Advertise on podcast: The Golden Age of Cricket Podcast

In the concluding episode on Bert Folkard (1878–1937), Tom is joined by co-authors Pat Rodgers and Peter Lloyd who discuss his style as both a batsman and bowler, his selection in the Australian squad of 1914, and his life and career after The Great War. ABOUT PAT RODGERS: Pat has taught History and coached cricket at schools in Sydney for over 35 years. In 2021, The Perplexing and Tragic Life of Jack Cuffe was published and earned critical acclaim. Books on Sydney-born working-class cricketers Alex Kermode and Arthur McBeath followed.ABOUT PETER LLOYD: Peter has written extensively on cricket, winning various awards for his research and prose. Most recently, in-depth biographies of three 'Golden Age' cricketers – Warren Bardsley, Monty Noble and Charlie Macartney – have stamped him as a social historian of the highest order.DONATE: You can buy Tom Ford a coffee! Every donation helps with production and inspires Tom to keep the podcast going. You can donate from a little as $5. Visit: buymeacoffee.com/GoldenAgeOfCricketCREDITS: Presenter & Producer: Tom FordAll music used in podcast comes from the University of California Santa Barbara’s remarkable collection of wax cylinder’s from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which are free to download and use. You can donate to the upkeep of these recordings via their website.

In this episode, Tom is joined by co-authors Pat Rodgers and Peter Lloyd who have just published a gem of a biography on Bert Folkard (1878–1937), a Sydney cricketer during the Golden Age who, owing to personal and professional circumstances, never reached his full potential on the sporting field. His one chance at playing for Australia was dashed with the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. ABOUT PAT RODGERS: Pat has taught History and coached cricket at schools in Sydney for over 35 years. In 2021, The Perplexing and Tragic Life of Jack Cuffe was published and earned critical acclaim. Books on Sydney-born working-class cricketers Alex Kermode and Arthur McBeath followed.ABOUT PETER LLOYD: Peter has written extensively on cricket, winning various awards for his research and prose. Most recently, in-depth biographies of three 'Golden Age' cricketers – Warren Bardsley, Monty Noble and Charlie Macartney – have stamped him as a social historian of the highest order. DONATE: You can buy Tom Ford a coffee! Every donation helps with production and inspires Tom to keep the podcast going. You can donate from a little as $5. Visit: buymeacoffee.com/GoldenAgeOfCricketCREDITS: Presenter & Producer: Tom FordAll music used in podcast comes from the University of California Santa Barbara’s remarkable collection of wax cylinder’s from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which are free to download and use. You can donate to the upkeep of these recordings via their website.

In the third and final part to the episode dedicated to Gilbert Jessop’s legendary innings at the Oval against the Australians in 1902, author Simon Wilde discusses how he analysed the number of minutes Jessop spent at the wicket, his re-evaluation of the number of balls he faced, what Jessop achieved in the backend of his career, and whether he thinks Jessop’s great record deserves to be broken.DONATE: You can buy Tom Ford a coffee! Every donation helps with production and inspires Tom to keep the podcast going. You can donate from a little as $5. Visit: buymeacoffee.com/GoldenAgeOfCricket ABOUT SIMON WILDE: Simon has been cricket correspondent of the Sunday Times since 1998. He has written 12 books, three of which were shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year. His most recent works have been the acclaimed England: The Biography, a history of the men’s national team, and The Tour, which chronicles the England team’s travels overseas since 1877, which won the MCC/Cricket Society Book of the Year prize. His new book - Chasing Jessop: The Mystery of England Cricket's Oldest Record - has just been published, and chronicles not only Jessop’s colourful career, but forensically dissects one of the most famous individual feats in the history of the game. CREDITS: Presenter & Producer: Tom Ford All music used in podcast comes from the University of California Santa Barbara’s remarkable collection of wax cylinder’s from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which are free to download and use. You can donate to the upkeep of these recordings via their website.

In Part 2 of my chat with historian Simon Wilde, we discuss Gilbert Jessop's form leading into the famous Oval Test match of 1902, the affect rain had on the cricket that summer, the missing scorecards from the Oval Test, and whether Jessop was shortchanged in his innings because of an English cricket Law relating to boundaries.   DONATE: You can buy Tom Ford a coffee! Every donation helps with production and inspires Tom to keep the podcast going. You can donate from a little as $5. Visit: buymeacoffee.com/GoldenAgeOfCricket ABOUT SIMON WILDE: Simon has been cricket correspondent of the Sunday Times since 1998. He has written 12 books, three of which were shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year. His most recent works have been the acclaimed England: The Biography, a history of the men’s national team, and The Tour, which chronicles the England team’s travels overseas since 1877, which won the MCC/Cricket Society Book of the Year prize. His new book - Chasing Jessop: The Mystery of England Cricket's Oldest Record - has just been published, and chronicles not only Jessop’s colorful career, but forensically dissects one of the most famous individual feats in the history of the game. CREDITS: Presenter & Producer: Tom Ford All music used in podcast comes from the University of California Santa Barbara’s remarkable collection of wax cylinder’s from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which are free to download and use. You can donate to the upkeep of these recordings via their website.

