Father Marriott’s (Remarkable) Summer Hols – TFW Book Club

The Final Word Cricket Podcast’s April Book Club episode dives into Max Bunnell’s acclaimed biography, *Father Marriott’s Summer Holidays*, a richly detailed portrait of Charles Father Marriott, an English one-test wonder and amateur cricketer whose life was shaped by war, quiet resilience, and an extraordinary cricketing talent played only during school holidays. Host Adam Collins and guest Daniel Norcross explore Marriott’s remarkable journey—from surviving the horrors of the Somme and two harrowing trench raids in WWI, to becoming a legendary leg-spinner for Kent and Dulwich College, despite a famously awkward, almost surreal bowling action. The book reveals how Marriott’s wartime trauma, likely PTSD, subtly influenced his life choices, including his preference for pastoral cricket grounds and avoidance of grim, industrial venues. His brief but brilliant Test career—11 for 96 at 37—earned him legendary status among Kent fans and fellow cricketers, though he was never given a second chance. The episode also highlights Marriott’s deep, unspoken bonds with literary giants Edmund Blunden and Siegfried Sassoon, who found solace in shared conversation after the war. Bunnell’s narrative masterfully blends cricket, history, and psychology, painting a man who was both a hero and an overlooked figure in cricketing lore.