- England, Their England by A.G Macdonell
‘’England, Their England’’ written by the Scottish author A.G Macdonell and first published in December 1933 is a satirical comic novel based on the highly contrasting rural and urban societies of the early 20th century England. Even though it is considered among critics to be one of the writer’s least known works, the novel drew flak for its sincere portrayal of village cricket. The novel illustrates the travel experiences of a young Scotsman, Donald Cameron who despite being invalided from the Western Front is compelled to prolong his stay in England as per his father’s will. There, he takes to writing articles for a series of London newspapers before a Welshman entrusts him with the task of writing a book about England from a foreigner’s perspective. Donald dedicates himself to research by befriending some journalists and minor poets, attending a country house weekend, working as a private secretary to an MP, attending the League of Nations and trying his hand at village cricket. The village cricket match forms the centrepiece of this book. The cricket team depicted in the book bears a strong resemblance to Sir John’s Cricket Club- the Invalids- which still survives.
