and Tottenham Hotspur during the 1930s.

In the first biography for 30 years, award-winning writer Leo McKinstry recounts Edrich's audacity both as a cricketer and an RAF pilot. Edrich’s flying prowess brought him a promotion to Squadron Leader and won him the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) after his part in a courageous daylight raid over Cologne in August 1941.

The same action-filled intensity applied to his turbulent private life. A man of keen amorous enthusiasms, he was married five times but rarely allowed his ardour to be inhibited by any wedding vows. Equally unrestrained was his fondness for alcohol and partying, though this trait brought him into conflict with both the cricket and the judicial authorities. After one particularly exuberant display of intoxication during a home Test match, he even lost his place in the England team, only to return for the famous Ashes triumph of 1953.

A history of cricket victories, explosive controversies, wartime glory and a life lived to the fullest, this compelling biography reveals the story of one of cricketing’s greatest characters.