A Cricket Man: The Life and Love of Steve Perryman

A Cricket Man tells the story of Steve Perryman, who lived his dream of a life in cricket, but this is more than a cricket book. Steve’s life turned upside down when he lost wife Carol to cancer in 2018. Recounting that heartbreaking time in powerful chapters, an ultimately uplifting story is complete when Steve finds a new love.

"There is so much to like in this book, not least the pages on the clubs and communities Steve worked with as a still-young player-coach. This narrative is quietly moving. This is collaboration, not ghost writing, a factor surely integral to the book’s high quality."

"Perryman began writing with the journalist Brian Halford as far back as 2008, then paused when his wife, Carol, was diagnosed with cancer. The same fate befell Halford''s wife Mary. Both died within a year of each other. Carol was a positive and loving backroom influence and the chapters are a heartfelt ''thank you''. It is a gentle, uncontroversial read that will go down best around Birmingham."

"Steve Perryman takes the reader on an emotional journey of the life and career of former Warwickshire bowler and coach Steve Perryman, providing glimpses into the county circuit, revealing high hopes and then the toll of injury. The backdrop to Perryman’s later career centres on his grief of losing his wife Carol to cancer, then the unexpected discovery of new love with Sheila. It’s uplifting and will surely resonate with many."

As a bowler with Warwickshire, he was tipped to play Test cricket for England. An ambition that was killed by coaches who tampered with his bowling action. With the result that, within months, he went from an England contender to free transfer. Steve recalls that time of his life with no bitterness – just humour and gratitude at playing when county cricket was filled with the world’s best. If his derailed career was a test, a much bigger one lay ahead.

A Cricket Man is more than a cricket book, it is also a love story and a life story. Perryman became a fine bowling coach, helping Warwickshire to the Championship title. Always beside him, inspiring him was his beloved wife Carol. She was his cornerstone… until their lives were turned upside down when Carol was diagnosed with cancer, and she passed away in 2018.

Perryman recounts that heartbreaking time in his life, in powerful chapters where his sadness is underpinned by strength, and heartbreak is accompanied by joy at having shared so much of his life with Carol. An ultimately uplifting story is complete when Steve finds a new love.

A Cricket Man will resonate with cricket fans – especially Warwickshire supporters who remember Steve as a promising young bowler – but ultimately it’s an inspiring human tale, packed with love and filled with emotion.

• | Author: Steve Perryman
• | Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd
• | Publication Date: May 13, 2024
• | Number of Pages:
• | Language:
• | Binding: Hardback
• | ISBN-13: 9781801506984
• | ISBN-10: 1801506981