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Scottish Sporting Legends
Scottish Sporting Legends
Oct 19, 2024 11:24 AM

Author:Robert Philip

Scottish Sporting Legends

Scotland may not have won a World Cup (yet!), but many of the country’s sportsmen and women are revered as global legends, including Olympic and US Open champion Andy Murray and winner of six Olympic gold medals, Sir Chris Hoy. In football, the likes of Denis Law, ‘Slim’ Jim Baxter and Jimmy ‘Jinky’ Johnstone would not have looked out of place in the canary yellow of Brazil, while managers Sir Matt Busby, Bill Shankly and Jock Stein have become part of football folklore, as has Sir Alex Ferguson in more recent times.

Amazingly, Scots have reached the top in just about every major sport: Jim Clark and Sir Jackie Stewart in Formula One; Andy Murray in tennis; Ken Buchanan and Benny Lynch in the boxing ring; Chris Hoy in cycling; sprinters Allan Wells and Eric Liddell on the Olympic track; and, as befits a nation renowned as ‘the home of golf’, Sandy Lyle was recognised as the greatest player on the planet upon winning the Masters in 1988.

Scottish sport is the richest of tapestries and in Scottish Sporting Legends the cream of the crop are entertainingly profiled in a revealing collection of pen portraits of stars past and present.

Reviews

A fine collection of tributes, anecdotes and favourite old stories brilliantly told

—— Daily Mail

A great gift for the sports fan in your life . . . well-written and entertaining

—— Scottish Field

Unsuprisingly full of amusing self-depracating sporting anecdotes and gags.

—— The Times

This man is magic

—— Sir Harry Secombe CBE

Far 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 Field

Full 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 , Independent

Get hold of a copy of Amol Rajan's Twirlymen...This is a forensic and often lyrical examination of the history of spin

—— James Lawton , Independent

In 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 , Independent

An eloquent, page-turning series of biographies about cricket's finest spin bowlers.'

—— Sunday Express

Amol Rajan provides a natty introduction to the spin bowler.

—— i

A charming history of spin-bowling

—— The Lady

Twirlymen 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 , Spectator

A fine book

—— William Leith , Scotsman

Entertaining and informative

—— Brandon Robshaw , Independent on Sunday

This seductive book will engage those who don’t know a googly from a doosra and enlighten those who do

—— Independent
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