A
Maharaja's Turf
Collector’s
edition on the triumph of Maharaja Sir Vijaysinhji
of
Rajpipla in the Epsom Derby of England in 1934
Published
in India by Sporting Links
ISBN
978-81-901668-3-6
Fully
Illustrated
Hardcover
with jacket 8.75 x 11.5 x 0.6 inches (landscape)
Weight
500 grams
140
Pages
Available
at an attractive price on Amazon https://www.amazon.in/dp/8190166832
This is the story of the exhilarating victory of Maharaja Sir
Vijaysinhji of Rajpipla in the Epsom Derby of England in 1934, the only Indian
owner to win the blue riband of the turf in its history dating back to 1780.
The dapper Indian prince’s horse Windsor Lad, ridden by Charlie Smirke, left
the hitherto undefeated favourite Colombo trailing in third place in the
presence of royalty led by King George V and Queen Mary, and a multitude of an
estimated quarter to half a million people on that damp afternoon of
6th June. The triumph earned the Maharaja a unique hat-trick of
Derby victories as he had already clinched the first Indian Derby at
Calcutta in 1919 with his horse Tipster, and the Irish Derby at Curragh in 1926
with Embargo.
Trained by Marcus Marsh, Windsor Lad went on to be rated as one of
the finest horses of the 20th century. Marcus Marsh’s father,
Richard, had trained Derby-winning horses for the then reigning King George V
and the late King Edward VII.
The enthralling tale recounted by the Maharaja’s grandson Indra
Vikram Singh offers an insider's insight, and is embellished with rare media
photographs of the race and from the Rajpipla royal family collection over many
generations. It has been extensively researched from about 80 newspapers
and magazines of 1934, five books and websites, and carries articles by the
Maharaja himself. There are news reports, cartoons and caricatures which open
out a whole new world. Featured are the British royal family, the Aga Khan,
Maharaja Man Singh II of Jaipur and the leading racehorses, owners,
trainers and jockeys of the day, among other eminent personalities.
The book captures the era between the two World Wars, of imperial
times and a royal lifestyle, also going back centuries into history, connecting
the past and the present and depicting the march of time, even as the thrilling
race remains the central theme. It unfolds the tale of the uncanny prophesy of Gipsy
Lee, the several coincidences around the number 13, the defeat of a
'super-horse', and the unrelenting quest of a prince to realise his dream that
is bound to keep the reader transfixed.
Don’s
Century
Biography
of Don Bradman
and
a panaroma of batting from the 1860s to the present times
Published
in India by Sporting Links
ISBN
978-81-901668-5-0
Fully
illustrated
Paperback
French Fold 11 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
Weight
480 grams
188
pages
Available
at an attractive price on Amazon https://www.amazon.in/dp/8190166859
The questions still asked are: how great was Don Bradman actually,
was he just a run-getting machine and a statistical marvel, or was he truly the
best there has ever been, have there been other batsmen as good or better than
Bradman. Don’s Century analyses Bradman’s batting technique, brings forth his
amazing achievements at the crease, and assesses the merits of other great
batsmen from the 1860s to the present times. Written in the centenary year of
the peerless Don Bradman, the book is a celebration of the life and magic of
the willow of The Don, and also of the art of batting and indeed the game of
cricket.
The 11-chapter book by Indra Vikram Singh, the only Indian
biographer of Bradman, interspersed with stories and comments from legendary
writers and cricketers alike, and extensively researched from scores of old
publications, has three sections.
The main segment showcases Bradman's days at the crease from
Bowral to Sydney, on to Lord's and Leeds, back to Adelaide, and finishing at
The Oval in 1948. The legend begins with young Don’s rise to the top, his first
fifty and hundred in the backwaters of Bowral, the maiden double century
against Wingello and triple ton versus Moss Vale, hundred on first-class debut
and on to Test cricket. Bradman’s legendary feats in the Test arena are
recalled in all their magnificence, the hundreds in his first Test series, the
unprecedented and still-unparalleled triumphs of the Ashes tour of 1930, and
annihilation of the West Indies and South African teams.
The saga undergoes a dramatic twist with the vicious Bodyline
attack that was devised solely to decimate the genius of Bradman. This chapter
carries extracts from letters received by the author from England’s Bob Wyatt
who was vice captain to Douglas Jardine during that infamous series.
The aftermath of Bodyline, Bradman’s exhilarating fightbacks on
and off the field, how his stirring deeds brought solace to the suffering
millions during the Great Depression, and his resilience as captain of
Australia are presented lucidly, leading to the sabbatical brought about by the
Second World War. The final lap of The Don’s career after the war, the firm
hold on the Ashes, his exploits against the first Indian team after the
nation’s independence, and finally the 1948 tour of England by his
‘Invincibles’ are described vividly and objectively. The text is supplemented
by twenty scorecards detailing Bradman’s finest achievements in the first-class
and Test arenas.
A large chapter in the middle is a panorama of batting portraying
thirty-four of the best players down the ages, for no story of Sir Donald Bradman
can be complete without an appraisal of other giants of the crease.
Commencing with the colossus of the Victorian era Dr. W.G. Grace,
the captivating genius Prince Ranjitsinhji, the endearing and enthralling
Victor Trumper from Australia, the complete master Sir Jack Hobbs, continuing
with the likes of Frank Woolley, Charles 'Governor General' Macartney, Bill
Ponsford, Walter Hammond, Stan McCabe, the forbear to West Indies giants George
Headley, the brilliant South Africans Bruce Mitchell and Dudley Nourse, India’s
Vijay Merchant, Sir Leonard Hutton, Dennis Compton, Neil Harvey, Arthur Morris,
the inimitable Ws Sir Frank Worrell, Sir Everton Weekes and Sir Clyde Walcott,
the original little master Pakistan’s Hanif Mohammad, the incomparable Sir
Garfield Sobers, Graeme Pollock, Barry Richards, Greg Chappell, Sunil Gavaskar,
Sir Vivian Richards, arguably New Zealand’s finest Martin Crowe, Steve Waugh,
the exhilarating Sri Lankan Aravinda de Silva, and concluding with the champions
of the modern era Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting and Matthew
Hayden, and many more referred to down history, how good they were, and how
they compared with each other and Bradman.
They include some of Bradman's favourite players. This is not just
a factual or statistical segment, but importantly talks about the epochs and
conditions they played in, and also has interesting little tales. It traces the
evolution and development of the game from W.G. Grace’s days in the 1860s till
the present day.
The third and concluding part explores the vicissitudes of
Bradman’s life, trials and tribulations, his persona, way of life and quest for
excellence, the detractors, friends and family, post-retirement days and role
as cricket administrator, and the final stretch of one of the most amazing
stories ever, of a sporting hero and icon beyond compare. A handwritten letter
from The Don received by the author Indra Vikram Singh in 1999, and an article
based on it that he wrote at Bradman’s demise in 2001, are all featured in this
tribute to the unquestioned king of kings of the crease.
There are nearly 100 classic photographs of Bradman and other
greats in sepia brown from the top agencies of the world. A comprehensive
statistics section highlighting Bradman’s accomplishments and records sums up
the inspirational tale. A detailed index makes the book extremely
user-friendly.