Cricket has always tried to see itself separate to politics but obviously in the real world that isn't possible. Exhibit A is the proposed 1970 South African cricket tour of England, where a series of anti-apartheid protests led to the cancellation of the tour.

Barbed Wire and Cucumber Sandwiches covers the events leading up to the tour, from the early opposition to apartheid, including players like Mike Brearley and Peter Lever, to the protests against the South African rugby tour, which was eventually cancelled due to the ongoing protests, and the growing realisation that the tour would be cancelled. In the background the Labour Government does what it can to ensure cancellation and the author intertwines his own experiences of the times as well as that of his champagne socialist uncle Lawrence.

Shlinder makes some curious detours throughout the book, covering some areas that were at best obliquely related; did we really need a couple of pages on the break up of the Beatles, for example? However, overall Barbed Wire and Cucumber Sandwiches gives a good overview of the times, both on and off the pitch. ( )