CRICKET Q&A: FRANKLYN STEPHENSON ON MY SONG SHALL BE CRICKET

Pitch Publishing is a fantastic imprint.
They do all the great Got, Not Got series
and plenty of other retro sports titles.

James Brown, The Late Tackle, talkSPORT

Pitch Publishing show the way for enterprising
sports book publishers and remains a beacon
of hope for sports authors aspiring or established.

The Sports Bookshelf.com

Pitch Publishing, an outfit whose "pitch perfect"
commissioning of boxing material stands
as a rebuke to more established houses

Boxing Monthly

Pitch capture the real spirit of sport with entertaining
and clever ideas. They work out what the aficionado
would want to read, then deliver it with great verve.

Paul Hayward, The Daily Telegraph

Pitch have enabled me to write in the ways I enjoy most.
Their production support is superb, delivering eye-catching
designs, attentive proof-reading, energetic marketing and helpful advice.

Tim Quelch, Good Old Sussex by the Sea, Orient to the Emirates, Underdog!

Pitch are willing to back out-of-the-blue and innovative
ideas and turn them into viable, entertaining books.
They do so with great presentation and editorial flair.

Justin Parkinson, Then Came Massacre

Pitch saw the potential in my story, used their expertise
to polish it, published it and helped inspire thousands
around the world to get into the sport of triathlon.

Andy Holgate, Can’t Swim, Can’t Ride, Can’t Run & Can't Sleep, Can't Train, Can't Stop

The process of working with Pitch to produce Picking up the Threads
was enjoyable and rewarding, with the final edition surpassing
expectations and becoming a resounding success.

John Chandler, Picking up the Threads

Pitch will take a chance on books that other publishers won't
and realise that interest in football extends beyond the
Premier League and the top 20 countries in the FIFA rankings.

Steve Menary, Outcasts!

Pitch have the vision to look beyond the obvious,
seeking out interesting ideas and subjects and
matching them with the right target audience.

David Tossell, Tony Greig, The Great English Final, Grovel!, Natural

Pitch have been an absolute joy to work with,
contributing their passion, expertise, knowledge
and experience to help produce a brilliant book.

Sam Pilger, Ashes Match of My Life

Pitch took our original concept and further enhanced it,
using their knowledge, experience and expertise, and helped
make Got, Not Got one of the football books of the year for 2011.

Derek Hammond, Got, Not Got series of books

Pitch bought into the concept of development through football,
channeling profits and proceeds from Eleven into helping
some of the most disadvantaged young people in the world.

Steve Fleming, Eleven

In the highly competitive world of sport publishing,
Pitch have consistently demonstrated the happy
knack of spotting, nurturing and promoting winners.

Neil Dunkin, Anfield of Dreams

16 Oct

CRICKET Q&A: FRANKLYN STEPHENSON ON MY SONG SHALL BE CRICKET

For the latest episode of our virtual cricket talks former West Indian international Franklyn Stephenson will join BBC cricket reporter and commentator Mark Church to talk about his book My Song Shall Be Cricket.

To join the virtual Q&A click on this link just before 7.30pm this Friday evening, 16th October.

Or you can register in advance here but note you may not receive an email (if so just use the link above at 7.30pm).

One of cricket's great characters, Franklyn Stephenson was branded a 'rebel' for touring in apartheid South Africa with a West Indian XI.

As a black sportsman, he knew his actions went against the wishes of the authorities and that there would be consequences, yet he overcame the character slurs and subsequent bans from both his beloved Barbados and the West Indian Test selectors.

Recognised as the first fast bowler to develop a cunning slower ball, Stephenson became one of the world's top all-rounders.

The beaming Barbadian achieved cricketing immortality in 1988 by completing the domestic Double of scoring 1,000 runs and taking 100 wickets during an English summer - a feat that is unlikely to be repeated.

Read about encounters, on and off the field, with household names such as Viv Richards, Andy Roberts, Clive Lloyd and Desmond Haynes - and a lifelong friendship with Sir Garfield Sobers.

From a childhood full of dramatic life experiences to the heights of one-day finals at Lord's, here is the story of an amiable cricketing giant.

📺 Tune in from 7.30pm tonight for what promises to be another fascinating cricket talk with @backandacross speaking to @franklynsteph10

🏏 Plus Q&A, just raise your hand to ask a question 🤚

👇 Click below for info and links, plus news on future talks https://t.co/bd7lkSmVMj
— Pitch Publishing 📚 Sports Books (@PitchPublishing) October 16, 2020

Franklyn's talk is our tenth virtual Q&A of the year, with one still to come, next week, as follows:

23rd October - Tales from the Frontline author Luke Fletcher hosted by Dave Bracegirdle

NEWSFLASH: We are looking at a series of events through the winter, with our backlist authors. Watch this website for more information.

To partake in the events, please contact your cricket society to be sent an invite, follow their social media channels, or check out our website and twitter channel, where we will share the link to the event.

You can find contact details for your local cricket society on The Cricket Societies Association website.

The events can be accessed via a web browser (Chrome is recommended) or you can download Zoom's software or phone/tablet application.

To join each event will be very simple and straightforward:

Click on the link which will be available at this website
Enter your name and society
EG: John Smith, Norfolk Cricket Society

Once the event begins you will be given access into the “room”. There will be a Q&A session, and to ask a question, you will need to use the raise hand option (located in the participants panel, at the bottom), and the host will open your camera and microphone and prompt your question.