A NEW book has been published - and it’s a must for anyone interested in Somerset cricket.

The second in a series outlining the lives of all the men who have played for the county, it covers the period between the First and Second World Wars.

Somerset Cricketers 1919-1939 contains fascinating and generously illustrated accounts of every player in order of their debut.

Among them are old favourites such as Harold Gimblett and Arthur Wellard, who set the County Ground alight with their heroics and were once hero-worshipped by schoolboys across the land.

But there are plenty of one-match wonders, too, many of them fascinating characters.

The authors both grew up in Taunton. Stephen Hill was educated at Queen’s College and Barry Phillips at Huish’s Grammar School.

They spent a year tracking down information about the 124 players featured in this book, finding innumerable new facts and unearthing many unpublished images stored by sons or daughters of the former stars.

Leaving no stone unturned as they researched the exploits of these men, the authors have offered up an enjoyable journey through Somerset’s cricketing past with fascinating detours as they reveal men who fell into the depths of despair or set about changing the world for the better.

Businessmen and clergymen, war heroes and scoundrels, innovators and trouble-makers - you'll meet men from every walk of life and find how Somerset cricket linked together the fortunes of these disparate characters.

The first volume – Somerset Cricketers 1882-1914 – was well received, with the authors being voted Cricketer Historians of the Year by the sport’s official body and awarded the Brooke-Lambert Trophy, presented by former England cricket captain M. J. K. Smith.

The book was also voted elsewhere as the best cricket publication in the UK in 2016.

The books aren’t just about cricket. They’re a really readable insight into the social history of the club and everyone associated with it.

The authors will be at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton, on Monday, September 25, signing copies of their books at the last Somerset game of the season, potentially a tense relegation decider with Middlesex.

Somerset Cricketers 1919-1939 by Stephen Hill and Barry Phillips is published by Halsgrove (retail price £16.99) and can be ordered (including a limited number of signed copies) from the publisher’s website or any good bookshop, including County Sports at the Cooper Associates County Ground, in Taunton.

The book can also be found on Amazon.

The first volume, Somerset Cricketers 1882-1914 (also £16.99) is still available.

Somerset County Gazette: