John Lazenby

John Lazenby is a journalist and author who began his career on local newspapers in Sussex 35 years ago. He joined the Press Association in London in 1989, working as an editor on the news desk before transferring to sport. In his role as a rugby and cricket writer, he travelled the UK and Europe, filing copy for morning and evening newspapers throughout the country. Since 1997, he has worked as a freelance journalist on national newspapers, including the Times, the Sunday Times, the Guardian, the Daily Telegraph, the Sunday Telegraph and the Independent. In addition to his career as a print journalist, he has worked as a freelance sports broadcaster for radio and television.

His first book, Test of Time: Travels in Search of a Cricketing Legend was inspired by his grandfather, the Kent and England cricketer, J.R. Mason. John traced his footsteps on England’s 1897-98 tour of Australia, his interest sparked by the discovery of a cache of letters his grandfather had written home. Described by BBC Sport as ‘a great read’ and by the Sydney Morning Herald as a ‘delightful and unusual book’, Test of Time was well received in both the UK and Australia. It was selected as a finalist for the MCC/Cricket Society’s Book of the Year award in 2005, longlisted for the William Hill Prize and chosen as one of The Wisden Cricketer’s Books of the Year for 2005.

His The Strangers Who Came Home - The First Australian Cricket Tour of England was published by Bloomsbury in 2015. Bloomsbury published his Edging Towards Darkness on the last pre-Second World War England v South Africa Test match in 2017.

Biteback will publish his memoir, NHOJ – A Memoir That Started Backwards, in 2025.

John Lazenby lives in North Island, New Zealand.