There is perhaps no English cricketer who encapsulates the spirit of The Golden Age more than Gilbert Jessop. A wildly talented all-round Amateur from Gloucestershire, whose great, improbable batting at The Oval during the Fifth Test match of the 1902 Ashes not only won the match, but established a mythical-like status for himself and the Age, which has only grown in reputation since. To this day, his match-winning century remains the quickest by an Englishman in Test cricket. In Part 1, writer Simon Wilde joins Tom to discuss Jessop's early life, his famous 'crouching' batting style, his transition from fast bowler to big-hitting batsman, and his form leading into the 1902 Ashes series. DONATE: You can buy Tom Ford a coffee! Every donation helps with production and inspires Tom to keep the podcast going. You can donate from a little as $5. Visit: buymeacoffee.com/GoldenAgeOfCricket ABOUT SIMON WILDE: Simon has been cricket correspondent of the Sunday Times since 1998. He has written 12 books, three of which were shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year. His most recent works have been the acclaimed England: The Biography, a history of the men’s national team, and The Tour, which chronicles the England team’s travels overseas since 1877, which won the MCC/Cricket Society Book of the Year prize. His new book - Chasing Jessop: The Mystery of England Cricket's Oldest Record - has just been published, and chronicles not only Jessop’s colorful career, but forensically dissects one of the most famous individual feats in the history of the game. CREDITS: Presenter & Producer: Tom Ford All music used in podcast comes from the University of California Santa Barbara’s remarkable collection of wax cylinder’s from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which are free to download and use. You can donate to the upkeep of these recordings via their website.

In Part 2 of this episode dedicated to exploring Victor Trumper's final tour, historian Ric Sissons dissects the matches the Australians played, Trumper's legendary eighth-wicket partnership with Arthur Sims in which they hit 433 (Trumper knocked up 293 alone), and contemplates the legacy of the tour and its impact on New Zealand cricket before, during and after the First World War. DONATE: You can buy Tom Ford a coffee! Every donation helps with production and inspires Tom to keep the podcast going. You can donate from a little as $5. Visit: buymeacoffee.com/GoldenAgeOfCricket ABOUT RIC SISSONS: Ric is the author of eleven other cricket books including The Players which won the English Cricket Society’s Silver Jubilee Literary Award, and Billy Murdoch: Cricketing Colossus with Richard Cashman, which won the Australian Cricket Society Literary Award. His previous book, When the Kangaroo met the Eagle: The 1913 Australian tour of Canada and the United States, with Peter Schofield, won the 2024 Australian Cricket Society Literary Award.CREDITS: Presenter & Producer: Tom FordAll music used in podcast comes from the University of California Santa Barbara’s remarkable collection of wax cylinder’s from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which are free to download and use. You can donate to the upkeep of these recordings via their website.

Little did cricket audiences realise at the time, but when Victor Trumper set sail for New Zealand in the early months of 1914, he was undertaking his final cricket tour. Along with fellow veterans Monty Noble, Frank Laver and Warwick Armstrong, and with a group of promising young players, Trumper played a dozen or so matches against some of New Zealand's finest cricketers, including what turned out to be his final first-class innings. Historian Ric Sissons returns to the podcast following the release of his latest book (co-authored with Peter Schofield), Trumper Across the Tasman: The 1914 Australian tour of New Zealand, to discuss the tour in detail.DONATE: You can buy Tom Ford a coffee! Every donation helps with production and inspires Tom to keep the podcast going. You can donate from a little as $5. Visit: buymeacoffee.com/GoldenAgeOfCricket ABOUT RIC SISSONS: Ric is the author of eleven other cricket books including The Players which won the English Cricket Society’s Silver Jubilee Literary Award, and Billy Murdoch: Cricketing Colossus with Richard Cashman, which won the Australian Cricket Society Literary Award. His previous book, When the Kangaroo met the Eagle: The 1913 Australian tour of Canada and the United States, with Peter Schofield, won the 2024 Australian Cricket Society Literary Award.CREDITS: Presenter & Producer: Tom FordAll music used in podcast comes from the University of California Santa Barbara’s remarkable collection of wax cylinder’s from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which are free to download and use. You can donate to the upkeep of these recordings via their website.

