Oborne & Heller on Cricket

Peter Oborne, Richard Heller

Cricket authors (and obsessives) Peter Oborne and Richard Heller have launched a new podcast to help deprived listeners endure a world without cricket. They will chat regularly about cricket topics – hoping to keep a good line and length but with occasional wides into other subjects.

Subscribe Listen in podnod RSS feed Show website

118 episodes
Updated May 3, 2023

Episodes118

Newest first

Jun 29, 2021 · 1 hr 3 min
Restoring the lost history of South African cricket
Professor André Odendaal has made it his life’s work to tell his native South Africa its true cricket history. He has restored to memory the achievements of thousands of black, mixed-race and Asian-origin players deliberately suppressed to serve the cause of white supremacy. Besides giving back to South Africa its cricketing past he shares responsibility for its present and future as a board member of Cricket South Africa. Born into apartheid, he describes his personal journey into truth and liberation to Peter Oborne and Richard Heller as the latest guest in their cricket-themed podcast. Read the full description here: https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/episode-58-restoring-the-lost-history-of-south-african-cricket/ Get in contact by emailing obornehellercricket@outlook.com
Jun 22, 2021 · 54 min
Cricket’s romantic numbers
Cricket has always been rich in statistics, but lately they have deepened and multiplied. Cricket’s new professional data analysts can access the detailed results of every single ball bowled in major cricket matches for over twenty years and use them to influence team selections, tactics and onfield decisions. This has alarmed many critics, who say it is turning cricket into a process without character or the thrill of the unexpected. Not so, argues Ben Jones, the latest guest of Peter Oborne and Richard Heller on their cricket-themed podcast. He is a leading member of the new profession and co-author with Nathan Leamon, chief analyst for the England One-Day and T20 teams, of a fascinating book Hitting Against The Spin. Ben shows that for those who know how to arrange and orchestrate them, numbers deepen the romance of the music of cricket. Read the full description here: https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/episode-57-crickets-romantic-numbers/ Get in contact by emailing obornehellercricket@outlook.com
Jun 15, 2021 · 55 min
No longer underdogs but still undervalued… New Zealand’s world-class cricketers
It is an almost unnoticed revolution in global cricket: New Zealand’s cricketers have completed a journey from amateur whipping-boys to worldbeaters. They have secured an emphatic Test series victory over England while enjoying the luxury of six team changes to prepare for the ultimate prize of the World Test Championship. David Leggat, former chief cricket writer of the New Zealand Herald, gives unique insight into their modern success and the present state of New Zealand cricket, as a returning guest of Peter Oborne and Richard Heller on their latest cricket-themed podcast. Read the full description here: https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/episode-56-no-longer-underdogs-but-still-undervalued-new-zealands-world-class-cricketers/ Get in contact by emailing obornehellercricket@outlook.com
Jun 8, 2021 · 55 min
Cricket’s clarion call… from the man who delivered it
For about fifteen years no England Test match seemed complete without the golden notes of Billy Cooper, the professional trumpeter who accompanied the Barmy Army. It made him the best-known musician in the cricket world since the celebrated pianist Don Bradman. He shares his memories of matching music to the many moods of cricket with Peter Oborne and Richard Heller in their latest podcast. Read the full description here: https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/episode-55-crickets-clarion-call-from-the-man-who-delivered-it/ Get in contact by emailing obornehellercricket@outlook.com
Jun 1, 2021 · 1 hr 4 min
George Headley and a supporting cast of two emperors, one king and Evita Peron, in Latin America’s cricketing drama
Timothy Abraham and James Coyne are co-editors of the perennially fascinating and expanding section of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack on cricket around the world. Together they completed a long-cherished project, a personal odyssey into Latin American cricket, which took them from Mexico to the southernmost tip of Chile. They have just published an unputdownable book about it called Evita Burned Down Our Pavilion. They discuss it with Peter Oborne and Richard Heller in their cricket-themed podcast, which returns after a short interval. Read the full description here: https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/episode-54-george-headley-and-a-supporting-cast-of-two-emperors-one-king-and-evita-peron-in-latin-americas-cricketing-drama/ Get in contact by emailing obornehellercricket@outlook.com
