Author:Bob Bevan
Firmly established in the world of entertainment, The Cat's route to fame has been through corporate and sporting dinners. He grew up loving sport and perservered despite having only one eye and an almost total absence of natural ability. His reputation as a figure of fun and his readiness to laugh at his own failures have reaped rich rewards.
How many of us have played football with Bobby Moore and George Best at Wembley, or played at Lord's, or written a poem teasing the Duke of Edinburgh for never recognising us? In Nearly Famous, The Cat writes hilariously of the many famous people he has worked with - everyone from Colin Cowdrey, Bobby Robson and Terry Venables to Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart, Billy Connolly, Eric Morcambe and Brian Johnston - and the highs and lows of that most serious of businesses: making people laugh.
More sporting laughs than you will read in a dozen sports autobiographies.
—— Ian Wooldridge , Daily MailHe's the funniest speaker on football I have heard in all my experience.
—— Sir Bobby RobsonUnsuprisingly full of amusing self-depracating sporting anecdotes and gags.
—— The TimesThis man is magic
—— Sir Harry Secombe CBEFar from being a tome for just those in the know, Horses for Courses is the ideal introduction for a newcomer to racing. . . Many of the author's encounters with people result in marvellous recounts of famous racing moments
—— Irish FieldFull of compelling anecdotes and perceptive analysis, and I would heartily recommend it even if it didn't also include a few excerpts from my own encounters with notable characters from the world of spin.
—— Brian Viner , IndependentGet hold of a copy of Amol Rajan's Twirlymen...This is a forensic and often lyrical examination of the history of spin
—— James Lawton , IndependentIn Amol Rajan the twirlers have found a historian worthy of their deceptive art...a brilliant, revisionist book...which should be compulsory reading for anyone who claims to love the game even half as much as the author evidently does.
—— Simon Redfern , IndependentAn eloquent, page-turning series of biographies about cricket's finest spin bowlers.'
—— Sunday ExpressAmol Rajan provides a natty introduction to the spin bowler.
—— iA charming history of spin-bowling
—— The LadyTwirlymen is a splendid romp through the history of spin bowling. A delight from start to finish, it's a book I dearly wish I'd written myself.
—— Alex Massie , SpectatorA fine book
—— William Leith , ScotsmanEntertaining and informative
—— Brandon Robshaw , Independent on SundayThis seductive book will engage those who don’t know a googly from a doosra and enlighten those who do
—— Independent