Reverse Swept Radio - cricket books, films and history

THE TEN MINUTE FORTNIGHT: Andy finishes his season at the Oval, while Toby follows the latest chapter in Jonathan Trott's career "It almost didn't feel celebratory - it just felt like "what on earth have we just seen"." FROM THE ARCHIVES (10'00): When a Helmet first appeared in Test cricket, 1978 He bowled a bouncer - because he doesn't compromise, despite fracturing your skull last time - but this time he's hooked for six. THE REVIEW (23'16): Bill Edrich by Leo McKinstry "One of those innings is described as 'the greatest sixteen I've ever seen'." Recorded 14 October 2026

THE TEN MINUTE FORTNIGHT: Andy joins a petition to get Larwood into the Long Room, and Toby roots for Somerset  "It would have been curious to know the vibe in the room when Larwood's grandson was taken around and didn't find Harold there." FROM THE ARCHIVES (11'51): When Chanderpaul Got Up Later Chanderpaul would say that: “I did not know where I was. My entire body went numb…" THE REVIEW (19'46): The Miracle of 99 - Fox Sports Australia "It's frankly a struggle to see an Australian win in the late 90s as a surprise, let alone a miracle." Recorded 3 August 2026

THE TEN MINUTE FORTNIGHT: Andy revisits his cricketing past in Zimbabwe, and we reflect on England's leadership changes "The Zimbabwe Cricket Podcast kindly shared my longshot request to find someone who had played in the 1999 edition of Stragglers Week, and Joseph Madyembwa got in touch." FROM THE ARCHIVES (12'00): William Lambert and the infamous fix of 1817 "It was an unusual game, in that both sides wanted to lose."  THE REVIEW (25'15): Footprints: David Foot's Life of Writing (2023, Fairfield Books, ed. Stephen Chalke) "The horror of the trenches and the inevitably of missing a catch as an amateur are held in such perfect balance." Recorded 4 August 2026

THE TEN MINUTE FORTNIGHT: The death of Bob Blair, and is the Bazball captaincy a poisoned chalice? "It's the story so good that we accidentally told it twice on the podcast." FROM THE ARCHIVES (11'50): The Bouncer that Peter Lever regretted "When I got back to the pavilion I wanted to retire."  THE REVIEW (20'55): The Fifth Estate: Corruption Inside Cricket Canada (2026, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) "Essentially what we're saying is Please don't sue us." Recorded 30 June 2026

THE TEN MINUTE FORTNIGHT: The annual RSR Lord's away day "The Lord's bar's approach towards carbs is really something else." FROM THE ARCHIVES (08'42): A new cricketing alphabet game "There is absolutely no way you're going to come up with a Q."  THE REVIEW (23'45): Catching the Light (2026, Fairfield Books) "It's exactly the kind of thing that could be written while languishing in the long grass." Recorded 8 June 2026

THE TEN MINUTE FORTNIGHT: Andy feels the weight of his Middlesex voting rights, and Toby ponders the changing seasons "I particularly enjoy just watching the groundstaff standing and looking at the pitch." FROM THE ARCHIVES (10'30): An(other) Unusual World Record: The only wicket maiden in a T20 Super Over "How do you even get the stadium announcer job? I would *love* that job."  THE REVIEW (22'25): The Southpaw Project (2024, dir. Lachlan Ross) "This isn't just about performance, it's about having a project on the scale that gets you excited again." Recorded 24 April 2026

THE TEN MINUTE FORTNIGHT: Andy surveys his cricket-themed birthday cards, and Toby wonders whether Livingstone's criticism of Bazball might let the genie out of the bottle "It does make you wonder what they'd send if I wasn't a cricket fan." FROM THE ARCHIVES (09'40): An Unusual World Record: Jimmy Sinclair scores the longest ever six "His name sounds like a super hero, which is probably quite appropriate given what we're about to hear."  THE REVIEW (19'30): Echoing Greens: How Cricket Shaped the English Imagination (2024) by Brendan Cooper "Wonderful to think of Keats at the age of 24 wandering about with a cricket injury." Recorded 19 March 2026  

THE TEN MINUTE FORTNIGHT: Andy is struck by a photo of Shaoib Bashir, and Toby reads an open letter about England's playing fields "These are young men with fragile careers chasing dreams." FROM THE ARCHIVES (11'10): Tony Lewis’ Christmas Present: India v England 1972 at Delhi "England at least remain unbeaten on Christmas Day."  THE REVIEW (19'46): Flintoff (2025), Disney Plus "It was delightful to see Ponting visibly pissed off when recalling the events of 2005." Recorded 5 January 2026

THE TEN MINUTE FORTNIGHT: Andy admires a test debutant towards the end of his fourth decade, and Toby encounters Plum Warner in a new context "I don't score quickly enough, that's my real issue." FROM THE ARCHIVES (10'00): The One-Eyed Cricketer - the remarkable life of Colin Milburn "Often you saw him batting with both feet off the ground, in a sort of gravity-defying act"  THE REVIEW (22'17): Basingstoke Boy by John Arlott (1990) "There's an extraordinary page where he describes narrowly missing joining the Manchester United team who were in the Munich air crash." Recorded 17 November 2025

THE TEN MINUTE FORTNIGHT: Andy empathises with Durham's demise, and Toby marks Chris Woakes' test retirement "Dwayne Bravo - a true road warrior of the franchise era." FROM THE ARCHIVES (10'00): The Run Reaper "This was all about reducing the air resistance when you play the shot. The physics here - well, it's fair to say that I'm not a physicist..."  THE REVIEW (19'00): The 2005 Ashes: Settling the Score (BBC, July 2025) "I'm not entirely sure what this is, but I know that it combines my two great loves, and that it's worth a listen." Recorded 7 October 2025