May 4, 2021 · 57 min
The County Championship – past, present and future – by its great historian Stephen Chalke
Author, publisher and supreme recorder of cricketers’ memories Stephen Chalke returns as the guest of Peter Oborne and Richard Heller in their latest cricket-themed podcast. They celebrate a tremendous start to the English County Championship, before Stephen draws on his detailed and beautifully illustrated history Summer’s Crown, to analyse the competition’s past and its prospects. Read the full description here: https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/episode-53-the-county-championship-past-present-and-future-by-its-great-historian-stephen-chalke/ Get in contact by emailing obornehellercricket@outlook.com
Apr 26, 2021 · 44 min
Wisden 2021: cricket and class, race, plague and global warming
Steven Lynch, International Editor of Wisden Cricketers Almanack, returns to the regular podcast by Peter Oborne and Richard Heller to celebrate a landmark edition which more than ever lights up the mighty issues which shape global cricket and the lives of all its players and devotees. Read the full description here: https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/episode-52-wisden-2021-cricket-and-class-race-plague-and-global-warming/
Apr 20, 2021 · 53 min
Rich lives in a few words: the obituaries in Wisden 2021
The arrival of Wisden Cricketers Almanack is always one of the great publishing events in the calendar. The latest edition had rather less cricket to record than usual, but was nonetheless packed with important content. Indeed, it is a major source book for future political, social, economic and cultural historians. In their latest cricket-themed podcast Peter Oborne and Richard Heller celebrate it with its International Editor Steven Lynch. Read the full description here: https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/episode-51-rich-lives-in-a-few-words-the-obituaries-in-wisden-2021/
Apr 12, 2021 · 58 min
The park cricketer who married the Queen
Annie Chave is a cricketer and editor of County Cricket Matters, journal of the members organization of the same name which supports the county structure of English cricket. She is also part of the team at Guerrilla Cricket, which provides eclectic and independent commentary and analysis of major matches. She is the latest guest of Peter Oborne and Richard Heller in their regular cricket-themed podcast. County Cricket Matters can be obtained through www.countycricketmatters.com Read the full description here: https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/episode-50-the-park-cricketer-who-married-the-queen/
Apr 6, 2021 · 52 min
Why crowds roar for the Tigers of world cricket
Whether in victory or defeat, Bangladesh’s cricket team, the Tigers, have some of the most passionate supporters in the world. Athar Ali Khan is a former Bangladesh international players and selector, now a freelance commentator. He explains how and why their cricketers have captured the hearts of their nation on its fifty-year journey since independence, as the latest guest of Peter Oborne and Richard Heller in their cricket-themed podcast. In Peter’s absence for family reasons Roger Alton is the replacement opening bowler. Read the full description here: https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/episode-49-why-crowds-roar-for-the-tigers-of-world-cricket/ The literary event of the year is imminent: the publication of Wisden Cricketers Almanack. Peter and Richard invite listeners to submit their nominations for the Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year to obornehellercricket@outlook.com. They will present the results in advance of Wisden’s.
Mar 29, 2021 · 55 min
The man who discovered Eoin Morgan (and other stories)
Over twenty years ago an expert watcher predicted that a boy called Eoin Morgan would make his name in world cricket. These and other wonders of Ireland’s rich cricket story are related by author, cricketer, lawyer and all-round man of letters Charles Lysaght, returning by popular demand as guest on the latest cricket-themed podcast by Peter Oborne and Richard Heller. Read the full description here: https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/episode-48-the-man-who-discovered-eoin-morgan-and-other-stories/ The literary event of the year is imminent: the publication of Wisden Cricketers Almanack. Peter and Richard invite listeners to submit their nominations for the Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year to obornehellercricket@outlook.com. They will present the results in advance of Wisden’s.
