The Meaning of Cricket: Or How to Waste Your Life on an Inconsequential Sport by Jon Hotten

$39.99 NZD

Category: Sport

Cricket is a strange game. It is a team sport that is almost entirely dependent on individual performance. Its combination of time, opportunity and the constant threat of disaster can drive its participants to despair. To survive a single delivery propelled at almost 100 miles an hour takes the body and brain to the edges of their capabilities, yet its abiding image is of the gentle village green, and the glorious absurdities of the amateur game. In The Meaning of Cricket, Jon Hotten attempts to understand this fascinating, frustrating and complex sport. Blending legendary players, from Vivian Richards to Mark Ramprakash, Kevin Pietersen to Ricky Ponting, with his own cricketing story, he explores the funny, moving and melancholic impact the game can have on an individual life. ...Show more

Legends of the Tour: The Hottest, Toughest and Fastest Riders of This Decade by Alex Hinds

$49.99 NZD

Category: Cycling

This book is a colourful, insightful and affectionate portrait of the Tour de France. A selection of cycling writers share their thoughts on different aspects of the tour: from it's current crop of great riders, brilliant climbers, those older riders soon to retire or that have recently retired from the Tour to the young up-and-comers, then the contests and rivalries and the top British and Australians in the Tour. Packed with information and portraits it is a landmark volume, essential for all Tour de France fans. Lavishly designed and illustrated. ...Show more

The Jersey - The Secret Behind the World's Most Successful Sports Team by Peter Bills

$45.00 NZD

Category: Sport

The All Blacks are the greatest sports team on the planet. With a better winning record than any other sports team in history, they stand head and shoulders above their nearest rugby rivals, and go to the 2019 World Cup as back-to-back World Champions. How did a country of just 4.8 million people conque r the world?Peter Bills, who has reported on international rugby for more than 40 years, was given exclusive access to all the key figures in New Zealand rugby as he set out to understand the secrets behind the All Blacks success. From Steve Hansen to Beauden Barrett, Richie McCaw to the late Sir Colin Meads, Peter Bills talked at length with over 90 people, both in New Zealand and around the world, with intimate knowledge of what makes the All Blacks tick.This is a story of the first settlers, and the 'Originals' who forged the All Blacks legacy, right through to modern times. It draws heavily on the contributions made by all New Zealanders: players, coaches, officials, supporters and those who have worn the most recognized jersey in the world. Intrinsically, The Jersey goes to the heart of the All Blacks success. It is also an epic story of not just a rugby team but a nation, whose identities are inextricably linked. Additionally, it debates a question, terrifying for any of their opponents. Could the All Blacks get even better? ...Show more

Game without End by Howard Joseph

$29.99 NZD

Category: Sport

A historical novel about rugby mainly, but not exclusively.Howard Joseph's tale encompasses the historical sweep of the game, now almost 140 years over in New Zealand. This is a story about the influence of rugby on the lives of two very different families over several generations. From different socio- economic backgrounds, they clash in the quest to have their members become an All Black. As an underlying sub-structure, the author touches on many aspects of our rugby heritage which underpin the lives of the main characters as they quest for higher honours. First published September 2007. ...Show more

Life of Brine: A Surfer's Journey by Phil Jarratt

$37.00 NZD

Category: Sport

"In the not-so-small world of surfing, Phil Jarratt has seen it all. Luckily for us, he's a fearless, funny storyteller, with a reporter's unsentimental eye and an endearing modesty. But his memoir is, above all, a haunting self-portrait: the boy practising drop-knee cutbacks in his mother's full-length mirror in mid-century Wollongong becomes a man." William Finnegan, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Barbarian Days Life of Brine is the memoir of Phil Jarratt, one of the world's best-known chroniclers of surfing culture whose lifelong pursuit of the perfect wave has placed him in the midst of some of the most exciting moments in surfing's modern history.   Jarratt, who has courted controversy in his long career as a journalist, editor and documentarian, pulls no punches as he rides an exhilarating wave of nostalgia from the sixties up until now, through the heady days of drugs, alcohol and excess in Bali and Biarritz and other exotic locations in between. Filled with debauchery, reflection and insight, this is a book that will be devoured by surfers young and old. ...Show more

Kiwi Cyclists Guide To Life by Jane King

$40.00 NZD

Category: Cycling

The Kiwi Cyclists Guide to Life takes an inquisitive peek into the lives, minds, adventures and bike sheds, of many Kiwis from different walks of life, who love nothing better than experiencing freedom, fun, adventures and misadventures on two wheels. Whether road-racing at breakneck speed, soaring over jumps on a mountain bike in the forest, or navigating nature on a picturesque cycle trail at a more leisurely pace - many of us cant get enough of the thrills and spills that riding a bike provides. These tales are of the fun, enthusiasm and dedication of a variety of different characters - from high-profile elites, mountain biking trailblazers, BMX fanatics, cycling groups and communities, recreational riders - not forgetting the MAMIL (middle-aged man in lycra), collectors, restorers and a bunch of under-the-radar bike-nuts you've got to watch out for. ...Show more

Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect by Bob Rotella; Bob Cullen

