REVIEWS/PRESS REVIEW IN FULL....
RAIDERS OF THE CARIBBEAN
By Ian Callender, Belfast Telegraph, 24 October 2007
Trent Johnston has committed himself to playing for Ireland until the 2009 World Cup qualifying tournament - and possibly beyond.
The Ireland captain chose the launch of his new book* to banish the rumours that he was considering stepping down from the international set-up and that can only be good for Ireland's prospects of following up their unforgettable World Cup debut in the West Indies with a second successive finals appearance in four years time.
And Johnston is keen to get his Aussie mate Jeremy Bray back in the fold as well, although for rather more selfish reasons.
"If JB returns then, being five months older than me, I'll no longer be the old man of the team," joked Johnston, "But Jeremy wanted back in the team at the end of last season and, undoubtedly, he can still do a job at the top of the order. As for me, form and fitness permitting, I'll give it a go and at the moment I'd love to be part of 2011."
Johnston will be 34 years old when the 2008 season starts but after playing 27 matches this year, taking 35 wickets and scoring 484 runs, both at an average of 26, there is no reason for Johnston to quit and, with him at the helm, it should persuade the rest of the World Cup squad to stay together for at least another 18 months.
It was a World Cup hero from another sport, Ireland rugby player Gordon D'Arcy who took time out to launch Raiders of the Caribbean last night, the book co-written by Johnston and Sunday Tribune assistant editor Ger Siggins.
It faithfully recalls those seven glorious weeks in four islands plus the mainland of South America when Ireland took on and competed with the world's best.
The 58,000 words were written within 58 days of their return so all the vital action on and off the field are recorded with plenty of input from the fans left at home and those having the holiday of their lives in the West Indies.
'GREEN DAYS: CRICKET IN IRELAND 1792-2005'
The Sunday Independent
by Charles Lysaght, 27 November 2005
In this timely book, Sunday Tribune cricket writer Gerard Siggins confirms what has emerged from several local histories - that cricket was Ireland's most popular game in the years between the Famine and the 1880s Land War. It was played right across the social and religious spectrum - because of the numbers required, cricket clubs did not lend themselves as much to social exclusiveness as tennis or golf clubs.
...Apart from the early period, this book is largely focused on the performances of the Irish cricket team. The author packs in an enormous amount of information on individual matches. He is also good on club championships and there is a welcome chapter on women's cricket. The photographs are excellent....
'Green Days' Goes Down Memory Lane REVIEW IN FULL....
by Ian Callender, The Newsletter,
Monday 7 November 2005
Irish cricket is on the up and, with almost perfect timing, a book telling the story of its first 213 years is on the bookshelves.
The author is Ger Siggins, assistant editor of the Sunday Tribune, who is one of the best sources of cricket history on the island.
In his introduction he acknowledges the limited reference books but, rightly, says that "Irish cricket literature is thin on the ground". With Siggins' name on a book that spans more than two centuries, the early years were never going to be neglected. It makes for fascinating reading....
The Leinster Umpires Newsletter 175 REVIEW IN FULL....
by Stu Daultrey, November 2005
Ger Siggins's book was launched in Railway Union Sports Club on the 20th October, superficially the result of half a summer's work by the author but in reality a twelve-week distillation of a lifelong passion for and study of Irish cricket.
Siggins writes with a light touch, and gives an excellent impression of the sorts of people who played the game, how they played it, against whom they played (lots of chaps on lots of tours, but making sure that when the chaps weren't up to much there were a few professionals to do the business).
The Sunday Tribune REVIEW IN FULL....
by Malachy Clerkin, November 2005
This history of the game in Ireland is by turns engaging and entertaining, full of learn-something-new-every-day tidbits and factoids.
It's written in a straight-up style, no waffle. Siggins is that rare thing in writers of sports books - a bona fide authority on his subject.
Sunday Life REVIEW IN FULL....
by Robin Walsh, November 2005
The book will be an appreciated addition to the cricket lover's Christmas stocking - and a welcome one for the many who have recently been converted to the game through the heroics of England's Ashes and, of course, Ireland's recent exploits so well chronicled by Siggins.
...he has been able to combine statistics (thankfully, not overdone) with a narrative that goes well beyond the boundary line...