A fine volume, but not suitable for Grimbles (Little Book of Mornington Crescent, the - Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden, Barry Cryer and Humphrey Lyttelton)

Member Name: Nolly

Product:	Little Book of Mornington Crescent, the - Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden, Barry Cryer and Humphrey Lyttelton
Date:	09/07/01 (57 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: see opinion

Disadvantages: Grimbles may find the Beckwith Indent Twisting Shunt a little difficult

I would like to let you in on a little secret. No, not that! This secret could be of significant importance to scholars of this rich and diverse language of ours. I'm sure that you are aware of the poet Rupert Brooke, who wrote a famous poem entitled 'The Soldier'. Well, this may seem incredible, but I have actually found an early version of the same poem by Brooke, a version that contains several major differences from the more famous later version. The manuscript is currently being verified as to its authenticity by one of my Year Seven English class, but I can let you know what the opening of the poem actually is:

"If I should die, think only this of me,
that there is some corner of a foreign field that is Hammersmith Broadway."

Of course only the very learned amongst you will be able to perceive the differences and subtle nuances of this earlier version. However it does prove one thing, and that is that Rupert Brooke was never any good at playing the historic game of Mornington Crescent. I know this because absolutely everyone who has the vaguest inkling of the great game, knows that the Blenkinsop International Standard Rules (1876, rev. 1965) suggest that a Prentice Reverse Sweep such as that proposed in the poem was not an advisable move, and should be replaced by the Perkins Twin Shunt, which would more properly and effectively be represented by Tufnell Park in poetical terms.

And so I come to the very subject of this humble opinion. Towards the end of last year a volume was published that would have proved indispensable for Rupert Brooke, had he survived the Great War:

ISBN Number 0-75281-864-3

The Little Book of Mornington Crescent: Garden, Naismith, Pattinson, Brooke-Taylor, Cryer, and Lyttleton


This slim volume is truly feature packed with information and facts about the noble game. It has a description of the history, of famous players of the game and, of course, the ru
les. It must be added that the rules that are printed are the Beauchamp Matchplay Rules which, as you may be able to deduce by their very name, were created by Alfred Pratt of Cleator Moor in 1997. Aficionados of the game will know that the Entwistle Rules have standing if you are not in Spoon, or Tunbridge Wells, which is very nearly the same thing, really.

Other features of note in the volume include the way the game has been mentioned in Literature. As I point out above, poetry has been a common place to mention the game, but it was even mentioned by William Shakespeare in Henry V:

"Once more unto the Bank, dear friends, once more,
Or close up Blackwall with this Bridge of red" etc


As you will know, the most recent games in the international MC circle are featured on the Radio 4 programme 'I'm Sorry I haven't a Clue'.

The book is, in my view, good value. The one thing that I would say, though, is that you have to be aware of the game, its variants and nuances. If you are a Mornington Crescent virgin, or grimble, as they are known in MC parlance, you may be baffled. The book is more suited to the advanced player or flatulentor, as they are known.

However if you want to know about the game we all know and love, or just want the recipe for Coq Fosters*, this may well be the volume for you.


* A chicken dish akin to Coq au Vin, but lager is used instead of red wine.

Summary: