The Batmaker of Copenhagen: The Story of Cricket's Second World War Hero

The Batmaker is the unique story of a cricketing hero who risks his life to save the sport he loves. Defying the Gestapo and risking his life to keep cricket alive, Frederick Hanson embarks on a quest to find willow. Based on a true story, it combines an espionage thriller and a tribute to the passion that cricket inspires in us all.

"An excellent and thought provoking read."

"Thoroughly entertaining... an uplifting tale of human spirit [and] well paced, stirring story."

"Splendid, a rollicking romp of a read... has an elegiac sadness and a spirituality to it."

"A thoroughly engrossing read [and] compelling story beautifully told... Tim''s deep love of the game shines from every page."

"Absolutely superb read... very evocative, really paints a picture of wartime Denmark. A very, very good... fast-paced, cat and mouse thriller."

"I cannot recommend this enough... Brooks mixes historical fact with fiction like a batter mixes singles with boundaries in a well crafted innings to create an equally well crafted novel. If the hero had been searching for the materials to make tennis racquets, shuttle cocks or even bowling balls, the story would have been equally gripping and beautiful."

"The narrative is absorbing... the hero comes across as an ordinary guy on an extraordinary mission."

The Batmaker of Copenhagen is the inspiring story of a cricketing hero who defied the German occupation to keep cricket alive throughout the Nazi occupation of Denmark during the Second World War.

With Copenhagen under the iron grip of the Gestapo, and German U-boats preventing any supplies coming in from England, a humble cricket scorer sets out on an improbable and dangerous quest to find willow and produce his own cricket bats.

Scouring the length and breadth of the country, hounded by Gestapo spies, and risking everything for the game he loves, the ''Batmaker'' undertakes his mission under the very noses of the city''s oppressors.

His nemesis, a Gestapo chief by the name of ''Lucifer'', begins a quest of his own to crush the resistance in a battle of wills that shapes the course of the war. Based on a true story, this uplifting tale of passion and patriotism brings cricket and espionage together in a unique and gripping thriller.

• | Author: Tim Brooks
• | Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd
• | Publication Date: Apr 01, 2024
• | Number of Pages:
• | Language:
• | Binding: Hardback
• | ISBN-13: 9781801506977
• | ISBN-10: 1801506973