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The Author
Mike Harfield used to work for a large multi-national company (think Tony Curtis talking to Marilyn Monroe on the beach in Some Like it Hot). He was made redundant in the early 1990s. After a while, the company thought that it had made a mistake and so asked him back. A few years later they realised that actually it hadn't been a mistake, and made him redundant again.
For this last act he was, and continues to be, eternally grateful. It enabled him to watch virtually every ball of the 2005 Ashes series and write Not Dark Yet. Every cloud has a silver lining, except of course when it brings rain to prevent an England victory.
During the summer he plays cricket for the Ash Tree CC at Prestbury in Cheshire (except for one weekend when he can be found at Clifton Hampden).
Reviews
Of similar books, it’s the best.
Charles Randall, Daily Telegraph Cricket Correspondent
A worthy addition to the world of cricket humour.
Sir Tim Rice
Book of the month.
All Out Cricket Magazine
Highly recommended.
334 Not Out
I laughed so much I nearly passed my fags round.
David Lloyd
Very entertaining and enjoyable.
Christopher Martin Jenkins
A marvellously evocative portrayal of village cricket.
Steve Knowles
The gentle, droll evocation of the pleasures of cricket.
Wisden Cricketer
Of all the books about cricket, Mike Harfield’s ‘Not Dark Yet’ brings a rare authenticity to the subject. Written by a genuine cricketer and a genuine cricket fan with a talent for capturing the spirit of this special game in his witty prose. David Lloyd, aka Bumble, laughed so much he agreed to write the Foreword.
For over 30 years the Mike Harfield XI has withstood atrocious umpiring, dreadful hangovers, bad haircuts and a woeful lack of talent, only to encounter an even greater adversity - middle age.
What is it that makes men defy their doctors’ orders and carry on playing cricket? If it is OK for Botham and Gower to swop the rigours of the cricket field for the comfort of the studio and the golf course, why do some cricketers feel the need to carry on raging against the dying of the light?
Spiced with humour, the tales of epic annual encounters at Clifton Hampden are told alongside more modest affairs at Lords, Headingley and Old Trafford. If you love cricket, or have even a mild affection for it, you will love this book.
Contact
Arthur Cunynghame
Loose Chippings Books,
The Paddocks,
Back Ends,
Chipping Campden,
Gloucestershire,
GL55 6AU
Telephone 01386 840435
