Faces On A Wall: An English County?s Curious Collection of Captains

The ‘faces on a wall’ in this book are Northamptonshire’s captains since 1878, whose portraits appear together in the pavilion at Wantage Road. An astonishingly diverse bunch, they represent the changing face of the county game over the past century and a half.

As cricketers, they range from cheerfully hopeless to solidly competent, to world-beating. As characters they are an astoundingly varied group, encompassing a peer who went bankrupt, the husband of a famous artist’s favourite model, an England football international, an outstanding bowler (but with woods and jack), a gallant leader who died on active service, the man who revitalised both Northamptonshire and England teams after the Second World War and the shrewd skipper described by Mike Selvey as the best county leader of his time.

This book reflects the unique flavour of county cricket and the remarkable assortment of individuals who have led Northamptonshire over nearly a century and a half.

Born in Northampton, Andrew Radd watched his first county match at Wantage Road aged nine and began reporting on Northamptonshire cricket in 1984. His publications include the club’s official history (with Matthew Engel), the authorised biography of David Steele and an acclaimed life of George Thompson, and he has contributed to more than 30 editions of Wisden. The club’s official archivist since 2016, this is his eighth book.