Following On: A Memoir of Teenage Obsession and Terrible Cricket

IN 1993, while everyone else was learning Oasis lyrics or crushing on Kate Moss and Keanu, 14-year-old Emma John was obsessing over the England cricket team.

The primary object of her affection: Michael Atherton, a boyishly handsome captain who promised to lead his young troops to glory.

What followed was one of the worst sporting streaks of all time, a decade of frustration, dismay and bungling that made the team a byword for British failure.

Now a sports journalist, John is a sufficiently self-aware narrator to portray the world of cricket in an engaging and accessible fashion, so even if you haven’t got a clue what a leading edge or featherbed is, the charming and, at times, hilarious story will keep you entertained.

Author: Emma John

Published by Bloomsbury, May 21 2016