1976

Norman Preston's 25th edition as editor looked back on a hot summer (the Lord's Test was played in temperatures in the 90s, encouraging the now-famous streaker) which contained the first World Cup, won - after a thrilling final - by West Indies. England restored pride following the drubbing they had received in the previous winter by matching Australia in the four-Test series despite losing the first Test at Edgbaston; and the bespectacled David Steele emerged as England's unlikely saviour, ending the year as the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year after his bank-clerk-goes-to-war performances against Lillee and Thomson. Robin Hobbs hit a hundred in 44 minutes against the Australians. The 1975-76 winter was the last to date in which England had no scheduled overseas tour (they didn't go anywhere in 1988-89, either, after the proposed tour of India was cancelled because of the South African connections of many of the tourists).
Editor Norman Preston
Pages 1070
Price £3.00 (soft) / (cloth)

Almanack essays

Notes by the Editor

A wonderful summer, 1976