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There is more cricket fiction than is probably thought to exist. Screeds of it, in fact, with a curious abundance of thrillers and murder mysteries stretching from Dorothy Sayers Oxford Blue amateur sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey to Ted Dexters Testkill.As is often the case with artistry, novelists tackle cricket in a manner one might not otherwise think up. How different would English summers be without slip fielders? Jennie Walkers 24 for 3 contemplates. Arthur Conan Doyles Spedegues Dropper has a schoolteacher bowling 50 feet upward for the ball to fall vertically onto the stumps. Anthologies of crickets gilded writings tend toward literary pedigree, such as All-Muggletons jolly trouncing of Dingley Dell in Charles Dickens Pickwick Papers. Evergreen in the game, too, is celebrating an England of green fields surely more emerald than ever was the case in life. Upstanding here is the nostalgic village-cricket schmaltz of Hugh de Selincourts The Cricket Match.Cricket fiction is not only the stuff of odd recesses and antique periods, though. There has been a recent spate of highly literate, fun, international and engaging novels concentrated upon the sport. A bright place to start when discussing cricket fiction is the most convivial of these, Shehan Karunatilakas Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew.Chinaman is a novel of talent not realised. Its the story of potentially the greatest cricketer who ever lived proving not to be. Think to those cricketers you have known and willed on who never followed through at the elite level. From recent figures such as Rory Hamilton-Brown, and others doleful, like Richard Danny Germs Austin, to those of more parochial standing. Of the latter, Sridharan Jeganathan, Roshan Guneratne, and Anura Ranasinghe, fringe Sri Lankan spinners from the 1980s who all died young and forlorn, are likely unfamiliar. Chinaman amalgamates their obscure fates and a swathe of other half-true stories from Sri Lankan cricket into the story of a left-arm unorthodox and his resolute biographer. Tailing a course of murky sporting oblivion, it has explanations and diagrams of cricketing points (wicket, follow-on, Duckworth Lewis), some factual and some discursive. Its full of lists, discussions of statistics and style, and features endless references to Sri Lankas 1996 World Cup victory. And theres a little person in a bunker under a pitch who records the ambient audio of matches on reel-to-reel.Perhaps unexpectedly, this is all quite readable and, like Harry Potter, a page-turner. Indeed, following publication in 2010, Chinaman was a literary success with wide appeal. It won awards, avid fans, was raved about in prestigious publications, and released in the United States under a downplayed name. Many claimed, somewhat unimaginatively, that it was the Great Sri Lankan Novel. Such highbrow feting is perhaps a trifle surprising to cricket fans, whose love for the game is usually looked down upon by literary sorts, for the novel is ensconced in the sport and its lore in the same way meat is in a steak.Being a large book, its about much else besides. Its narrator - an alcoholic retired sportswriter consumed with his own failings and indulgences - leads the reader from middle-class suburban life in Mount Lavinia round about Colombo and eventually onto a backpacker bus through New Zealands North Island with a conceited musician. There is something of the cricket mystery genre as dubious titbits of information are trailed in bumbling detective fashion (although their theme is a forgotten cricket career rather than murder most foul). In a genial, rambling style, the eponymous chinamans more fantastic proportions - as an ambidextrous bowler capable of pace and spin and mimicry of others styles, with an arsenal of mystery spin balls that might bounce twice or fly 20 feet into the air (just like Spedegues Dropper) - are diverting rather than absurd.Along with Chinamans merits as a novel and in making cricket palatable to the great unwashed, the author is to be commended for his research. Karunatilaka is, by his own admission, a casual cricket fan. The sort to watch bits of a World Cup, perhaps the odd Test. Thinking of the games potential as a vehicle for fiction, he gave himself over to it for a few years. Kept odd hours for telecasts and watched every Sri Lankan match from 1982 to 1999. Read any piece of writing he could on the subject. Spoke to old drunks in bars. (Perhaps sounds like your workaday life.)The result is fairly impeccable. Chinamans detailing of cricket through the 1980s and early 1990s - with some figures fused and others altered