Details of Publication - Apex Publishing Ltd.

Sporting Heroes of Essex and East London 1960-2000: Bobby Moore and Graham Gooch
	Author: Dr. Phil Stevens Foreword by: Tony Cottee Classification: Sport Sorry this book is Out Of Print	Brief Description: Footballer Bobby Moore and cricketer Graham Gooch are two of the truly outstanding sporting figures of the post-war period. They attained the very heights of sporting glory during the golden years of their playing days in the latter half of the twentieth century, Moore captaining England to World Cup victory at Wembley in 1966, and Gooch scoring century after century against the West Indies. Despite their international success, they proudly shared the same working-class East London/Essex background and always remained loyal to their roots. This book takes a unique look at the lives and characters of these two sporting heroes, comparing and contrasting the development of their careers within a rapidly changing social context, as well as their individual approaches to their retirement years. It traces the history of football and cricket in East London and Essex, a hotbed of local sport that has produced many world-class sports stars, from 1960 to 2000. It is also the story of thousands of local football and cricket enthusiasts in the area who have helped to make the sporting culture of East London/Essex so rich and distinctive. Anecdotes and interesting stories from individuals and clubs abound, including the great Graham Gooch, who agreed to be interviewed for the book and provides fascinating insights into modern sport. With a perceptive foreword by football legend Tony Cottee, this book captures the heart of cricket and football as well as the heart of East End and Essex culture and is a must all sports lovers.

Special Note: This book is now out of print.

About the Author: Dr Phil Stevens has published numerous articles on a range of education topics. He has held fellowships at the London Institute of Education; Merton College, Oxford University; and the University of Tennessee. He completed a PhD at the London Institute in 1992.
While holding senior positions in education, for 25 years Dr Stevens taught in schools, colleges and adult education. In the 1980s he taught in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. A keen sports enthusiast, he coached basketball, football and cricket, including a spell leading a successful Waltham Forest Schools U13 cricket team.
Born in Walthamstow on the East London and Essex border, Dr Stevens enjoyed a long and successful career in education, following a five-year spell as a firefighter in his twenties at Islington and Chingford. He played Devon league cricket for 15 years and football for Leyton FC, Chingford FC and the University of Liverpool.
A lifelong West Ham and Essex supporter, Dr Stevens has recently taken early retirement from his post as Vice-Principal of a Community College in Plymouth and now lives in France.

Purchasing
Information Reviews by the
Famous and Well Known Newspaper and
Website Reviews Radio and
TV Readers
Comments Signings and
Events Libraries that
stock this book

-- Purchasing Information

	Paperback	Hardback
Publication Date:	28 April 2016	16 April 2010
ISBN: ISBN 13:	1-785384-93-7 978-1-785384-93-6	1-906358-65-6 978-1-906358-65-5
Page Extent:	418	402
Book Size:	210x148mm	216x138mm
Price:	£12.99	£15.99
P & P (UK):		£1.80
P & P (Europe):		£3.20
P & P (World):		£5.00
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Publication Date:	28 April 2016
Digital eBook ISBN 13:	978-1-907792-01-4
Digital pdf ISBN 13:	978-1-908382-85-6
eBook Price (UK):	£7.99
eBook Price (USA):	$12.84
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-- Reviews by the Famous and well Known

This is a fantastic book which all football and cricket fans will enjoy reading. Bobby Moore and Graham Gooch are two of the genuinely great sporting figures of the post-war period and two of my own personal heroes. Moore’s exquisitely-timed tackles and precision passing - Gooch’s crunching on-drives and attacking style are clear images in the minds of all sports lovers and were a real inspiration to me and hundreds of other East End kids. Moore was the great iconic figure of the Sixties and Seventies and probably the last of the genuine local heroes, while Gooch’s long career spanned the twenty years between 1970 and 2000.
I was born in Forest Gate Hospital, just around the corner from the new Olympic Village and a couple of miles from West Ham’s Upton Park ground. When I was four years old, like many local families, we moved out to Romford, always the first stop out into Essex for aspiring East Enders. But despite our new suburban surroundings, like both Bobby Moore and Graham Gooch, we were always stayed close to our roots. The heroes of this engaging book both went to school in Leytonstone, a tough working class borough close to the East End. Like many of us from the East End, Moore and Gooch had the benefit of strong and supportive families, and were extremely proud of their working-class background. Both stayed close to their roots. Dr Stevens’s book is the first to compare and contrast the careers of these two sporting greats within the context of a fast-changing post-war world.
If the book is a study of the sporting lives of Bobby Moore and Graham Gooch, it is also the story of thousands of football and cricket enthusiasts who helped to make the sporting culture of East London/Essex so rich and distinctive. The book includes hilarious anecdotes and stories from individuals and clubs, and explains how playing fields like Hackney Marshes, Wanstead Flats and West Ham Park, where many of us played as youngsters, had such a key role in shaping the sporting culture of the area. The book is a celebration of all that is good in local sport.
West Ham United, my old club, and Essex County Cricket Club share a common sporting heritage. Bobby Moore played cricket for Essex as a teenager, while Graham Gooch is a passionate West Ham fan and regularly trained with us at West Ham at the peak of his career. The area that stretches out between Upton Park in the East End and Essex’s headquarters at Chelmsford is a hotbed of local sport, and a place which has produced an extra-ordinary number of international sports figures of the very highest calibre. In addition to Moore and Gooch, sporting giants from the area include David Beckham, Dean Macey, Teddy Sheringham, Lennox Lewis, Sol Campbell, Paul Ince, Ravi Bopara, Sir Alf Ramsey, Nasser Hussein, Christine Ohuruogu and Sir Trevor Brooking – the list is endless. Dr Stevens’s book identifies what is special about the sporting culture of Essex and East London.
The playing days of Moore and Gooch were golden years when both reached the very heights of sporting glory – Moore captaining England to World Cup victory at Wembley in 1966, and Gooch scoring century after century against the West Indies, one of the most fearsome fast-bowling attacks in the history of cricket. But as we professionals know only too well, sporting lives are short-lived and like all other international greats, our two heroes had to face the challenge of retirement. The book offers a fascinating account of the different ways Moore and Gooch faced their non-playing careers.
This book is a warm tribute to Bobby Moore and Graham Gooch, and to a truly remarkable sporting culture. Through interviews, archives and personal stories, Dr Stevens has managed to capture the sporting essence of the place, and gives the reader a real insight into what drove our two heroes to such dazzling heights of achievement. Sports fans are in for a treat.
Tony Cottee, Former Professional Footballer - Written the Foreword

