• Cricket's Black Dog : Depression and Cricket - 9781836801207
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Murtagh, Andrew

Cricket's Black Dog : Depression and Cricket

Cricket's Black Dog : Depression and Cricket

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£18.99 GBP
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Author: Murtagh, Andrew

England

Published on 5 May 2025 by Pitch Publishing Ltd in the United Kingdom.


Hardback | 256 pages
223 x 146 x 26 | 402g

Cricket.  White-flannelled figures on sunlit green grass, spectators watching from deckchairs in dappled shade, and at the end of the day players gathering in the pavilion, or the village pub, to talk with teammates and opponents about the game, to make and renew friendships, and much else.

Yet in among those long traditions are saddening features. Professional cricketers are more likely to take their own lives than participants in, apparently, any other sport. This book's author, Andrew Murtagh, read English at Southampton University, led the University side to one of four successive wins in the English universities tournament, and spent eight years playing for Hampshire. Himself subject to severe depression, Murtagh writes with sensitivity and compassion, making occasional literary references too, about many of the players, including some famous names, who have died by suicide or have kept going, and traces a range of reasons and causes, with acute insights from other players. At least now, the cricket authorities and the players' associations take the matter of mental health much more seriously than they used to.
---This reviewer played for Southampton University under Andy Murtagh's captaincy, and many players from those teams get together from time to time.) 

A wide-ranging yet deeply personal examination of depression in cricket by former first-class cricketer turned author Andrew Murtagh.

Cricket's Black Dog draws on exclusive interviews with well-known figures such as David Frith, Jeremy Snape, Graeme Fowler, Barry Richards, David Nash, Huw Turbervill and Ian Thomas, as well as the author’s personal experiences.

English cricketers are almost twice as likely to commit suicide as the country’s average male – to date, 151 former first-class cricketers have taken their own lives. But why?This groundbreaking book poses many important questions, including:Is cricket to blame or are cricketers – by their nature introspective and self-critical people – more susceptible to depression and thoughts of suicide?Why should cricketers, who spend their days in healthy, outdoor pursuit, be more vulnerable than others? Does the game provide adequate support for sufferers or is mere lip service being paid to tackling the problem?What conclusions – if any – can be drawn from careful research and empirical examination?As a former county cricketer who has battled depression for most of his life, the author is perfectly placed to explore this urgent and perplexing problem that is blighting England’s gentle summer game. Just how do we tackle this silent killer?

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