BEARS BAN BOOK BY EX-STAR SMITH

18-05-2007

Warwickshire County Cricket Club have banned “Wasted” - the new book by former all-rounder Paul Smithin which he lifts the lid on the sport’s drugs culture in the 90s. Smith also has harsh words for his former team-mate Keith Piper, now the Bears’ second team coach, who is apparently threatening to sue.

With it’s fascinating insightinto the period before, during and after the Bears historic treble winning season of 1994, “Wasted” will be required reading for anyone who takes more than a passing interest in affairs at Edgbaston.

They won’t be able to buy it from the club shop, though, as Smith’s highly readable account of his fall from grace - involving substance abuse, drinking binges with George Best, and marital strife - still touches too many raw nerves at the County Ground.

Smith argues that the club turned a blind eye to former wicket-keeper Piper’s cannabis use, and he also blames his former team-mate for destroying his marriage.

Publisher Simon Lowe from Studley-based Know The Score Books said: “The ban is is really sad, because the book tells it like it is, and I’m sure every Warwickshire fan would want to know exactly what was going on behind the scenes.

“What’s important to remember is that Paul doesn’t glamorise any of this and he’s not proud of the way he behaved.

“In many ways the book is a warning against sports stars living a rock n’ roll lifestyle, and what’s really important is how he picked up the pieces of his life after being banned by coaching in the ghettoes of Los Angeles.”

Lowe laughed off the suggestion that Piper might take legal action, saying, “On what grounds? It’s all true”.

Ironically Smith is at Edgbaston today, coaching inner city youngsters for the Princes Trust charity.

He dismissed the controversy, saying: “This is a book that’s about more than Warwickshire, and about more than cricket. It’s for everyone, and I hope it will have a wider readership than Edgbaston.”

Warwickshire have yet to comment.

You can see an exclusive interview with Paul Smith on Stirrer TV tomorrow.