-- Newspaper and Website Reviews

SPORTING HEROES
The Mail on Sunday

WHEN WEST HAM WON THE WORLD
A UNIQUE social history of sport in Essex contrasting the successes of football legend Bobby Moore and cricket hero Graham Gooch hits bookshops this month.
Phil Stevens' Sporting Heroes of Essex and East London 1960-2000 reveals how their working-class roots, family ties and the intensity of the area helped them reach the heights of glory in a hotbed of sport that produced a staggering number of stars.
The book, featuring a new interview with Gooch, retraces how two boys from the same "manor" conquered the world, as Moore captained England to World Cup victory in 1966, and Gooch scored century after century against the West Indies.
For the first time, the book tells in detail how Barking lad Moore, and Gooch epitomised the will, dedication and depth of feeling of sports lovers by shaping their aspirations and challenging class-based prejudices and the conventional image of East London.
Sky sports pundit, Tony Cottee said Sporting Heroes was the first book to compare and contrast the two legends within the context of a fast-changing world, and had succeeded in identifying what is special about sport in Essex.
The former West Ham and England player said the 400-page book was a "warm tribute" to the two heroes and East London's "truly remarkable sporting culture" adding that it contained "hilarious anecdotes" and that readers were "in for a treat.
Barking & Dagenham Post

EX-DEPUTY HEAD'S SPORTS HEROES
THE former vice-principal of a city college will be returning to Plymouth to sign copies of his latest book.
Dr Phil Stevens, who was a staff member at Estover Community College, has penned a book about the lives of sporting giants Bobby Moore and Graham Gooch.
Entitled, Sporting Heroes of Essex and East London 1960-2000, the book was released earlier this month and Dr Stevens will be in the city to sign copies next weekend.
After retiring recently, Dr Stevens, who is an avid sports fan having coached basketball, football and cricket, now lives in France.
He has published a number of articles over the years, alongside playing Devon league cricket and football for Leyton FC, Chingford FC and the University of Liverpool.
Dr Stevens will be at Waterstone's, New George Street from 11am to 1pm on Saturday May 15.
Sporting Heroes of Essex and East London 1960-2000: Bobby Moore and Graham Gooch, is printed by Apex Publishing Ltd and is on sale now.
The Herald

SPORTING HEROES
Southend Echo

Sporting Heroes of Essex and East London 1960-2000, by Dr Phil Stevens
By Simon Redfern
Despite the narrow focus suggested by the title, by placing two of England's titans of the period – Bobby Moore and Graham Gooch – at the book's core, Phil Stevens has broadened its appeal.
The links between footballer and cricketer were close: both were born into close-knit, working-class families from the East End – Stevens is illuminating on the symbiotic link between that area and Essex – both went to school in Leytonstone, Moore played cricket for Essex Youth, Gooch is a passionate West Ham fan.
Around these central characters the book darts off down a myriad byways, from Hackney Marshes in its heyday of 120 football pitches to women's cricket in Victoria Park. At times repetitive, in places overburdened with detail, this is nevertheless an entertaining muddle of a book.
Certainly the former Hammer Tony Cottee seems to have enjoyed it, as he lifted large chunks of the Introduction for his Foreword. Perhaps it's an Essex joke.
Published in hardback by Apex Publishing, £15.99.
Independent on Sunday