in name - is accomplished. Australians are boorish, Boycott is needling, all are condescending to Sri Lanka, and sinister forces lurk at the games edges. Moreover, cricket is not only balls bowled or shots played and runs scored, but what happens when these things occur - a sport of entireties and ancillaries. The depiction of the games ardency is particularly superb; the habits of those who populate the novel are much the same as of those who read this publication.Faultless and intricate in construction, Chinaman nonetheless misses an ineffable something of the game. Without being able to point to definite error, the depiction of cricket, like a reproduction made from a masters canvas, feels a little off. It seems a pastiche at times, a mimicry of those who love the game, with the detailing exact and the effect meaningless. Perhaps here is the distinction between cricket fiction where a novelist puts the game to use, and a devotee - an obsessive, fanatic, tragic - using the novel as a vehicle for cricket.What to do, though, with a novelist hijacking cricket for his own ends, one not worshipping at the games altar with his art? Well, read him for a start. Whatever quibbles about Chinaman as a book of cricket, its a cavorting read. Nicholas Hogg, writing for ESPNcricinfo, suggests writing a cricket book yourself. Sensible notion, unlikely to be done. How about moving onto another book? Grand. Lets leave Testkill (not to mention Ted Dexters golf murder mystery, Deadly Putter) until it turns up at a jumble sale. Theres plenty of others for the meantime.ExtractSpinners or Plumbers?The Great Lankan Opening Batsman once claimed that just because he could hit a ball with a bat it didnt make him better than anyone else. Was he being falsely modest or genuinely humble? Like many of our local umpires and selectors over the years, I will give him the benefit of the doubt.But there is some truth to what he says. Does Sri Lanka need more schoolteachers, more soldiers, or more wicketkeepers? Whats more useful to society? A middle order batsman or a bank manager? A specialist gully fieldsman or a civil engineer? A left-arm spinner or a plumber?I have been told by members of my own family that there is no use or value in sports. I only agree with the first part.I may be drunk, but I am not stupid. Of course there is little point to sports. But, at the risk of depressing you, let me add two more cents. There is little point to anything. In a thousand years, grass will have grown over all our cities. Nothing of anything will matter.Left-arm spinners cannot unclog your drains, teach your children or cure you of disease. But once in a while, the very best of them will bowl a ball that will bring an entire nation to its feet. And while there may be no practical use in that, there is most certainly value.Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew By Shehan Karunatilaka Jean-Francois Jacques Oilers Jersey . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. "I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said. Zack Kassian Oilers Jersey . -- Josh Sterk scored once and set up two more as the Oshawa Generals edged the visiting Belleville Bulls 3-2 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. http://www.hockeyoilersshop.com/jujhar-khaira-jersey/ . Still, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke thought taking him out before the fifth inning was an unusual move. "Im looking up at the board and hes got two hits given up and one run, and Im taking him out after the fourth inning," Roenicke said. Kris Russell Jersey . Thousands of fans at Mosaic Stadium will be cozying up to each other in an effort to stay warm in chilly temperatures and block the Prairie wind that locals say can knock your socks off. Mark Fayne Jersey .2 billion agreement with Rogers Communications for the leagues broadcast and multimedia rights. In a scene that has played out countless times in his NHL career, All-Star defenseman Dustin Byfuglien glided his 265-pound frame to the penalty box. Only this time, while in there, he signed autographs for children and posed for selfies.This wasnt Winnipegs MTS Centre in the thick of the NHL season. It was Braemar Arena in Edina, Minnesota, in early August.Welcome to Da Beauty League: hockeys most star-studded (and possibly most fun) summer beer league.Im not sure how successful anyone really thought it might be, as far as fans coming out to see it. But it was awesome,?Arizona Coyotes defenseman Alex Goligoski?said. They did it the right way. For me, personally, it couldnt have gone better.Goligoski and Byfuglien were two of the first players approached about the league at the start of the 2015-16 NHL season. By