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Eleven Bats  By  cover art

Eleven Bats

By: Anthony Moffitt
Narrated by: Ric Herbert
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Publisher's Summary

Anthony 'Harry' Moffitt spent more than 20 years in the SAS. His decades of service and his multiple tours in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan made him one of the regiment's most experienced and recognised figures.

Alongside the SAS, Harry's other lifetime love is cricket. An improvised game of cricket was often the circuit-breaker Harry and his team needed after the tension of operations. He began a tradition of organising matches wherever he was sent, whether it was in the mountains of East Timor with a fugitive rebel leader, or on the dusty streets of Baghdad, or in exposed Forward Operating Bases in the hills of Afghanistan. Soldiers, locals and even visiting politicians played in these spontaneous yet often bridge-building games.

As part of the tradition, Harry also started to take a cricket bat with him on operational tours, 11 of them in total. They'd often go outside the wire with him and end up signed by those he met or fought alongside. These 11 bats form the basis for Harry's extraordinary memoir. 

It's a story about combat and what it takes to serve in one of the world's most elite formations. It's a story about the toll that war takes on soldiers and their loved ones. And it's a story about the healing power of cricket and how a game can break down borders in even the most desperate of circumstances.

©2020 Anthony Moffitt (P)2020 W F Howes

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  • Scott
  • 11-22-21

A great Australian story

A humble retelling of the life of one of Australia's elite soldiers and cricket fanatics, however no prior knowledge or understanding of the game is required to enjoy this story.

1 person found this helpful

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  • Sam8071
  • 07-07-21

Outstanding!

A clever, humorous, passionate account of the time and life of a fair dinkum operator. Interspersed with a underlying philosophy of cricket, and overlain with a healthy helping of humanity. I was touched by the personal sacrifice made by these men and the hardships endured by their families. In Australia we barely even broke stride during this entire period. We were too self obsessed, consumed with the daily grind to even notice. Only veterans and their families bore the weight of the responsibility, and in particular the overworked special forces community. A ripping yarn. Good drills Harry. Cheers Jock.

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  • Anonymous User
  • 06-23-21

Absolutely stunning listen right to the finish

I really enjoyed this book, so much that when I finished I had to start it again. honestly funny truly sad and very humbling.. thank you Harry and the SAS team.

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  • Riley Brown
  • 02-25-21

The best modern war autobiography

Ive listened to many autobiographies based on the stories of soldiers during modern conflicts. This is probably my favourite. Maybe because I too am a cricket fanatic and that aspect of this was so wholesome. The narration was as good as the book in my opinion and the Richie Benaud impersonation in particular was 10/10. Thanks for your service 'Harry', bloody legend.

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  • Anonymous User
  • 03-30-23

Humble, Top Bloke.

Harry has a real way to normalise and downplay something so scary and real. Very enjoyable.

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  • Kayne Doanld
  • 01-18-23

what and awesome listen

great listen to learn what demands of Australias elite soldiers what was the services requires and demands of them. really eye opening

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  • Anonymous User
  • 10-02-22

Honest and captivating

loved it. related to all the military lifestyle stories. Cricket fans and military enthusiasts alike will enjoy

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  • Anonymous User
  • 06-12-22

Well worth the read, as real as you can get

I am not a cricket fan, nor ex regiment. I played lots of backyard growing up in Perth in the 80s. But I did deploy at the same time to Afghanistan as Harry, and his story unexpectedly helped me piece together an event which has had a huge impact on my life, but I had problems recalling in any detail since it happened in 2005.
A true warrior scholar, the bats are his way of attaching meaning to experiences that cannot be understood because language fails. And like many other soldiers, found that art and other things that transcend culture and time, like sport and totems, do a much better job. In an age of memoirs that give the gory details to satisfy the consumer, I highly recommend that anyone wanting to understand war and the ethical problems that soldiers face, while getting a few laughs along the way (also a part of war, and a very important one), well done on a great career, an excellent read, and a legacy.

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  • Greg NZ
  • 06-11-22

Exceptionally good all-round

The story and narration are most enjoyable and I will listen to this a couple more times. The book is well written and the narration is most agreeable. I learned a lot about the operation of the Australian SAS and came to realise the extent they sacrifice their family life to be part of the military elite.

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  • Ace37492
  • 03-31-22

An inspirational story

This audiobook tells a story that so few have been able to tell properly before. It was so inspiring to hear, and I appreciate and respect Harry's service to Australia and its allies.