Come and meet England wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow and listen to this young man’s incredible and emotional story at the London Sporting Club over lunchtime drinks and nibbles. Receive a signed copy of his book just weeks before he leaves for Australia and what promises to be a hard-fought Ashes series.

As a young boy of eight, Jonny was dealt a cruel blow. His father, David ‘Bluey’ Bairstow, a combative and very popular cricketer, the wicket-keeper and captain of Yorkshire, had struggled with depression since retiring from the game and took his own life at the age of forty-seven.

David left behind Jonny, Jonny’s sister Becky and half-brother Andy, and his wife Janet, who had recently been diagnosed with cancer at the time of his death. From these incredibly tough circumstances, Jonny and his family strived to find an even keel and come to terms with the loss of their father and husband.

Janet wanted Jonny to have the chance to pursue a career in sports and dedicated herself to giving him every opportunity available. A gifted and natural athlete who had potential careers ahead of him in golf and football, Jonny eventually chose cricket and came to build a career that followed in his father’s footsteps, eventually reaching the pinnacle of the sport and breaking the record for most Test runs in a year by a wicketkeeper.