the time the summer hockey league officially kicked off on July 12, it was an All-Star extravaganza featuring Minnesotas hockey elites, including 45 NHL players and an array of top AHL and college players.Goligoski was among the league captains who sorted out the six team rosters, along with Brock Nelson, Ryan McDonagh, Taylor Chorney, Nick Bjugstad and David Backes. With former NHL players Ben Clymer, Mark Parrish and Brian Lawton among the coaches, the league was set, and a Minnesota hockey phenomenon began to take shape.Weve been talking about it for years. We just decided to take the plunge this year and make a go of it, said league organizer Ben Hankinson, a former NHL player who now works as a player agent with Octagon Hockey.Its cool. Just to see the kids wanting autographs and hanging over the glass. The parents are taking pictures. Its really cool to see how passionate hockey fans are in Minnesota. We had some really hot, humid nights that our games were played on. So it was a nice place to come beat the heat and cool down a little bit.With some of the worlds best players competing and tickets only $5 each, hundreds of fans turned out to watch the twice-weekly 4-on-4 games. Money raised from ticket revenue and the auctioning off of game-worn jerseys was also given to charity.As the intensity of play on the ice ramped up week after week, so did the size of the crowds. It wasnt long before the State of Hockey went all-in on Da Beauty League.The pace was amazing. It was a lot of fun to watch, said Keith Ballard, a former NHL player who served as a Beauty League coach.It seemed like every game there was more and more people coming. There were over 1,000 people there, which is pretty impressive for a 4-on-4 summer deal. I give those guys a lot of credit for being there each night and putting on a good show. Guys stayed after and signed autographs for the fans and threw pucks in the crowd and sticks. It was a really cool experience all around.In the end, Chorneys team featuringg NHLers Byfuglien, Drew Stafford and James van Riemsdyk took the league title with a 9-5 championship-game win over Nelsons crew, which included New York Islanders teammate Anders Lee and veteran Nashville Predators defenseman Matt Carle.dddddddddddd. Stafford was named the first Beauty League MVP after leading all players in goals and points.For NHL players and fans alike, the league truly served as a summer hockey paradise. But perhaps no one benefited more from the monthlong exhibition than the college and AHL players looking to take the next step in their careers. For prospects such as brothers Nick and Jordan Schmaltz and Brock Boeser, it was an invaluable opportunity to get summer reps alongside the likes of Zach Parise, Nick Leddy and Paul Martin.The pros dont put up with the kids not putting in full efforts, Hankinson said. Thats probably the biggest lesson I think these guys learn: how hard the pros work and how serious they are about it. Those guys dont mess around. Theyre taking time away from their families.Perhaps more than anything, the league was a celebration of hockey in a region that reveres the sport as much as any on the planet. Where else could so many world-class players volunteer their time in front of a packed house at a suburban community skating rink?The games featured plenty of indelible moments and perhaps none greater than an arena-rattling ceremonial puck drop before the championship game. That honor went to reigning All-Star Game MVP and very part-time honorary commissioner John Scott, after whom the leagues championship trophy was named.There was plenty of fun to be had in Edina, which is located southwest of Minneapolis. But make no mistake: The ultimate objective for every player involved was to win.The last regular-season game, whoever won was in the playoffs and whoever lost was done, Ballard said. It went to overtime, 3-on-3 to 2-on-2, then back to 3-on-3 and then a shootout. It was up and down and guys back-checking and blocking shots and getting in corners. It was great. In Minnesota, I dont think there has ever been anything like this.With the arenas website promising free admission to anyone shorter than Byfugliens stick, some fans reportedly traveled up to two hours to watch. Between the carefree summer spirit and the quality hockey, Da Beauty League was a resounding success.I dont think Ive ever played in front of any fans in the summer, Goligoski said. Theres not anything else like it.All indications are that Da Beauty League will be back in 2017, with players already looking forward to another go at the John Scott Cup.Oh, yeah. Im in. Im in 100 percent, Goligoski said. I dont see any reason why it wouldnt come back. ' ' '