The Cricket Society and MCC Book of the Year Award

The Cricket Society/MCC Book of the Year

Richard Whitehead's 'Victory in Australia'

Richard Whitehead’s Victory in Australia won The Cricket Society/MCC Book of the Year Award for 2026

Recent setbacks in Australia were put aside as Richard Whitehead’s masterly reconstruction of England’s triumphal tour there in 1954-55 prevailed at last night’s annual awards ceremony in the Lord’s Long Room. Accepting the award, Whitehead said he was overwhelmed by the positive reaction Victory in Australia had received and to win this prestigious award was the icing on the cake. He paid tribute to Len Hutton as the hero of the story. “It was Tyson's tour,” Whitehead said, “but Hutton understood that to succeed you had to make room for different personalities, to prepare and plan, but always think on the hoof too.”

Chair of Judges Robert Winder enthused about a shortlist filled with high-quality content: “It would be welcome if the world made the judges’ lives easier by producing fewer good books! Once again, the panel had plenty of headaches before making their final decision. What a shame there can only be one winner.”

Books about England’s captains since 1979, Test cricket thematically, a famously fast innings, an English leg-spinner who played just one Test, and the life of ‘Syd’ Lawrence who died last year of motor neurone disease were also celebrated.

The Stephen Fay Award was also presented to John McKenzie and Christopher Saunders (jointly) for their lifetime contributions to cricket reading and collecting.

The Book of the Year competition, run by The Cricket Society since 1970 and in partnership with MCC since 2009, is for books nominated by the members of both organisations and is highly regarded by writers and publishers. It is sponsored this year by the Loveday family in memory of Mark Loveday.

The six books on the 2026 shortlist were:

Father Marriott's Summer Holidays, The forgotten story of England’s great leg-spinner, Max Bonnell, Red Rose Books.
In Syd’s Voice, The extraordinary life of Dave Lawrence, Dave Lawrence with Dean Wilson, Fairfield Books.
The Cricket Captains of England 1979-2025, Vic Marks, Fairfield Books.
Victory in Australia, The remarkable story of England’s greatest Ashes triumph 1954-55, Richard Whitehead, Bloomsbury.
Test Cricket, A History, Tim Wigmore, Quercus.
Chasing Jessop, The Mystery of Cricket’s Oldest Record, Simon Wilde, Bloomsbury.

From a strong field, also considered were:

500 Declared, The joys of covering 500 cricket Tests, Scyld Berry, Bloomsbury.
Breaking Barriers, Barbados to England and back, Roland Butcher, Fairfield Books.
Cricket Changed my Life, Eleven personal journeys, Annie Chave, Fairfield Books.
Windrush Cricket, Imperial culture, Caribbean migration, and the remaking of postwar England, Michael Collins, Oxford University Press.
Fred Bakewell, ‘Among the bright colours’, Mick Pope, Association of Cricket Statisticians.
Cricket, Fiction and Nation, Rod Edmond, Anthem Press.
The King of Spain and I, Surviving cricket, depression and the greatest ever Ashes, Ashley Giles, Fairfield Books.
The Art of Batting, The craft of cricket’s greatest run scorers, Jarrod Kimber, Bloomsbury.
Around the World in 40 Years, Andy Moles, Fairfield Books.
Sticky Dogs and Stardust, When the legends played in the leagues, The second innings, Scott Oliver, Fairfield Books.
Deadly Derek Underwood, The life of an international cricketer, Mark Peel, Pitch Publishing.
Lester and the Deckchair Revolution, The life and times of Tony Pigott, Tony Pigott, Fairfield Books.
A Portrait of Cricket Photobook, Tom Shaw, self-published.
Maestro:  A portrait of Garry Sobers, cricket’s greatest all-rounder, David Tossell, Pitch Publishing.

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