David Sheppard: Batting for the Poor: The authorized biography of the celebrated cricketer and bishop

by Andrew Bradstock

Overview

From his time as Captain of England's cricket team to his pioneering work as Bishop of Liverpool, David Sheppard led a remarkable life. Now his story is told in full for the first time in this fascinating and insightful biography. Batting for the Poor draws on the papers left by Sheppard in the Liverpool Central Library as well as other archival material and more than 150 interviews conducted by Andrew Bradstock, all brought together to create a picture of a diligent and passionate man who helped break down divisions and turn Liverpool's fortunes around. Batting for the Poor is a vivid, entertaining biography that will be enjoyed by cricket fans, those interested in twentieth century history or the history of Liverpool and those interested in man that inspired so many as the Bishop of Liverpool. You will discover the story of an exceptional leader, and learn about the history of some of the divisions and struggles in the second half of the twentieth century that still impact society and culture in England today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780281081059
Publisher:	SPCK (Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge)
Publication date:	11/21/2019
Pages:	376
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x (d)

About the Author

Andrew Bradstock is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and an emeritus professor of the University of Winchester. He established New Zealand's first Centre for Theology and Public Issues, and has been teaching and writing about the relationship between faith, politics and social engagement for over thirty years. David Sheppard: Batting for the Poor is his first biography.

Table of Contents

List of plates xiii

Foreword Archbishop Desmond Tutu xv

Preface xvii

Acknowledgements xxii

1 Early life (1929-1942) 1

2 Sherborne (1942-1947) 15

3 National service and conversion (1947-1950) 34

4 Trinity Hall and Sussex (1950-1953) 55

5 Ridley Hall (1953-1955) 74

6 Islington (1955-1957) 88

7 Mayflower (1958-1969) 111

8 Woolwich (1969-1975) 142

9 Liverpool (1975-1980) 173

10 Liverpool (1981-1985) 199

11 Liverpool (1985-1990) 229

12 Liverpool, retirement and death (1991-2005) 258

13 Conclusion 287

Appendix 1 Chronology 325

Appendix 2 The cricket career of David Sheppard 328

Sources 331

Select bibliography 334

Photograph acknowledgements 336

Index 337

Editorial Reviews

Batting for the Poor is the authorised biography of David Sheppard, telling the story of his life as a celebrated cricketer and his remarkable work as Bishop of Liverpool.

As Liverpool’s exceptional bishops, David Sheppard and Derek Worlock healed old wounds, championed great causes, and put faith into action in the city’s forgotten neighbourhoods. A first-class biography of David Sheppard is long overdue, and Andrew Bradstock has provided it.

David Sheppard "stood out” in every sense of the term. He was unusually tall; played cricket for England; championed the disadvantaged; and turned a fiercely sectarian city into a beacon of ecumenism. This book tells us how.

David Sheppard continually asked awkward questions, both of himself and others, but always in the context of an unshakeable faith. This is a book, and a life, we could all learn from.

Bishop David Sheppard’s partnership with Archbishop Derek Worlock overcame the religious barriers as they led the fight against poverty and division in Liverpool, which has had a lasting effect and which is well documented in this publication.

This is a superb biography. At the end of it you feel you know not only the man, with all his strengths and frailties, but also the times in which he lived, with all their challenges.

With elegant prose and faithful reporting, Andrew Bradstock has produced an accurate portrait of the life and ministry of the David Sheppard I knew and admired.

David Sheppard’s life is fully deserving of this detailed, even forensic, biography. His character fully epitomized the old adage for life, 'make a plan and stick to it'. He was a friend to me in my private life, as well as a stalwart partner on the cricket field – we put on 124 runs together on the final winning day of the Melbourne Test in 1963!

From the Publisher