Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

The 2007 Cricket World Cup may be over, that B.C. Lara (pronunciation of the 'BC' indicative of adulation or abhorrence) may have retired and the wranglings between the WICB and WIPA are heading toward Brazil/Argentina football proportions. But, the love of the gentleman's game continues.

With the love comes more experts than those in the penny section at a Miss Jamaica World or Miss Jamaica Universe contest, wizened but sometimes very unwise heads that have never been east of Morant Point nodding sagely as the owners thereof discuss conditions at Kensington Oval, fiery youngsters extolling innings that Viv Richards played before their parents met.

Striding into the fray from the publisher's dressing room, dressed in orange, green, red and purple, ready to cut away at myths, hook wild statements to the boundary and reverse sweep conveniently bad memories, is the latest edition of a fearsome foursome of LMH Official Dictionaries on the West Indian passion (apart from partying, and the two apparently mix very well).

Mix and match

The reader can choose the batting order or may mix and match the LMH Official Dictionary of West Indian Bowlers, LMH Official Dictionary of Cricket Grounds, LMH Official Dictionary of West Indies Batsmen (all three with statistics up to date for 2006) and LMH Official Dictionary of Cricket Terms, and as they choose, to face the fearsome attack of cricket fiction speakers.

While the books are built for the long haul, with sturdy hardcover, their stay at the reading crease is not a determined but dour tour of duty (did someone say 'Jimmy'? Oooooooh), but have the panache of Chanderpaul going for the big ones. So, while there are, naturally, statistics upon statistics upon statistics and names galore, writer Mike Henry (who goes solo, save for Cricket Terms, on which he combines with K. Sean Harris) includes interesting details around the particular area the book concentrates on.

This is often done with wit, the flourish that makes the difference between a four and 'blouse an skirt four' (that definition, and other stronger terms, remain in the pavilion, of course) and makes the series more than a mere set of dictionaries.

So, the introduction to the LMH Dictionary of Cricket Terms muses that 'the unitiated must ask, why would a man allow himself to be caught in (a) SLIP, an act which should really place him at SILLY MID OFF'.

There are commentaries on each island where there is a Test ground in the LMH Official Dictionary of West Indies Cricket Grounds, the entry on Antigua ending with the wry observation:

"To culminate these attractions and if your team is not doing as well as you wish, then take a cruise around the island and snorkel your cares away in the shallow waters of Paradise Reef".

The LMH Official Dictionary of West Indies Bowlers and the LMH Official Dictionary of West Indies Batsmen are prefaced by the same detailed and very interesting history of the West Indies involvement in cricket at the highest level, a bit of information to mull being that on the 1930-31 tour of Australia.

'White Australia' policy

Australia at the time was implementing its 'White Australia' policy, with the Australian board having to guarantee to the Government that non-whites would leave at the end of the tour, the book goes.

And when the seven whites and 11 'natives' arrived in Australia they were sent to different hotels, a division that was reversed under protest.

The Cricket Terms has cartoon illustrations, while the dictionaries on grounds, batsmen and bowlers have black and white pictures. Not exceptionally good ones, particularly the grounds, but it is noted that permission is being sought to use pictures of architectural drawings of newly refurbished and renovated grounds. And, with the World Cup recently finished, that pretty much means all of them. Included in this book are the details of the Test matches played at each ground.

There is one definition of a term that I must have heard moretimes than Courtney Walsh made ducks and never thought about what it means. But now I know that 'ICC' means Imperial Cricket Council.

It is, after all, the game of the gentleman but not very gentle colonist.