1987

• Faber and Faber (UK)

• Faber, Inc. (US)

Playing Away

To mark the conclusion of their "Third World Week" celebration, a cricket team in a small English village invites a black cricket team from South London to a charity game with comical results.

In contemporary Britain, what do urban West Indians and other black Britons have in common with rural English society? Cricket. In his first screenplay for the cinema, Caryl Phillips transports a pick-up team from Brixton into the depths of the countryside for a game of cricket. Before, during and after it, the two sides find they have both more and less in common than they might have supposed—whether with opponents or team-mates.

The film, released in 1988, was directed by Horace Ové, and produced by Vijay Amarnani, Brian Skilton and Christopher Sutton.