Krijn Vrolijk & Jacob- Jan Esmeijer - Windmills, Dykes & Wides (2020)

Cricket in the Netherlands is played on fields that only the connoisseur knows how to find. On a grass wicket, in very rare cases. Hidden behind windmills and dikes, just short of wearing clogs. If footballers and field hockey players allow it. But always with the best intentions and with genuine love for the game.

Windmills, dykes & wides is a history of Dutch cricket translated into English, presented in eleven anecdotal stories. The book covers a period of over fifty years, from a heroic victory over Australia in the 1960s to qualification for the 2020 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup via winning the qualifying tournament in Dubai. In the first English-language ‘Dutch’ cricket book, authors Jacob-Jan Esmeijer and Krijn Vrolijk offer players from then and now a well-deserved platform. (Former) internationals tell with verve about memorable matches, what preceded them, and what the aftermath was like. For although it is tempting to dismiss cricket in the Netherlands as insignificant, even the biggest cynics now run out of fingers to count moments of unexpected glory.

All in all, Windmills, dykes & wides provides a picture of cricket in the Low Countries, written in a lively and humorous style—sometimes romantic, sometimes sobering, but never one-sided. Order the book here.