Writers in Whites by Ollie Randall – A Book Recommendation from Sophie Reid
Writers in Whites by Ollie Randall
In Writers in Whites, Ollie Randall explores the rich, literary history of cricket. My interest for the book was rooted in my research into my great-grandfather’s brother, A.G. Macdonell, the author of England, Their England, with its famous cricket scene (I wrote about Macdonell for this website last year and he features in the book as a keen member of two literary cricket teams), but there is a surprising and rather pleasing du Maurier connection too.
The book, based on Randall’s PhD research into literary cricket teams, explores the many cricket teams that sprung up with literary connections in the early 1900s, beginning with J.M. Barrie’s team in the 1890s. The teams, including Barrie’s Allahakbarries, Squire’s Invalids, and Bax’s Old Broughtonians, formed a strong social scene. Randall explores the many ways that these teams allowed up and coming writers to form new relationships and further their careers, as well as forming a wider part of the literary social scene.
Of particular interest to du Maurier readers, are the roles that J.M. Barrie and Gerald du Maurier, Daphne’s father, played in this world. Barrie was a keen cricketer and his team attracted a wealth of literary stars, and stars-to-be, including P.G. Wodehouse, A.A. Milne, and Arthur Conan Doyle. For many, it was the leaping point for a glittering literary career, as Randall documents through the book. It is through the family association that Gerald du Maurier becomes involved, playing his match for Barrie’s team at the turn of the century. Randall documents how the Llewelyn Davies and the du Maurier families were brought into Barrie’s world. Gerald also features in the Authors V Actors match at Lords in 1905, playing for the Actors team.
An engaging and pleasing read, even if you know very little about cricket or are typically not interested in the sport! There are plenty of stories and surprising bookish connections to discover that will keep any literary fan reading and introduce an underappreciated part of literary history. Du Maurier fans will be fascinated by the account of J.M. Barrie and Gerald du Maurier’s early friendship and their contributions to the literary cricketing world.
Writers in Whites is out now in hardback, published by Fairfield Books and available direct from the publisher, as well as at the usual booksellers.
Hardback, £22.
https://fairfieldbooks.co.uk/shop/writers-in-whites/
© Sophie Reid, June 2026.