$35.00 NZD

Category: Sport

Filled with insightful stories about golf, Dr. Bob Rotella's delightful book will improve the game of even the most casual weekend player. Dr. Bob Rotella is one of the hottest performance consultants in America today. Among his many professional clients are Nick Price (last year's Player of the Year), Tom Kite, Davis Love III, Pat Bradley, Brad Faxon, John Daly, and many others. Rotella, or "Doc," as most players refer to him, goes beyond just the usual mental aspects of the game and the reliance on specific techniques. What Rotella does here in this extraordinary book, and with his clients, is to create an attitude and a mindset about all aspects of a golfer's game, from mental preparation to competition. The most wonderful aspect of it all is that it is done in a conversational fashion, in a dynamic blend of anecdote and lesson. And, as some of the world's greatest golfers will attest, the results are spectacular. Golfers will improve their golf game and have more fun playing. Some of Rotella's maxims include: -On the first tee, a golfer must expect only two things of himself: to have fun, and to focus his mind properly on every shot. -Golfers must learn to love 'the challenge when they hit a ball into the rough, trees, or sand. The alternatives--anger, fear, whining, and cheating--do no good. -Confidence is crucial to good golf. Confidence is simply the aggregate of the thoughts you have about yourself. -It is more important to be decisive than to be correct when preparing to play any golf shot or putt. Filled with delightful and insightful stories about golf and the golfers Rotella works with, Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect will improve the game of even the most casual weekend player. ...Show more

Heroics and Heartbreak by Jamie Wall

$37.00 NZD

Category: Sport

The 2019 Rugby World Cup campaign is shaping up to be the most intriguing World Cup campaign ever for the All Blacks, because they're going for their third title in a row. It will cap a decade of dominance for the team, who broke their 24-year drought in 2011 and then breezed through to win the 2015 edi tion.   This year will be a much tougher challenge, though.   The signs are there that most of the other test playing nations have gained some serious ground on the All Blacks in the last couple of seasons. This was seen in the results against England and Ireland late last year.   Road to Glory? focuses on the lead up and World Cup campaign itself, which very much started in October 2018. The All Blacks went to Japan for a couple of tests and then on to Europe for three more, which was seen as a dry run for what would happen in a year's time. The tour itself was a hard slog, with the team clearly feeling the effects of a long season. Notably, coach Steve Hansen and captain Kieran Read came under considerable scrutiny throughout.   Jamie Wall covers the year leading up to the cup, including Super Rugby and the Six Nations, the test season in New Zealand (and the games that will be played in Buenos Aires and Perth), then the final preparations that lead up to the squad being named. Then, a blow-by-blow account of the All Blacks' games, trainings, press conferences and dramas throughout the World Cup as Jamie follows the team through the campaign in Japan.   All of which will lead to either a Triumphant final victory on 2 November. . .or a crushing defeat that will signal a new era in world rugby. ...Show more

Retro Cricket by Ian Collis

$49.99 NZD

Category: Sport

Retro Cricket is a celebration of the halcyon days of world cricket. From the retirement of Sir Don Bradman in 1948 to the Kerry Packer-led cricket 'revolution' in 1977, this book allows the reader to fondly look back and enjoy rare images of bygone cricketing days. At more than 300 pages and with more than 400 images, Retro Cricket is not just a history book, it is a celebration of a great game. Retro Cricket is a book for all generations, not just those who watched the game during the heady days of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. ...Show more

The Great Olympic Swindle (1st Edition) by JENNINGS

$29.95 NZD

Category: Sport

The Oval World: A Global History of Rugby by Tony Collins

$33.00 NZD

Category: Sport

Rugby has always been a sport with as much drama off the field as on it. For every thrilling last-minute Jonny Wilkinson drop-goal to win the world cup or Jonah Lomu rampage down the touchline for a try, there has been a split, a feud or a controversy. The Oval World is the first full-length history of rugby on a world scale - from its origins in the village-based football games of medieval times up to the globalised sport of the twenty-first century,now played in well over 100 countries. It tells the story of how a game played in an obscure English public school became the winter sport of the British Empire, spread to France, Argentina, Japan and the rest of the world and commanded a global television audience of over four billion for the last world cup final. And how American football - and other games such as Australian, Canadian and Gaelic football - emerged from rugby and highlight just how much the modern gridiron game owes to its English cousin. Featuring the great moments in the game's history and its great names - such as Jonah Lomu, David Duckham, Serge Blanco, Billy Boston and David Campese alongside Rupert Brooke, King George V, Boris Karloff, Charles de Gaulle and Nelson Mandela - The Oval World investigates just what it is about rugby that enables it to survive and thrive in countries with very different traditions and cultures. This is the the definitive world history of a truly global rugby. ...Show more

New Zealand Rugby Stats, Trivia & Quotes by Lorimer Kate

$22.00 NZD

Category: Sport

The All Blacks are one of the most recognisable and formidable teams on the world sporting stage. They are the record setters, the keepers of tradition, and the icons of the game of Rugby Union. They have been the benchmark for skill and execution ever since the oval shaped ball first arrived on New Zea land's shores, and are a team the rest of the world aspire to beat. Take a look back at their achievements across the past 30 years, recollect those memorable moments and marvel at the exploits of some of the legendary performances witnessed during period. From the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987, when it was still an amateur game, through to their record-breaking exploits in 2016 at the height of their sporting professionalism, the All Blacks have enjoyed one of the greatest levels of consistency ever seen on the global sporting landscape. ...Show more