Bookshelf

Press, 16 September 1987, Page 31

Bookshelf

Victorious 80s, 'by Peter Devlin (Moa Publications, 227 pp, $32.95). The sub-title, "A celebration of New Zealand cricket, 1980-1987,” explains the theme of this handsomely. presented book. It traces the triumphant path of the country’s national team during the most successful period in the sport’s history in New Zealand. The winning sequence began with the nail-biting, one-wicket victory against

the West Indies at Carisbrook in 1980, and continued through to the drawn series against the

same opponent last summer. The 1980 s will also be recalled for the first series successes on Australian and English soil. In total, New Zealand has played 47 tests for 16 wins, 12 losses and 19 draws. Television made many of the characteis in the book household names. The two captains, Geoff Howarth and Jeremy Coney, and the player most responsible for New Zealand’s competitive

edge, Richard Hadlee, are featured on the cover. Mr Devlin, a sports columnist on the “Auckland Star,” has made extensive use of passages from other newspapers and books in tracing the proud story of New Zealand cricket in the modern era. The varying styles of writing entertain the reader, and there is a rich selection of coloured and black-and-white photographs from many sources. With the passing from

the scene of Howarth, Coney, Lance Cairns, Bruce Edgar, John Reid and others, the publishers might be suggesting there will be less cause for • celebrating in future. On the other hand, Hadlee’s apparent discovery of a fountain of youth, Ewen Chatfield’s persistence, and Martin Crowe’s prolific run-scor-ing might demand that a second volume be produced covering the full decade of the 1980 s. J.O.C.