Patsy Hendren

First-ever biography of Patsy Hendren, one of the most entertaining and popular sporting personalities of the inter-war period, who made his mark in both football and cricket.

From Cricket Writers’ Club Book of the Year Award finalist Jeremy Lonsdale, author of An Unusual Celebrity: The Many Cricketing Lives of Bill Bowes.

Too often Hendren has been seen simply as a comic figure, but there was so much more to this unique sportsman:

• A prolific batsman for Middlesex and a superb fielder, Hendren appeared 51 times for England and was in two Ashes-winning sides • A fast and tricky winger, he also played more than 400 games for Brentford in the lower divisions • When Hendren retired at 48, only Jack Hobbs and Frank Woolley had scored more runs, only Hobbs more centuries, and probably only Hobbs had earned more money from cricket • Hendren was not a stylish batsman like Hobbs, and had none of the glamour of Percy Chapman, or the polish of Herbert Sutcliffe; he was, however, a true one-off who deserves to be known by all sports lovers

This meticulous study of a relentless sporting career is a must-read for all cricket fans, especially those interested in Middlesex CCC, followers of Brentford FC and anyone interested in inter-war Britain and the social history of the period.

© 2026 Pitch Publishing (Ebook): 9781836803621

Release date

Ebook: June 1, 2026