SPORTING HEROES
Programme Monthly & Football Collectable

SPORTING HEROES
Ipswich 24 Magazine

The most difficult thing about reviewing this book is figuring out how to categorise it, as it is truly comprehensive. At the centre of gravity are Bobby Moore and Graham Gooch - one a soccer legend, the other a cricketing hero. Around them, however, the author weaves a tale which encompasses history, working-class culture and sporting adulation into one, seamless story. It will captivate anyone who loves sport, Essex or the East End. Compelling from start to finish.
Mike Hallowell, The Shields Gazette

SPORTING HEROES
Winger Magazine: The Review of British Football

SPORTING HEROES
Sports Trader Magazine

ESSEX HAS TALENT
The Wisden Cricketer Magazine

SPORTING HEROES
Row-Z: Official E-News from the Essex County FA

SPORTING HEROES
Daily Star Sunday (Take 5 Magazine)

COMPETITION
* The competition was also featured in the 'Macclesfield Express', 'Heywood Advertiser', 'Middleton Guardian', 'Accrington Observer', 'Rossendale Free Press', 'Stockport Express' and 'Rochdale Observer'.
Manchester Evening News

Illuminating, entertaining and surprisingly broad in its appeal.
Simon Redfern, Independent on Sunday

SPORTING HEROES
www.cricketweb.net

SPORTING HEROES
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack

-- Radio and TV

22 April 2010 - Colchester Garrison 107 FM feature and run a competition on Dr Phil Stevens book 'Sporting Heroes'.
Colchester Garrison 107 FM

Apex Media Player

3 May 2010 - Dr. Phil Stevens was interviewed on NuSound Radio 92 FM. Phil answered questions about his book 'Sporting Heroes of Essex and East London 1960-2000: Bobby Moore and Graham Gooch'.
NuSound Radio 92 FM

Apex Media Player

4 May 2010 - Dr. Phil Stevens was interviewed on Leith 98.8 FM. Phil answered questions about his book 'Sporting Heroes of Essex and East London 1960-2000: Bobby Moore and Graham Gooch'. Phil was interviewed on 'The Graeme Logan Show'.
Leith 98.8 FM

Apex Media Player

4 May 2010 - Dr. Phil Stevens was interviewed on BBC Radio Essex 103.5 & 95.3 FM. Phil answered questions about his book 'Sporting Heroes of Essex and East London 1960-2000: Bobby Moore and Graham Gooch'.
BBC Radio Essex 103.5 & 95.3 FM

Apex Media Player

18 February 2011 - Dr Phil Stevens was interviewed on Express 93.7 FM. Phil answered questions about his book 'Sporting Heroes of Essex and East London 1960-2000: Bobby Moore and Graham Gooch'.
Express 93.7 FM

Apex Media Player

-- Readers Comments

I was fascinated to find so much detail about the social setting as well as a narrative of sporting achievements. It’s a wonderful book which will be an asset to our collection.
Linda Rhodes, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham (Local Studies Librarian)
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This book is great. Well written, it will appeal to even those who are not fans of sport in particular. An interesting read and excellent value for money.
Mrs FJ Lovell
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-- Book Signings and Events

Dr. Phil Stevens signed copies of his book 'Sporting Heroes of Essex and East London 1960-2000: Bobby Moore and Graham Gooch' at Waterstone’s, Ilford.
Waterstone’s, Ilford

Dr. Phil Stevens signed copies of his book 'Sporting Heroes of Essex and East London 1960-2000: Bobby Moore and Graham Gooch' at Waterstone's, Walthamstow.
Waterstone's, Walthamstow

Dr. Phil Stevens signed copies of his book 'Sporting Heroes of Essex and East London 1960-2000: Bobby Moore and Graham Gooch' at Waterstone's, London Wall, London.
Waterstone's, London Wall, London

Dr. Phil Stevens signed copies of his book 'Sporting Heroes of Essex and East London 1960-2000: Bobby Moore and Graham Gooch' at Waterstone's, Cabot Place East, Canary Wharf.
Waterstone's, Cabot Place East, Canary Wharf

Dr. Phil Stevens signed copies of his book 'Sporting Heroes of Essex and East London 1960-2000: Bobby Moore and Graham Gooch' at Waterstone’s, Basildon.
Waterstone’s, Basildon

Dr. Phil Stevens signed copies of his book 'Sporting Heroes of Essex and East London 1960-2000: Bobby Moore and Graham Gooch' at Waterstone's, New George Street, Plymouth.
Waterstone's, New George Street, Plymouth

20 April 2011 - Dr. Phil Stevens talked about and signed copies of his book 'Sporting Heroes' at Eastbury Manor House, Barking.
Eastbury Manor House, Barking

27 August 2016 - Dr Phil Stevens talked about the life of the 1966 World Cup winning captain Bobby Moore, and his book 'Sporting Heroes' at the Valence House Museum, Dagenham.
Valence House Museum, Dagenham

-- Libraries that stock this book
The Library of Trinity College, Dublin
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The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth
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The Bodleian Library, Oxford
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The National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh
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The University Library, Cambridge
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The British Library, Boston Spa
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