Mar 23, 2021 · 48 min
The great Pakistani fast bowler who nearly became a Hollywood movie star
The Lahore Gymkhana ground is one of the most delightful places in the world to play or watch cricket. It houses a cricket museum, small but full of treasures, which was the first of its kind in Pakistan. Its founder and curator is the eminent cricket historian Najum Latif. He has watched generations of Pakistan’s great players perform at the ground, played with many himself, befriended many more and, vitally, captured their oral memories of past epochs of Pakistan cricket. He is the guest of Peter Oborne and Richard Heller on their latest cricket-themed podcast. Read the full description here: https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/episode-47-the-great-pakistani-fast-bowler-who-nearly-became-a-hollywood-movie-star/ The literary event of the year is imminent: the publication of Wisden Cricketers Almanack. Peter and Richard invite listeners to submit their nominations for the Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year to obornehellercricket@outlook.com. They will present the results in advance of Wisden’s.
Mar 15, 2021 · 59 min
Wilf Wooller – the man at so many great moments of Welsh cricket
Welsh cricket gets off to a noisy, swearing start in Swansea on a Sunday in 1771. Local landowners, railways, the British army and industry all help the game to spread. After success as a Minor county, Glamorgan are the first Welsh team into the County Championship in 1921. They struggle but are revived by inspiring leadership from Maurice Turnbull, who meets a hero’s death in the Second World War. Under another inspiring leader, Wilf Wooller, they win their first Championship in 1948 – celebrated by the ex-Glamorgan umpire who gives them an lbw decision to clinch victory. To take the story forward is the historian and curator of the Museum of Welsh Cricket, Andrew Hignell, in a second innings as guest of Peter Oborne and Richard Heller in their latest cricket-themed podcast. Read the full description here: https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/episode-46-wilf-wooller-the-man-at-so-many-great-moments-of-welsh-cricket/ The literary event of the year is imminent: the publication of Wisden Cricketers Almanack. Peter and Richard invite listeners to submit their nominations for the Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year to obornehellercricket@outlook.com. They will present the results in advance of Wisden’s.
Mar 8, 2021 · 55 min
Andy Flower: inspiring cricketer – and protestor
Andy Flower was one of the most talented cricketers of his generation. In 2003 he and his teammate Henry Olonga amazed and inspired the world when they played a cricket match in black armbands, in mourning for the death of democracy in their country, Zimbabwe. He gives a vivid and moving account of their protest as the guest of Peter Oborne and Richard Heller in their latest cricket-themed podcast. Read the full description here: https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/episode-45-andy-flower-inspiring-cricketer-and-protestor/ The literary event of the year is imminent: the publication of Wisden Cricketers Almanack. Peter and Richard invite listeners to submit their nominations for the Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year to obornehellercricket@outlook.com. They will present the results in advance of Wisden’s.
Mar 1, 2021 · 59 min
The Modification of Indian cricket, expertly assessed
A dramatic first Test match at the giant new Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad is the cue for an insightful assessment of the Prime Minister’s impact on Indian cricket by Mihir Bose, in his second innings as the guest of Peter Oborne and Richard Heller on their regular cricket-themed podcast. The former Sports Editor of the BBC is the author of over thirty books, including Nine Waves, a comprehensive history of Indian cricket and, most recently Narendra Modi The Yogi Of Populism. He has led three cricket tours of India, which have included frequent encounters with former Indian Test players on Indian Test match grounds. In Peter’s absence, to complete a book of international importance, Roger Alton is the replacement opening bowler. Read the full description here: https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/episode-44-the-modification-of-indian-cricket-expertly-assessed/ The literary event of the year is imminent: the publication of Wisden Cricketers Almanack. Peter and Richard invite listeners to submit their nominations for the Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year to obornehellercricket@outlook.com. They will present the results in advance of Wisden’s.
