Chris Hawkes grew up following the Leicester Tigers and played rugby at junior county level before switching his attentions to cricket. He went on to play professional cricket for Leicestershire CCC, as well as sampling club cricket around the world, before moving into publishing. He was editor of the bestselling Cricketer's Who's Who annual for a number of years and has gone on to write a number of books, including, for Carlton, the Rugby World Cup Guide 2007. He lives in London.