In this final chapter to the discussion on the Trott brothers, biographer Rick Smith and host Tom Ford discuss Albert's decline in form, Harry's release from the asylum, the brothers' respective statistics, and their separate, tragic deaths. DONATE: You can buy Tom Ford a coffee! Every donation helps with production and inspires Tom to keep the podcast going. You can donate from a little as $5. Visit: buymeacoffee.com/GoldenAgeOfCricketABOUT RICK SMITH: Rick Smith is a former A-Grade cricketer from Launceston who since his playing days, has been a cricket historian, writer and photographer. He is the author or co-author of more than 25 books and numerous articles on various aspects of cricket history, including Australian Test Cricketers and Great Days in Test Cricket. He has also written on various aspects of Tasmanian cricket and was co-author of the book Tigers Roar, celebrating the 150th anniversary of Cricket Tasmania. Rick’s book from 2010 Blighted Lives – the Story of Harry and Albert Trott won the Australian Cricket Society’s Literary Award, and he remains the only Tasmanian to have won this award.CREDITS: Presenter & Producer: Tom FordAll music used in podcast comes from the University of California Santa Barbara’s remarkable collection of wax cylinder’s from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which are free to download and use. You can donate to the upkeep of these recordings via their website.

In Part 2 of this episode on the Trott brothers, Rick discusses Harry and Albert's falling out over team selection for the 1896 tour of England, Harry's captaincy style, Albert's relocation to Middlesex, his famous stroke over the members' pavilion at Lord's, and Harry's unfortunate time at Melbourne's Kew Lunatic Asylum.DONATE: You can buy Tom Ford a coffee! Every donation helps with production and inspires Tom to keep the podcast going. You can donate from a little as $5. Visit: buymeacoffee.com/GoldenAgeOfCricketABOUT RICK SMITH: Rick Smith is a former A-Grade cricketer from Launceston who since his playing days, has been a cricket historian, writer and photographer. He is the author or co-author of more than 25 books and numerous articles on various aspects of cricket history, including Australian Test Cricketers and Great Days in Test Cricket. He has also written on various aspects of Tasmanian cricket and was co-author of the book Tigers Roar, celebrating the 150th anniversary of Cricket Tasmania. Rick’s book from 2010 Blighted Lives – the Story of Harry and Albert Trott won the Australian Cricket Society’s Literary Award, and he remains the only Tasmanian to have won this award.CREDITS: Presenter & Producer: Tom FordAll music used in podcast comes from the University of California Santa Barbara’s remarkable collection of wax cylinder’s from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which are free to download and use. You can donate to the upkeep of these recordings via their website.

The triumphant and tragic stories of Harry and Albert Trott are definitely worth re-telling, and biographer Rick Smith joins the podcast in an attempt to do so. In Part 1 of this episode, Rick discusses Harry and Albert's ancestry, their early days of cricket, Harry's ascension to international fame and Albert's remarkable Test debut in Adelaide during the famous 1894-95 Ashes series. DONATE: You can buy Tom Ford a coffee! Every donation helps with production and inspires Tom to keep the podcast going. You can donate from a little as $5. Visit: buymeacoffee.com/GoldenAgeOfCricketABOUT RICK SMITH: Rick Smith is a former A-Grade cricketer from Launceston who since his playing days, has been a cricket historian, writer and photographer. He is the author or co-author of more than 25 books and numerous articles on various aspects of cricket history, including Australian Test Cricketers and Great Days in Test Cricket. He has also written on various aspects of Tasmanian cricket and was co-author of the book Tigers Roar, celebrating the 150th anniversary of Cricket Tasmania. Rick’s book from 2010 Blighted Lives – the Story of Harry and Albert Trott won the Australian Cricket Society’s Literary Award, and he remains the only Tasmanian to have won this award.CREDITS: Presenter & Producer: Tom FordAll music used in podcast comes from the University of California Santa Barbara’s remarkable collection of wax cylinder’s from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which are free to download and use. You can donate to the upkeep of these recordings via their website.

In this episode, cricket journalist Tim Wigmore joins the podcast to discuss whether the so-called 'Golden Age of Cricket' was exactly that. We talk about the speed of scoring, the evolution of bowling, sticky wickets, racism and whether the Golden Age was a missed opportunity for the globalisation of the sport. Tim Wigmore is a sports writer for the Daily Telegraph (UK), and has also written for The Economist and ESPNCricinfo. He is the author of Crickonomics and Cricket 2.0: Inside the T20 Revolution, which won the Wisden Book of the Year in 2020. His latest publication is Test Cricket: A History, and is available here. Presenter & Producer: Tom FordDONATE: You can buy Tom Ford a coffee! Every donation helps with production and inspires Tom to keep the podcast going. You can donate from a little as $5. Visit: buymeacoffee.com/GoldenAgeOfCricket All music used in podcast comes from the University of California Santa Barbara’s remarkable collection of wax cylinder’s from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which are free to download and use. You can donate to the upkeep of these recordings via their website.

