This is, by any estimation, a remarkable book. Elegantly produced and a pleasure to handle, it is, at 550 pages, surely one of the longest book ever to be published on Irish Cricket.  Those who might claim that length is no guarantee of merit may set their fears at rest in this instance.

Clarence Hiles, whose background makes him the ideal - and possibly only - person who could have written such book and who is well supported by the painstaking research of his brother Bill, and the statistical work of Cricket Europe's web stats guru John Boomer, tells the story of every year of the NCU Challenge Cup from its inception in 1887 to this year's Final. 

Each Final is accorded a succinct description and scorecard, the latter revealing batting order changes, always a key to understanding a game. Summarised scores of earlier round matches are provided for each year and no match slips by unmentioned in the text.

In other hands it is possible that such a detailed annual chronicle might run the risk of becoming dull and repetitive - that is emphatically not the case here, for several reasons.

First Mr Hiles' prose style is fluent and concise. He is at pains, not only to describe cricket and cricketers, but to explain the social and political contexts in which every season's matches were played out. These were, of course, often taxing, dangerous and depressing and the reader is left sometimes wondering how some matches were staged and played.

There are many fascinating illustrations. Not only the expected team photographs over the ages,  a social history themselves in many cases, but many  revealing pencil drawn sketches of players and some superb water colours of grounds, the last feature the work of Mr Hiles' designer Neil Barnard, whose work in general on the book is worthy of the highest praise.

The book is also full of surprises. The reader will, of course, be expecting to learn more about the  staggering performances of - for example the MacDonald brothers, the Andrews cousins, and Ivan Anderson,  but may not expect to find that immortal outside half Jack Kyle was a useful all rounder for Queen's University, or that  the Woodvale bowler of the 1930s S Walker, was Sammy Walker, Lions' captain of 1938 and - to this reviewer's generation - the radio voice of rugby every time  the BBC Northern Ireland Home Service covered a match. There are many other treats in store within the book's beautifully designed covers.

It would be impossible to produce such a book in such a time without some errors creeping in. It is greatly to the author's credit that, as far as I am aware, only three are discernible, none of which are important in the context of the book. George Gaukrodger, football international, prolific scorer for Ulster CC towards the end of the 19th century and later Worcestershire wicket keeper, is something of a mystery man with two well documented dates and places of birth! However he was not killed in The First World War but died, unrecorded by Wisden for almost 60 years, in 1938.

There are also two mistakes of initials, both of Armagh captains of the inter war years and both already having appeared in previous publications by other hands. Thus Lieutenant - Colonel JA Meldon is Liet - Col PA Meldon a member of the famous family two generations of which played for Ireland in the 19th and early 20th century. WJA McMahon, a native of Co Armagh and an Army doctor who played first cricket for Dublin University in 1925 and 1926. 

However it must be emphasized that these errors are miniscule compared to the overall high quality and very impressive nature of this much needed work. Now that Mr Hiles has penned it, to go with his highly regarded  A History of Senior Cricket in Ulster, and that the indefatigable Billy Platt continues to write about the North West, where is the historian of Leinster Cricket? We have had, over the years some front rank club histories, such as those on Dublin University (1985) and Merrion (2011), as well as the excellent Cricket Leinster website, but a volume on the lines of Mr Hiles magnum opus, is badly needed.

Lastly, it seemed at first sight, most appropriate that, one of the clubs in the early years of the NCU competition should have been called Clarence. However it transpires to have been a weak and easily defeated outfit. As such it can have no possible connection with Mr Hiles!

A History Of The Northern Cricket Union Challenge Cup ISBN - 10:9545892 is published by Hilltop Publications at £ 20 sterling. It is only available by contacting hiler@btinternet.com 


                                                                                    Edward Liddle  November 2011