The summer all wrapped up

"What could be better, when the winter months are upon us, than to curl up by the fire and relive all the action from those long, hot summer days?" asks the book's preface. There is the warm glow occasioned by memories of The Oval fightback and the lump-in-the-throat moment that accompanies a picture of Nasser's tearful resignation. There is an appropriately sentimental tribute by Hussain to Alec Stewart, the inaugural winner of the C&G Man of the Year award. For those of a statistical bent there is even, for the first time, a scorecard from every Championship match.

It is a comforting read, especially for those who like their tradition vacuum-packed from year to year. Apart from the change of sponsor from B&H to C&G, little about the book has changed in either format or content. Agnew's regular radio chums - Jim Maxwell, Tony Cozier and Bryan Waddle - bring commentary from overseas. The review of the domestic season retains its stubbornly unique chronology of events, which is great if you want to recreate the ebb and flow of the summer, but pretty frustrating if you want to track down Worcestershire v Glamorgan (look for an index and you'll be disappointed).

The book's only major drawback is that like an overprotective mother, it is so in love with the game that it smothers it. Jonathan Agnew looks back on 2003 as the year that "the future of county cricket was debated with a vigour that we have not seen in a while". But as there is little or no two-sided discussion from Agnew or his fellow contributors the C&G sometimes comes across as First Class Forum propaganda. Having grudgingly admitted that the two-tier Championship has shown "evidence of improvement" Agnew nevertheless contends that "increased competition does not necessarily improve the ability of a batsman or a bowler". Hardly a maxim that many sports administrators or coaches will be lining up to defend. Still, it's a book to cheer many a fanatical heart this Christmas.