Half-Time - The Glorious Summer of 1934

Set against the backdrop of depression-era politics, 1934 was an annus mirabilis for English sport. Within just a few days of each other, Hedley Verity, Henry Cotton and Fred Perry all triumphed in their field. To a sporting audience still groaning through the quagmire left by the Great Depression, greedy for inspiring distractions, these heroic efforts made for a heady spectacle.England''s Ashes Test victory at Lord''s (later known as Verity''s match) saw Australia seeking revenge after the Bodyline series of 1932-33, but Verity bowled England to a famous innings victory, taking 15 wickets - 14 in one day! That same day, Cotton set out on the first qualifying round of the British Open. He went on to set a new Open record with a game so sparkling the Daily Express called it "the best round of golf ever played". And within a fortnight, Perry had beaten Australia''s Jack Crawford in the Wimbledon final. England had an extraordinary national hat-trick.Together, these three contests and these three singular life stories weave a vivid portrait of an England that has faded from view. Half-Time celebrates a time of intense and rapid social and cultural change, a time that was both the last hurrah of the ancien regime and the stirring of something new. And moving through it, famous actors on a grand stage, are three very English heroes.>

Product details

• Authors: Robert Winder, Winder Robert
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 05.05.2016
• EAN: 9781472908940
• ISBN: 978-1-4729-0894-0
• No. of pages: 272
• Series: Wisden Sports Writing; Wisden Sports Writing
• Subjects: Guides > Sport > General, dictionaries, handbooks, yearbooks, history; Tennis, Golf, history of sport, United Kingdom, Great Britain, Sports & outdoor recreation, c 1919 to c 1939 (Inter-war period)