It is, it seems, compulsory for professional cricketers to write an autobiography (usually ghosted) but Diary of a Cricket Lover is the autobiography of a spectator. Vernon Coleman's diary of the 1984 season has become a classic. (Three extracts from it appear in `All in a Day's Cricket', Brian Levison's 2012 `anthology of outstanding cricket writing'.)In a hard-hitting, straight from the shoulder book Vernon Coleman tells why he thinks modern cricketers are mollycoddled and why he thinks cricketers' benefits should be abandoned. You can read the truth about the Worcester Pork Pie Fiasco, the Edgbaston car park problem, the story of the day when a committee member nearly got thrown off the balcony at Lords and the perils of spectatorship in the 1980s. Dealing with every aspect of cricket from sponsorship to scorecards Vernon Coleman reminds us that cricket is too important to be left to the experts. Vernon Coleman is the author of over 100 books which have sold over two million copies in hardback and paperback in the UK and been translated into 25 languages. His other cricket books are The Village Cricket Tour, Around the Wicket and Thomas Winsden's Cricketing Almanack. `His observations are designed to make his readers laugh. A shrewd observer of human foibles, the author is witty, irreverent and outspoken.' - Yorkshire Evening Post`A cricket book with a difference. Candid, hard-hitting and witty, it looks at the game from the spectator's point of view - and when the spectator is as outspoken as Vernon Coleman, the result is highly entertaining. Dr Coleman delights us with a diary-type account of his experiences around our cricketing counties, in which he irreverently, but always knowledgeably, takes the lid off an hitherto sacred English institution....No aspect of cricket is immune from Dr Coleman's incisive attention...Anecdotes abound and the result is a thoroughly enjoyable read especially if, like Vernon Coleman, you admit to having cricket in the blood.' Warwickshire and Worcestershire Life`Blends wit and humour with some serious thoughts on the game.' Express and EchoWhat the critics say about Vernon `Vernon Coleman writes brilliant books' - Good Book Guide`Compulsive reading' - The Guardian`Coleman is a very funny writer' - This England`Brilliant!' - The People`Superstar!' - Independent on Sunday`Outspoken and alert' - Sunday Express`Refreshingly forthright' - Liverpool Daily Post`It's impossible not to be impressed' - Western Daily Press`Marvellously succinct, refreshingly sensible' - The Spectator`He writes lucidly and wittily' - Good Housekeeping`Probably one of the most brilliant men alive today' - Irish Timesetc etc