Sport
13 February, 2026
No golden duck for this cricket-loving kids’ book author
A FATHER’S childhood experiences playing cricket have inspired a newly-published children’s book focused on family, fun and resilience.
Ryan Guilfoyle drew on his memories of growing up playing cricket across the Atherton Tablelands, Cairns and the wider Queensland region to create ‘The Golden Duck’, which will officially launch tomorrow.
Based on real-life events, the book follows a young Ryan after he is gifted a brand-new cricket bat and confidently declares: “I’ll never, ever, get a golden duck.”
Mr Guilfoyle said the idea began as a simple personal project before gaining wider support.
“I sort of just jotted it down on some paper, and then had family and friends read it and sort of encouraged me,” he said.
“We sent it off to a few publishers, and Morpheus Publishing down in Victoria took it on, and Justine, the owner of Morpheus, did the illustrations as well.”
Mr Guilfoyle said, while the book centred on cricket, the underlying message extended beyond the sport.
“It’s a book about cricket, essentially, but also the perils of cricket and what that could teach you, especially as a young fellow,” he said.
“It’s a tough sport, especially as a batsman. It can be pretty make or break. I used to beat myself up a lot and it’s basically just teaching resilience and getting through those things and the importance of family.”
Cricket Far North CEO Daniel Freebody said the book carried an important message for children and families.
“Fantastic for the area,” he said. “Obviously local, which is brilliant, but also to have a book that’s based around trying to build resilience is really important.”
Mr Freebody said the themes would resonate with anyone who had played the sport.
“I’d find it hard to believe anyone out there that’s played cricket for a decent length of time hasn’t had a golden duck,” he said. “It’s all about being resilient and trying to come back and be bigger and better the next game.”
The book is available at www.bit.ly/4qNRaVH