Feb 22, 2021 · 57 min
Kashmir – where cricket has become a political statement
Kashmir contains some of the most beautiful settings for cricket in the world – but cricket there has been blighted for over seventy years by the political and military conflicts which were a legacy of the partition of India. It has become not just a game but a political statement, as is explained by a local journalist, author, historian and cricketer Gowhar Geelani, the guest of Peter Oborne and Richard Heller in their latest cricket-themed podcast. Read the full description here: https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/episode-43-kashmir-where-cricket-has-become-a-political-statement/ A BBC briefing on Kashmir can be found here https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10537286 Gowhar’s profile by the Frontline Defenders Organization can be found here https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/profile/gowhar-geelani The literary event of the year is imminent: the publication of Wisden Cricketers Almanack. Peter and Richard invite listeners to submit their nominations for the Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year to obornehellercricket@outlook.com. They will present the results in advance of Wisden’s.
Feb 15, 2021 · 59 min
Maurice Turnbull – and other heroes of cricket in Wales
The rich history of Welsh cricket still comes a surprise to many English people, even after Glamorgan’s hundred years in the County Championship. That is no fault of Dr Andrew Hignell, author of some 40 books about it, Glamorgan’s scorer (since 1982) and archivist, and curator of the Museum of Welsh Cricket at the county’s headquarters at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff. He is the guest of Peter Oborne and Richard Heller in their latest cricket-themed podcast. Read the full description here: https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/episode-42-maurice-turnbull-and-other-heroes-of-cricket-in-wales/ Get in contact with the podcast by emailing obornehellercricket@outlook.com, we’d love to hear from you!
Feb 8, 2021 · 50 min
A great historian’s love affair with cricket
Ramachandra Guha is a hugely distinguished historian not just of Indian cricket but of India itself. His most recent book, A Commonwealth Of Cricket, has a detailed descriptive sub-title “A Lifelong Love Affair with the Most Subtle and Sophisticated Game Known to Humankind.” He talks about that relationship and its high and low points as the guest of Peter Oborne and Richard Heller on their latest cricket-themed podcast. Read the full description here: https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/episode-41-a-great-historians-love-affair-with-cricket/ Get in contact with the podcast by emailing obornehellercricket@outlook.com, we’d love to hear from you!
Feb 1, 2021 · 31 min
Another fast-scoring innings by Mahela Jayawardene
Mahela Jayawardene is a busy man these days: chairman of the Sri Lankan National Sports Council, head coach of the Mumbai Indians in the IPL, running a chain of successful crab restaurants with his friend Kumar Sangakkara. But characteristically, the former Sri Lankan captain scored rapidly in a few overs with Peter Oborne and Richard Heller as the latest guest in their cricket-themed podcast. Read the full description here: https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/episode-40-another-fast-scoring-innings-by-mahela-jayawardene/ Get in contact with the podcast by emailing obornehellercricket@outlook.com, we’d love to hear from you!
Jan 25, 2021 · 50 min
The sky is the limit for Alsama Cricket Club, where refugees from Syria get new lives
“It was very hard to live with Isis. You could see them cutting off the heads and cutting off the hands of some people.” Maram, 15-year-old refugee, on the life cricket is helping her to forget. Alsama means “the sky” in Arabic. It gives its name to a cricket club in one of the world’s most astonishing locations – the teeming Shatila camp in Lebanon where tens of thousands of refugees are trying to rebuild lives shattered by war, tyranny and deprivation. https://alsamaproject.com/cedar-cricket-club/ Three expressive teenagers – Louay, Maram, and Amani – are among the 200 or so children between 11 and 16 who have learnt to play the game there. Cricket gave them new goals and a new sense of self-worth. They and the club’s founder and director, Richard Verity, are the guests of Peter Oborne and Richard Heller in their latest cricket-themed podcast. To find out more about Alsama cricket and become a supporter please use this link https://alsamaproject.com/get-involved/