Kirjahaku

If you get a big kick out of rugby but still feel you could sharpen up your knowledge of the game, this friendly guide is for you.

Aussie cricketing heroes who also fought for Australia during wartime 'That's nothing. Pressure is having a Messerschmitt up your arse.' Keith Miller, when asked if he felt under pressure while captaining the NSW cricket team. Numerous heroes of Australian cricket have also proved themselves on the battlefield, from Gallipoli to Vietnam and beyond. Among them are some of Australia's most illustrious cricketing names: Donald Bradman, Keith Miller, Keith Carmody, Jack Fingleton and, in more recent years, Doug Walters. In this sport/history page-turner, veteran sports journalist Greg Growden tells their extraordinary stories of bravery, hardship, courage and human endeavour.

When the Australian team won the Gold Medal for rugby at the 1908 Olympic Games The Times pronounced: 'If ever the Earth had to select a Rugby Football team to play against Mars, Tom Richards would be the first player chosen.'This book tells something of Richards' extraordinary sporting life, but it mainly reproduces highlights from the very entertaining diary he kept during WW1. He had worked part-time with the Sydney Morning Herald before he enlisted and he would write between 100-800 words about his experiences each day, giving a revealing, intimate account of what occurred throughout the Gallipoli campaign and then the Western Front, where he received a Military Cross for his courage under German fire. He was acerbic in his opinions, often critical of his superiors and fellow soldiers; he was a great observer of human tragedy and frailties, repeatedly finding fault with the British in charge, and meeting numerous important war figures, including Simpson at Gallipoli. He included vivid descriptions of football matches played in Egypt, Gallipoli and on the Front, and there are also numerous lighter moments, as Richards sought out and was intrigued by strange characters.