Guest Review: Coming Home: Moments that Made Me By Freddie Flintoff

 In Coming Home, Freddie Flintoff zeroes-in on the crucial moments that made him - some highly celebrated, others less well-known, away from the cameras, but all pivotal in shaping the man he is.

As a boy, growing up in Preston, Fred fell in love with the game of cricket. It gave him his route through life; out on the pitch he felt at home. Through his eyes we see him picking up a bat for the first time, his early years on the field; that incredible performance to win the Ashes against the Aussies in 2005; face-downs with rivals; run-ins with the media; the doctors telling him he can't continue to play. On and off the pitch, in and out of the spotlight, Fred tells the whole story.

After retiring, Fred thought he'd left the game behind, relaunching himself in the world of entertainment, but following the car crash that turned his life upside down, it was cricket to which he returned.

Coming Home is a reflection on a unique life, a story like no other, and a love letter to the game that made him. Honest, open, reflective and funny, like the man himself, this is Freddie Flintoff, in full, in his own words.

Review: Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff (he was given the nickname at school because of the resemblance of his surname to the cartoon character Fred Flintstone) played cricket for Lancashire and England. Probably his greatest achievements came during the 2005 and 2009 Ashes-winning Test series against Australia. Following his retirement from playing professional cricket, he pursued a varied career in television, radio and on the stage. His television appearances include “A League of Their Own” and “Top Gear”. It was as a presenter in this latter programme that he was involved in a car accident in 2022 in which he was seriously injured. This, his latest book, is a reflective look back at his life and the decisions that shaped his career.

He talks candidly about his struggles with mental health and the eating disorder bulimia. He also discusses the problems he had with injuries during his playing career and also coming to terms with the after effects  following his car accident. He has latterly turned to coaching cricket, being part of the England coaching set-up and coaching one of the teams in the “Hundred” competition. He has also coached youngsters who hadn’t had the opportunity to play cricket before, this forming the basis for the television series “Field of Dreams”. It is this return to cricket in a coaching capacity that he refers to as “Coming Home”.

I found the book, with its short chapters, very readable. Although cricket features strongly, it is not just about cricket but is more a reflection of what opportunities and decisions can occur during one’s lifetime. As a candid account of a person’s life, I would recommend this book.

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