Look at this thing of beauty. Bowl the Maidens Over is the recent release from writer and researcher Louise Zedda-Sampson, and it’s a wonderful book I absolutely recommend if you’re into history, sport, women’s history, cricket, or just little known historical tales very well told.
It’s the story of the first women’s cricket games in Victoria, Australia, seen through the eyes of media reports of the time, with newspaper extracts and illustrations giving insight into the mindset of the era. Louise’s research is exceptional and she weaves a captivating narrative of Australia’s first women cricketers and the breakthroughs they made.
In the interests of full disclosure, I will say that Louise is a good friend of mine, a fine editor I’ve worked with on several projects, and that I did proof an early version of one of her articles which later went on to form part of this book. I will also say that means I’ve gone through the research thoroughly and know exactly how meticulous it is.
It’s also a beautiful physical object, well designed and laid out. So if it sounds like your sort of thing, pop over to Louise’s website to pick up a copy.