In this episode, cricket journalist Tim Wigmore joins the podcast to discuss whether the so-called 'Golden Age of Cricket' was exactly that. With host Tom Ford, Tim examines the status of Test cricket prior to the First World War, the evolutions that occurred during that period, and the role technology played in popularising Test cricket. Tim Wigmore is a sports writer for the Daily Telegraph (UK), and has also written for The Economist and ESPNCricinfo. He is the author of Crickonomics and Cricket 2.0: Inside the T20 Revolution, which won the Wisden Book of the Year in 2020. His latest publication is Test Cricket: A History, and is available here.  Presenter & Producer: Tom FordDONATE: You can buy Tom Ford a coffee! Every donation helps with production and inspires Tom to keep the podcast going. You can donate from a little as $5. Visit: buymeacoffee.com/GoldenAgeOfCricket All music used in podcast comes from the University of California Santa Barbara’s remarkable collection of wax cylinder’s from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which are free to download and use. You can donate to the upkeep of these recordings via their website.

In Part 2 of this episode dedicated to the 1912 Triangular Tournament between England, Australia and South Africa, historian Patrick Ferriday shares his thoughts on the strengths of each team, the factors for the tournament's failure, and whether such a series would work in the twenty-first century. ABOUT PATRICK FERRIDAY:Born in London, he lived for many years in West Berlin but returned to England to work as a racing commentator in the early nineties. Since 2011 he’s written four books and published a number of others, via his own publishing group – Von Krumm Publishing. He now lives in Brighton where, in 2021, he wrote and published the long-awaited biography – Wilfred Rhodes: The Triumphal Arch. It was in this context he last joined the podcast in 2023.Presenter & Producer: Tom FordDONATE: You can buy Tom Ford a coffee! Every donation helps with production and inspires Tom to keep the podcast going. You can donate from a little as $5. Visit: buymeacoffee.com/GoldenAgeOfCricket All music used in podcast comes from the University of California Santa Barbara’s remarkable collection of wax cylinder’s from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which are free to download and use. You can donate to the upkeep of these recordings via their website.

The 1912 Triangular Test Tournament (featuring England, Australia and South Africa) was the first (and last) of its kind. The pet project of South African tycoon Abe Bailey (1864-1940), the tournament was hampered by a series of problems, including poor scheduling, absent star players and very, very wet weather. Posterity has always viewed the tournament as a failure, but was there anything to salvage? Returning guest Patrick Ferriday joins the podcast to discuss one of the more peculiar Test series of the Golden Age.ABOUT PATRICK FERRIDAY:Born in London, he lived for many years in West Berlin but returned to England to work as a racing commentator in the early nineties. Since 2011 he’s written four books and published a number of others, via his own publishing group – Von Krumm Publishing. He now lives in Brighton where, in 2021, he wrote and published the long-awaited biography – Wilfred Rhodes: The Triumphal Arch. It was in this context he last joined the podcast in 2023. Presenter & Producer: Tom FordDONATE: You can buy Tom Ford a coffee! Every donation helps with production and inspires Tom to keep the podcast going. You can donate from a little as $5. Visit: buymeacoffee.com/GoldenAgeOfCricket All music used in podcast comes from the University of California Santa Barbara’s remarkable collection of wax cylinder’s from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which are free to download and use. You can donate to the upkeep of these recordings via their website.

In this final installment of my chat with historian Richard Tomlinson, author of Amazing Grace - The Man Who Was W.G. (2015), we discuss Grace's love of sports outside of cricket, particularly lawn bowls and golf, his colossal statistics with both bat and ball, and his legacy today. ABOUT RICHARD TOMLINSON:Richard Tomlinson is a British historian and journalist whose biography of W.G. Grace was published in 2015 on the 100th anniversary of the great cricketer’s death. In Amazing Grace – The Man who was W.G., Richard set Grace’s on-field achievements in the context of his life and times as arguably the most famous celebrity in the English-speaking world. Presenter & Producer: Tom FordDONATE: You can buy Tom Ford a coffee! Every donation helps with production and inspires Tom to keep the podcast going. You can donate from a little as $5. Visit: buymeacoffee.com/GoldenAgeOfCricket All music used in podcast comes from the University of California Santa Barbara’s remarkable collection of wax cylinder’s from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which are free to download and use. You can donate to the upkeep of these recordings via their website.